Writing is evocative and compelling in oddly intriguing ways, like learning to tinker enough to repair an antique clock.

Yet, death, depression, and dying are the pervasive elements, so that normal conversations come as highly welcome intervals!

How strange and welcome that George's early attempt to escape his family set the stage for his Father.

And still, a major undercurrent is the intricacies of what we will want to remember in the hours of our final days and nights. ( )

Couldn't even get through chapter one ....never finished. ( )

I have to say Paul Harding's "Tinkers" left me feeling unmoved and dissatisfied - like so many other books this year...

The novel revolves around an old man named George who is dying from cancer, and the narrative follows his thoughts and memories as he grapples with his mortality. The language used by the author is often ornate and overwrought, which, coupled with the slow pacing of the story, made for a tedious reading experience.

The characters lack depth and development, with George being the only character with any discernible personality traits, and even those are underwhelming. The supporting cast feels two-dimensional, failing to contribute anything meaningful to the narrative.

The themes of loss, mortality, and the passing of time are not uncommon in literature, but Harding's handling of them is clichéd and trite. Rather than telling a compelling story, the author seems more concerned with showcasing his literary prowess.

In conclusion, "Tinkers" is not a book that I would recommend to others. While the themes it explores are important, the execution leaves much to be desired.

Two out of five stars.

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Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam ( )

In this deluxe tenth anniversary edition, Marilynne Robinson introduces the beautiful novel Tinkers, which begins with an old man who lies dying. As time collapses into memory, he travels deep into his past, where he is reunited with his father and relives the wonder and pain of his impoverished New England youth. At once heartbreaking and life affirming, Tinkers is an elegiac meditation on love, loss, and the fierce beauty of nature.

The story behind this New York Times bestselling debut novel―the first independently published Pulitzer Prize winner since A Confederacy of Dunces received the award nearly thirty years before―is as extraordinary as the elegant prose within it. Inspired by his family’s history, Paul Harding began writing Tinkers when his rock band broke up. Following numerous rejections from large publishers, Harding was about to shelve the manuscript when Bellevue Literary Press offered a contract. After being accepted by BLP, but before it was even published, the novel developed a following among independent booksellers from coast to coast. Readers and critics soon fell in love, and it went on to receive the Pulitzer Prize, prompting the New York Times to declare the novel’s remarkable success “the most dramatic literary Cinderella story of recent memory.”

That story is still being written as readers across the country continue to discover this modern classic, which has now sold over half a million copies, proving once again that great literature has a thriving and passionate audience.

Paul Harding is the author of two novels about multiple generations of a New England family: Enon and the Pulitzer Prize–winning Tinkers. He teaches at Stony Brook Southampton.
Amazon review ( )

I read my rain-soaked copy after drying each page in the sun. I recommend that everyone read it in this manner. ( )