I picked up Breathing Lessons this month since I saw a few folk were reading it for the #PulitzerProject and it had been sat on my TBR for over three years. Now I feel like I should have let it sit there a bit longer - or maybe I’m glad I got it over with? Not sure, but I am sure that it wasn’t really for me 😭

If you know my reading tastes, you’ll know I’m usually all over the mundane, the ordinary, everyday lives of everyday people. However, the authors of those books usually have a way of making the ordinary extraordinary, or there’s a vein of darkness, an edge, running through the book. Breathing Lessons didn’t have that spark for me - it was hyper realistic and an incredibly accurate portrayal of a marriage that’s older than I am. But that was all. The mundane remained mundane.

I’m probably being overly critical because I’m upset I didn’t enjoy a book I thought I would (A Spool of Blue Thread is great!) and let’s be real, this book won the Pulitzer Prize so if you’re interested in reading it, definitely go check out some other reviews which are much more positive!

You’re probably wondering why I finished it and it’s mainly just because Tyler’s writing is very readable, the dialogue flows well. There is a small amount of outdated 1980s language as well, just so you’re aware!