The Maytrees

The Maytrees is Annie Dillard's second novel. Before reading any further you should know I am a huge Annie Dillard fan. That said, I, of course, loved this novel. I love everything Annie Dillard writes and if I lived near her I would surely be arrested for snooping through her trash (can you be arrested for that?) because I am so desperate to read anything she cares to write down. So now you know. Don't bring your complaints about Dillard here. The Maytrees are Toby and Lou, a married couple, and the novel tells the story of their life, together and apart.

Time for another confession: I really hate writing book reviews. I hated writing them in school and managed to forget that until I started this blog. I don't even like reading book reviews. Bores me to tears to read someone suck the life out of a book by writing ridiculous things they hope will make themselves sound smart and perceptive. I have not yet resolved how I am going to tell you about the books I read without writing a book review but I'm working on it. About The Maytrees let's just say the characters did some wonderful things that made me want to reach out and hug them and they did some not so wonderful things that made me want to slap them. Let's add that the passages about the dunes on Cape Cod (a place I have never been) seemed so real I could smell the salt air and when I put the book down I had to shake out my socks to shed the sand between my toes. Saying those sorts of things will get you a failing grade on a book report in school, but will make an author float away on a cloud of happiness. Lord only knows what it will do for a blog reader.

The Maytrees by Annie Dillard. First line: The Maytrees were young long ago.