Saint Maybe

New York Times Bestseller “Captivating. . . . Compelling. . . . There is a kind of magic at work in this novel.” —The Washington Post Book World Ian Bedloe is the ideal teenage son, leading a cheery, apple-pie life with his family in Baltimore. That is, until a careless and vicious rumor leads to a devastating tragedy. Imploding from guilt, Ian believes he is the one responsible for the tragedy. No longer a star athlete with a bright future, and desperately searching for salvation, he stumbles across a storefront with a neon sign that simply reads: CHURCH OF THE SECOND CHANCE. Ian has always viewed his penance as a burden. But through the power of faith and the love of family, he begins to view it as a gift. After years spent trying to atone for his foolish mistakes, Ian finds forgiveness and peace in the life he builds for himself.

9 Weeks On The New York Times Bestseller List!

"a Novel That Attests Once Again To Ms. Tyler's Enormous Gifts As A Writer."
--the New York Times

"captivating . . . . Compelling . . . . There Is A Kind Of Magic At Work In This Novel."
--the Washington Post Book World


In 1965, The Happy Bedloe Family Is Living An Ideal, Apple-pie Existence In Baltimore.  then, In The Blink Of An Eye, A Single Tragic Event Occurs That Will Transform Their Lives Forever--particularly That Of Seventeen-year-old Ian Bedloe, The Youngest Son, Who Blames Himself For The Sudden "accidental" Death Of His Older Brother.

depressed And Depleted, Ian Is Almost Crushed Under The Weight Of An Unbearable, Secret Guilt.  then One Crisp January Evening, He Catches Sight Of A Window With Glowing Yellow Neon, The Church Of The Second Chance.  he Enters And Soon Discovers That Forgiveness Must Be Earned, Through A Bit Of Sacrifice And A Lot Of Love...


a New York Times Notable Book

publishers Weekly

although Tyler (breathing Lessons ; dinner At The Homesick Restaurant ) Is Again Writing About Families--the Way They Cleave Together In Times Of Trouble And Muddle Through With Stoic Courage--her Eminently Satisfying New Novel Breaks Her Familiar Mold, Giving Us Ordinary, Not Eccentric Characters Who Are Shaped By Disastrous Events Into Quietly Heroic Behavior. The Bedloes Are Cheerful And Count Their Blessings, Even If They Are Far From Rich And Live On A Slightly Seedy Street In Baltimore. But When 17-year-old Ian Rashly Informs His Older Brother Dan That The Latter's Wife Was Undoubtedly Pregnant Before Their Marriage, Dan Commits Suicide, And Ian Is Left With Profound Guilt--especially Since Dan's Wife Dies Soon After. Asking God's Forgiveness, He Receives Spiritual Guidance At The Endearingly Shabby Church Of The Second Chance. He Drops Out Of College, Becomes A Carpenter And Helps His Parents Care For The Three Orphaned Children; As The Years Pass, That Burden Falls Primarily On Ian's Shoulders. Wondering When God Will Signal That His Atonement Can End, Ian Has An Epiphany: ``you Could Never Call It A Penance, To Have To Care For Those Three.''...since Her Characters' Foibles Never Overwhelm Their Homespun Simplicity, The Reader Is Emotionally Involved And Touched As Never Before.

Saint Maybe is the rich and absorbing story of a young man's guilt over his brother's death and his struggle to atone for the wrong he feels he has done. On a quiet street in Baltimore in 1965, seventeen-year-old Ian Bedloe lives with his family in an "ideal, apple-pie household," enjoying the comfort of family traditions and indulging in all the usual dreams of the future. Until one night, when Ian's stinging words to his brother bring tragedy -- and from that careless moment on nothing can ever be the same. Anne Tyler takes us along Ian's painful and poignant quest for forgiveness, from the Church of the Second Chance to Ian's gratifying, solitary work as a carpenter. Raising the three children that are thrust on him, he finds himself amazed, drowning in family and duty. Then, out of the very heart of the domestic clutter, a light begins to flash. From the Hardcover edition NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The beloved Pulitzer Prize–winning author brings us the story of Ian Bedloe, the ideal teenage son, leading a cheery, apple-pie life with his family in Baltimore. That is, until a careless and vicious rumor leads to a devastating tragedy. Imploding from guilt, Ian believes he is the one responsible for the tragedy. No longer a star athlete with a bright future, and desperately searching for salvation, he stumbles across a storefront with a neon sign that simply reads: CHURCH OF THE SECOND CHANCE. Ian has always viewed his penance as a burden. But through the power of faith and the love of family, he begins to view it as a gift. After years spent trying to atone for his foolish mistakes, Ian finds forgiveness and peace in the life he builds for himself. In 1965, the happy Bedloe family is living an ideal, apple-pie existence in Baltimore.Then, in the blink of an eye, a single tragic event occurs that will transform their lives forever--particularly that of seventeen-year-old Ian Bedloe, the youngest son, who blames himself for the sudden "accidental" death of his older brother. Depressed and depleted, Ian is almost crushed under the weight of an unbearable, secret guilt.Then one crisp January evening, he catches sight of a window with glowing yellow neon, the CHURCH OF THE SECOND CHANCE.He enters and soon discovers that forgiveness must be earned, through a bit of sacrifice and a lot of love... A New York Times Notable Book "The happy Bedloe family is living the ideal existence in Baltimore in the 1960s, until a tragic event occurs and 17-year-old Ian Bedloe blames himself for the accidental death of his older brother." "Depressed and depleted, Ian is almost crushed under the weight of an unbearable, secret guilt. Then one crisp January evening, he catches sight of a window with glowing yello neon, the 'Church of the Second Chance.' He enters and soon discovers that forgiveness must be earned, through a bit of sacrifice and a lot of concern ..." In 1967 the Bedlow family lives quietly in Baltimore - an ideal, apple-pie household. The youngest, 17-year-old Ian, seems just an ordinary boy - until suddenly he feels compelled to tell his older brother that his wife's been unfaithful. The author won the Pulitzer Prize for Breathing Lessons. Ian Bedloe's life is forever affected by an event that took place years before--the night, in 1967, when he told his older brother, Dan, that Dan's wife had been cheating on him and that the baby son Dan had come to love was not his own