Tyler's touch is gentle but firm.... Breathing Lessons fitsnaturally into the landscape of her work. Some readers may be reminded of The Big Chill or even of Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life.

Maggie and Ira Moran have been married for twenty-eight years--and it shows: in their quarrels, in their routines, in their ability to tolerate with affection each other's eccentricities. Maggie, a kooky, lovable meddler and an irrepressible optimist, wants nothing more than to fix her son's broken marriage. Ira is infuriatingly practical, a man "who should have married Ann Landers.

What begins as a day trip to a funeral becomes an adventure in the unexpected. As Maggie and Ira navigate the riotous twists and turns, they intersect with an assorted cast of eccentrics--and rediscover the magic of the road called life and the joy of having somebody to share the ride... bumps and all.