A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler

I was excited to read this book because of all of the hype, but it left me "flat". A rather intricate rambling storyline about the Whitshank family, both the patriarchs Junior and Linnie, and the parents, Red and Abbey--and their kids. The story felt dis-jointed. I am guessing that the author's intent was to introduce characters and the history of the family, then let the reader pull all the pieces together -- which I could not. After the death of one of the main characters, I failed to see the "spool of blue thread" weaving throughout. The ending was bizarre--with a concluding scene on Denny rather than Red.