Books like French Braid by Anne Tyler

Don Tillman, a genetics professor with Asperger’s, designs a scientific survey to find a wife, only to meet Rosie Jarman, a drinker and late arriver who challenges his controlled worldview and leads him to discover that love can’t be measured.

Caseworker Linus travels to a remote orphanage to investigate ragged kids and their enigmatic caretaker Arthur, only to discover that the island’s magical children—and his own heart—are part of something larger than he imagined.

Macon Leary, a cynical travel writer, shuns itineraries until a fuzzy-haired dog‑trainer sparks an unexpected voyage of love and self‑discovery.

In Maeve Binchy’s warm tale of friendship, two young women from a small Irish village follow their hopes to Dublin, where hidden secrets and love stories collide and test the bonds of their Circle of Friends.

In a humble Mexican fishing village, a young girl plans to sell her prized hair to help her mother buy a new net, exploring the bond between mother and daughter amid cultural and economic realities.

"Anne Tyler gives us a wise, haunting, and deeply moving new novel in which she explores how a middle-aged man, ripped apart by the death of his wife, is gradually restored by her frequent appearances--in their house, on the roadway, in the market. Crippled in his right arm and leg, Aaron has spent his childhood fending off a sister who wants to manage him. So when he meets Dorothy, a plain, outspoken, independent young woman, she is like a breath of fresh air. Unhesitatingly, he marries her, and they have a relatively happy, unremarkable marriage. But when a tree crashes into their house and Dorothy is killed, Aaron feels as though he has been erased forever. Only Dorothy's unexpected appearances from the dead help him to live in the moment and to find some peace. Gradually he discovers, as he works in the family's vanity-publishing business, turning out titles that presume to guide beginners through the trials of life, that maybe for this beginner there is a way of saying goodbye. A beautiful, subtle exploration of loss and recovery, pierced throughout with Anne Tyler's humor, wisdom, and always penetrating look at human foibles"--

When a long‑married couple drive to a friend’s funeral in Baltimore, they confront the hopes and hurts that have shaped their 28‑year relationship.

When 40‑year‑old Delia Grinstead disappears while on a family vacation, her husband and children are left to confront a life suddenly empty. Tyler examines the quiet rupture of identity, relationships, and the longing for a fresh start.

Two families waiting for their Korean‑adopted babies meet at the airport, and their lives become intertwined at an annual welcome party. As the families navigate friendship, grief and cultural tension, a widowed Donaldson courts Maryam, an Iranian‑American whose values are challenged.