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Dear Ann
Ann Workman is smart but naïve, a misfit who’s traveled from rural Kentucky to graduate school in the transformative years of the late 1960s. While Anne fervently seeks higher learning, she wants what all girls yearn for—a boyfriend. But not any boy. She wants the “Real Thing,” to be in love with someone who loves her equally.
Then Jimmy appears as if by magic. Although he comes from a very different place, upper-middle class suburban Chicago, he is a misfit too, a rebel who rejects his upbringing and questions everything. Ann and Jimmy bond through music and literature and their own quirkiness, diving headfirst into what seems to be a perfect relationship. But with the Vietnam War looming and the country in turmoil, their future is uncertain.
Many years later, Ann recalls this time of innocence—and her own obsession with Jimmy—as she faces another life crisis. Seeking escape from her problems, she tries to imagine where she might be if she had chosen differently all those years ago. What if she had gone to Stanford University, as her mentor had urged, instead of a small school on the East Coast? Would she have been caught up in the Summer of Love and its subsequent dark turns? Or would her own good sense have saved her from disaster?
Beautifully written and expertly told, Dear Ann is the wrenching story of one woman’s life and the choices she has made. Bobbie Ann Mason captures at once the excitement of youth and the nostalgia of age, and how consideration of the road not taken—the interplay of memory and imagination—can illuminate, and perhaps overtake, our present.
Then Jimmy appears as if by magic. Although he comes from a very different place, upper-middle class suburban Chicago, he is a misfit too, a rebel who rejects his upbringing and questions everything. Ann and Jimmy bond through music and literature and their own quirkiness, diving headfirst into what seems to be a perfect relationship. But with the Vietnam War looming and the country in turmoil, their future is uncertain.
Many years later, Ann recalls this time of innocence—and her own obsession with Jimmy—as she faces another life crisis. Seeking escape from her problems, she tries to imagine where she might be if she had chosen differently all those years ago. What if she had gone to Stanford University, as her mentor had urged, instead of a small school on the East Coast? Would she have been caught up in the Summer of Love and its subsequent dark turns? Or would her own good sense have saved her from disaster?
Beautifully written and expertly told, Dear Ann is the wrenching story of one woman’s life and the choices she has made. Bobbie Ann Mason captures at once the excitement of youth and the nostalgia of age, and how consideration of the road not taken—the interplay of memory and imagination—can illuminate, and perhaps overtake, our present.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published September 8, 2020
177 people are currently reading
2595 people want to read
About the author
Bobbie Ann Mason
89 books219 followersBobbie Ann Mason has won the PEN/Hemingway Award and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, the American Book Award, and the PEN/Faulkner Award. Her books include In Country and Feather Crowns. She lives in Kentucky.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 157 reviews
December 2, 2020
"Dear Ann" engrosses in the profound consideration of first love, heartache, disappointment, and reminiscence of second life. Unfolding along the storyline is the compelling love story of young Ann with Jimmy. Then, punctuated in between pages, are letters Ann received spanning the time her life in the sixties and 2017 while at Stanford graduate school. Ann was looking back into her young life onboard a cruise ship at present (2017); she questioned her decision when her college professor Albert suggested that she go to California for further studies instead of heading to Harpur College in New York. What would it be like, her young life in California? What ifs and How come? However, life is not a linear line, and many times, it did not go the way it actually went, no matter how hard one can try.
I have enjoyed Ann's reflective journals as her story stirs up nostalgic feelings within. You will want to think about your own choices in life. Did I make the right choices back then? Should I have chosen otherwise? Those were some questions that kept me wondering during the reading journey. Since the story characterized parodies of typecasts in the sixties and during the Vietnam War, an unfamiliar timeline derailed at some point; I was having difficulty engaging with the plot. Characters are reflective, discussions amongst are lengthy and a bit deficient of poignancy. The prose was geared toward journaling of trivial day-to-day occurrences, which are mostly on telling of times. The advancement of the plot is slow and meditative. The intensity of first love depicted and the grief of losing it was brilliantly written. Somehow, intermittent narration switching between two timelines strives to read like a historical novel, which makes the story rather appealing in a way. As Ann ruminate over the what-ifs of her past and choices, the story carries a message that could resonate with one's deep longing for a second chance in life. I was thoroughly at odds and somewhat confused with the direction the narration is heading. Perhaps, this book is not for me, sadly, but the writing was admiringly beautiful with much deepness.
I have enjoyed Ann's reflective journals as her story stirs up nostalgic feelings within. You will want to think about your own choices in life. Did I make the right choices back then? Should I have chosen otherwise? Those were some questions that kept me wondering during the reading journey. Since the story characterized parodies of typecasts in the sixties and during the Vietnam War, an unfamiliar timeline derailed at some point; I was having difficulty engaging with the plot. Characters are reflective, discussions amongst are lengthy and a bit deficient of poignancy. The prose was geared toward journaling of trivial day-to-day occurrences, which are mostly on telling of times. The advancement of the plot is slow and meditative. The intensity of first love depicted and the grief of losing it was brilliantly written. Somehow, intermittent narration switching between two timelines strives to read like a historical novel, which makes the story rather appealing in a way. As Ann ruminate over the what-ifs of her past and choices, the story carries a message that could resonate with one's deep longing for a second chance in life. I was thoroughly at odds and somewhat confused with the direction the narration is heading. Perhaps, this book is not for me, sadly, but the writing was admiringly beautiful with much deepness.
September 26, 2021
I was a bit confused with things happening or not happening...I didn't feel pulled into this story, but I appreciate the author's work.
February 1, 2021
Bobbie Ann Mason's book is a retrospective trip through the late 60s on the Stanford campus during which the protagonist, Ann (note that this is the middle name of the author so we can wonder how much of the details are autobiographical), comes from rural Kentucky and becomes a literature PhD student in the midst of the hippy scene. She falls for the eloquent Jimmy who is in full rebellion against his more privileged background. With the raging Vietnam War and the roiling protests in San Francisco, Ann and Jimmy with their friends, grow up and evolve as we read. I really enjoyed the music and how the author intertwined the songs into the narrative, being a fan of the music from the late 60s for my entire life.
It was an entertaining read and I might seek out more by this author when I make a bigger dent in my TBR list.
My List of Pulitzer 2021 Hopefuls: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
It was an entertaining read and I might seek out more by this author when I make a bigger dent in my TBR list.
My List of Pulitzer 2021 Hopefuls: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
February 16, 2023
"We got a television when I was in high school and then later I'd watch it with my daddy and little brother when I came home on breaks."
"Didn't your mom watch it?"
"She couldn't see it from the kitchen."
This book's now/then/what-if settings were just starting to gel for me when I read this exchange and was knocked right back into the reality of a woman's life prior to the 60s. During the last 7 months of pandemic house arrest I've been fluctuating between boredom, nostalgia and homesickness, and this was an emotional wallow for me. I've heard the quip that if you remember the 60s you weren't really there, but this brought back so much of what "there" actually was. Yes, the secondary characters were a bit stereotyped but Ann (Bobbie Ann?) and Jimmy lived and breathed for me. Every sentence seemed to recall a seminal 60s song, novel or publication and I enjoyed sitting back for a few seconds to locate each one in my memories. An emotional and enjoyable ride for this old woman. 5 richly deserved stars.
May 12, 2020
I'm very conflicted about this book. From the very start it's unclear where Ann is driving off to: California or New York? Why is this important? Because the whole crux of the story is what really happened and where? Did Jimmy really exist? Did Ann really experience the 60's San Francisco? The story itself is quite moving. I couldn't put the book down . . . but then at the end I was reminded that there was no clarity and I felt cheated. I hope someone can explain Bobbie Ann Mason's intent so I can get over being angry with her for writing such a lovely love story that perhaps wasn't.
October 31, 2020
What in the world did I just slog myself through 😑
August 18, 2020
Rated 3.75 rounded up.
The late sixties was a time of change. The country was deep into the war in Vietnam and there was political and social unrest. San Francisco became the epicenter of the growing counterculture movement. Be-ins in Golden Gate Park, the Summer of Love and more created a romance about the period. Many wanted to be there while singing the lyrics, “Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair.” Author Bobbie Ann Mason explores that desire to be part of something big and important in her book Dear Ann.
The book opens with Ann in 2017 on a cruise ship. She is examining her life and in her thoughts, she imagines what her life would have been like if she had taken the advice of her free-thinking, college mentor Albert and headed out to California for graduate school at Stanford University instead of the upstate New York school which she ultimately chose. The author does an excellent job describing Ann’s imagined life out west. The people she meets, the experiences, the scene. One of the people she meets is Jimmy, who becomes a pivotal person in her life. The book is filled with letters from Albert, Jimmy and her mother who lives with her father on a farm in Kentucky. When the book returns to Ann on the cruise, we find out how her life turns out. Her happiness as well as her grief is revealed. The long telling of this imaginary existence finally makes sense.
I enjoyed Dear Ann, it has a lot going for it. I am fascinated by the sixties era, especially in San Francisco. Ann is presented as a smart and sensitive young woman and her evolution from the naïve girl from Kentucky into a more confident woman was done well. But the time spent during the imagined period was, for me, a bit long. I wanted to know more about Ann’s actual journey. We get a glimpse of her pain when we learn of her life - her losses and disappointments as well as her triumphs. I just wanted more time with the real Ann.
Many thanks to Edelweiss, HarperCollins and the author for the opportunity to read Dear Ann in advance of its September 8, 2020 release.
The late sixties was a time of change. The country was deep into the war in Vietnam and there was political and social unrest. San Francisco became the epicenter of the growing counterculture movement. Be-ins in Golden Gate Park, the Summer of Love and more created a romance about the period. Many wanted to be there while singing the lyrics, “Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair.” Author Bobbie Ann Mason explores that desire to be part of something big and important in her book Dear Ann.
The book opens with Ann in 2017 on a cruise ship. She is examining her life and in her thoughts, she imagines what her life would have been like if she had taken the advice of her free-thinking, college mentor Albert and headed out to California for graduate school at Stanford University instead of the upstate New York school which she ultimately chose. The author does an excellent job describing Ann’s imagined life out west. The people she meets, the experiences, the scene. One of the people she meets is Jimmy, who becomes a pivotal person in her life. The book is filled with letters from Albert, Jimmy and her mother who lives with her father on a farm in Kentucky. When the book returns to Ann on the cruise, we find out how her life turns out. Her happiness as well as her grief is revealed. The long telling of this imaginary existence finally makes sense.
I enjoyed Dear Ann, it has a lot going for it. I am fascinated by the sixties era, especially in San Francisco. Ann is presented as a smart and sensitive young woman and her evolution from the naïve girl from Kentucky into a more confident woman was done well. But the time spent during the imagined period was, for me, a bit long. I wanted to know more about Ann’s actual journey. We get a glimpse of her pain when we learn of her life - her losses and disappointments as well as her triumphs. I just wanted more time with the real Ann.
Many thanks to Edelweiss, HarperCollins and the author for the opportunity to read Dear Ann in advance of its September 8, 2020 release.
September 25, 2020
She’s still got it
I have loved Bobbie Ann Mason’s writing since “In Country” and “Shiloh and Other Stories” ~ I still see the characters, the ones I saw so clearly, more than 30 years later. Her language is beautiful without being frilly. The themes hum understated in the background.
I have loved Bobbie Ann Mason’s writing since “In Country” and “Shiloh and Other Stories” ~ I still see the characters, the ones I saw so clearly, more than 30 years later. Her language is beautiful without being frilly. The themes hum understated in the background.
September 25, 2020
One of the first rules in avoiding boring/faux literary fiction is ignore any plot that features a graduate student in English. When the author is Bobbie Ann Mason, well, throw that rule out. This novel --her first in years-- centers on the reflections of a woman in her early 70s who looks back at her life as a grad student in the 1960s and imagines what it would have been like if she had chosen the free-spirit atmosphere of California, instead of Binghampton, NY. The novel is classic Mason, soft humor, dead-on dialogue, well-developed characters. So much is revealed ever so slowly, ever so carefully. Well done.
October 2, 2020
Disappointing read to nowhere
Just MEH. I kept waiting for the story and character development and it all went nowhere. As someone who was able to relocate cross country to CA as a young adult, this book said nothing other than reminding us of the incredible music and the horrors of Vietnam that defined so much of this era. I truly feel cheated by the cost of and the time lost to this book..
Just MEH. I kept waiting for the story and character development and it all went nowhere. As someone who was able to relocate cross country to CA as a young adult, this book said nothing other than reminding us of the incredible music and the horrors of Vietnam that defined so much of this era. I truly feel cheated by the cost of and the time lost to this book..
October 18, 2020
Would not recommend. I thought the last 1/3rd was the best part but it didn't keep my attention through out the book. I didn't like any of the characters--though on the book jacket, NPR said author has a great love for her characters. I thought they were weak. It was a great idea for the premise of the book but fell short in my opinion.
August 20, 2022
I think this is really interesting book. Ann reflects upon her life and thinks about the “road not taken.” She seeks the “real love” she found with her lover during her graduate student years. As she tries to revise her past, the reality of her life intrudes. The brilliance in Mason’s narrative is that it appears to be a love story and a homage to the sixties (great scenes about acid trips and the release of Sgt. Pepper), but it’s really about how we determine reality and our identity. Ann’s story blurs reality, and Ann’s story blurs the boundaries between herself as character and Mason as writer. Ingenious, and I don’t think a lot of people have commented on that but that’s what interested me as I read the book.
September 2, 2020
Author Bobbie Ann Mason perfectly describes life in the late 1960s, placing her protagonist in Stanford University and Kentucky. Her ear for dialog and ability to describe settings and letters is pitch perfect. DEAR ANN delves into the ability of anticipatory mourning to reawaken previous losses and former desires not fully resolved. The book reveals its tale slowly though, and readers will require some patience to fully grasp the author’s intent. This is a fascinating book on many levels and worth reading.
May 24, 2021
I consider myself a fairly sophisticated reader, and I had a lot of trouble following the plot in this book. Which was reality and which was fantasy? Several times I wanted to pull Ann aside and tell her to grow up.
The writing evokes the 1960's, and I remember them well. The Vietnam War made an impact on everyone I knew, and we have been left with a lot of hard memories.
The insertion of letters is a clever device, but once again, I was not sure what line of the story was the real thing.
The writing evokes the 1960's, and I remember them well. The Vietnam War made an impact on everyone I knew, and we have been left with a lot of hard memories.
The insertion of letters is a clever device, but once again, I was not sure what line of the story was the real thing.
February 5, 2021
Not sure how I feel about this book...not sure if parts were a dream or if they really happened. I liked the nostalgia and mention of the music of the 60's, and the commentary on the Vietnam war and protests, etc. I consider myself to have a good vocabulary, but I had to look up the definition of a at least 6 words while reading this book.
October 4, 2020
There was something about this book I just didn’t like. Maybe because it’s a fantasy within a fiction. I wanted to like this book, but I just didn’t. It talked too much about “the pill.” I learned a new word: magnolious. Not minimalist enough. Not Kmart realism enough.
November 13, 2020
Boring and made no sense. Don't waste your time.
November 18, 2020
Didn't finish
August 16, 2024
Beautiful, poignant story of a woman remembering her time at Stanford in the turbulent late 60s and how they contributed to who she has become through the following decades.
November 30, 2020
Bobbie Ann Mason is a fine writer and I wish I could have rated Dear Ann higher. I know her interest in and immersion in the Viet Nam War and this novel certainly describes the Stateside situation well.
But...I kept losing interest and found it hard to continue reading.
Perhaps it was the confusion of where Ann's graduate studies took place. Was it Stanford or was it Harpur. OK, you do find out in the end but it's hard to explain why Mason chose this confusing method.
Ann is from rural Kentucky and her Mama writes to her in that vernacular. Jimmy, her first "true love" introduces her to pot, good sex, acid, the Beatles, Janis Joplin, and poetry. (She already loves that.) The acid trip with Jimmy was perhaps the most interesting part of the book. Her peripheral characters, Chip, Pixie, her retired circus-performer landlady with the unusual color selection, and Albert, her college advisor Albert are well drawn and interesting.
If you remember the Summer of Love, the protests against LBJ, the moon landing you may feel the time described here more keenly. It's definitely literary fiction but I wish I enjoyed it more than I did.
But...I kept losing interest and found it hard to continue reading.
Perhaps it was the confusion of where Ann's graduate studies took place. Was it Stanford or was it Harpur. OK, you do find out in the end but it's hard to explain why Mason chose this confusing method.
Ann is from rural Kentucky and her Mama writes to her in that vernacular. Jimmy, her first "true love" introduces her to pot, good sex, acid, the Beatles, Janis Joplin, and poetry. (She already loves that.) The acid trip with Jimmy was perhaps the most interesting part of the book. Her peripheral characters, Chip, Pixie, her retired circus-performer landlady with the unusual color selection, and Albert, her college advisor Albert are well drawn and interesting.
If you remember the Summer of Love, the protests against LBJ, the moon landing you may feel the time described here more keenly. It's definitely literary fiction but I wish I enjoyed it more than I did.
April 11, 2024
I think I didn't understand this book. I'm not sure why it was told as a flashback. I'm not sure why the flashback was (probably) an imagining of what might have happened had Ann gone to school at Stanford (during the '60s heyday in SF) rather than what did happen (I think she went to school in NY state?). The letters to Ann from her former teacher, mother, and boyfriend don't seem to really have anything to do with what was going on in the story.
The conversations between Ann and Jimmy were super pretentious and over the top. The friendships Ann had seemed superficial at best, nearly nonexistent at worst. And then....this never happened?
That's what I mean, I just didn't get the point of the whole book. I even read the reviews on Goodreads to see what I had missed and why I didn't grasp the meaning of the book. No luck there, either.
My thanks to Harper publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The conversations between Ann and Jimmy were super pretentious and over the top. The friendships Ann had seemed superficial at best, nearly nonexistent at worst. And then....this never happened?
That's what I mean, I just didn't get the point of the whole book. I even read the reviews on Goodreads to see what I had missed and why I didn't grasp the meaning of the book. No luck there, either.
My thanks to Harper publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 13, 2020
I continue to be a fan of Mason's short stories and her novel In Country, but I just don't think I'm the audience for this novel. Especially given the state of the world right now, reading a Baby Boomer's reflection on love and loss in the Vietnam era just isn't what I'm interested in reading now. There are certainly bits of engaging writing, especially the descriptions of dropping acid and tripping among redwood trees. I wish that she had made the frame story more present--of a woman now, with her husband losing his memory, imagining if she had made different decisions early in life, but even in her imaginings, reality still finds its way in. The conceit is interesting, but it just wasn't present enough for me.
But then, I have very little patience now for Baby Boomer stories, so perhaps I shouldn't be reading them.
But then, I have very little patience now for Baby Boomer stories, so perhaps I shouldn't be reading them.
September 18, 2020
I have always enjoyed this writer's books and this one does not disappoint. The Vietnam era at Stanford is a whole new world for the main character who grew up in rural Kentucky with her farming family. Negotiating what it means to be young, free, and female within the midst of a cultural and political revolution, Ann pursues her graduate degree in literature and questions everything. One of the aspects that I loved the most about this book was the frequent discussions about the books Ann and her friends are reading; a literature lover's wealth of allusions in this one.
August 20, 2020
Dear Ann was a very interesting exploration of identity, what-ifs, and grief. I’m not super familiar with the 1960s, so there were quite a few cultural references that went over my head. The book started a bit slow for me but definitely sped up as the characters and plot deepened. Bobbie Ann Mason captured true emotions of sorrow, nostalgia, and longing perfectly. Overall this novel was an engaging read. A big thank you to Harper for the ARC!
September 8, 2020
I'm conflicted about this book. While it mostly held my attention, I felt it dragged quite a bit. When I neared the end, I got angry because of a bit of a plot twist. By the very end, I both empathized with Ann but also wondered if she wasn't afflicted by mental illness of dementia! It's ultimately a slow-moving roller coaster of twists and turns and I can't decide if I liked the ride!
October 21, 2020
Seemed to be only the authors musings on her own road not taken in life fleshed out with fictional characters. I hoped that maybe at least the era would come alive in a way the characters did not, but sadly that wasn't the case. A book that truly went nowhere with no greater meaning. A few nice turns of phrase and a few fun cultural references though.
October 6, 2020
Dear Ann
I read half of this book thinking it would start to make sense. The characters were not developed well and the story just never grabbed me. I actually thought the book was a waste of time.
I read half of this book thinking it would start to make sense. The characters were not developed well and the story just never grabbed me. I actually thought the book was a waste of time.
October 12, 2020
I’ve tried many of Mason’s books because people are always carrying on about how good they are. They never hit the mark for me and neither did this one. It drags on so slowly and never caught my interest at all. I’m giving up on the author.
July 31, 2020
I really wanted to like this book...I kept waiting for it to get better, right to the end. It just didn't for me.
March 13, 2021
I found the where--did-she-go-to-school very confusing. It definitely took away from my enjoyment of the book. I just assumed that she finished grad school in NY, not that the whole Stanford story line was her imagination. I just read The Dutch House, where a place was a character of the story. Is the place in this story that relevant? It seems like she could be smoking pot and tripping on acid pretty much anywhere.
As an undergrad in the early 80s, an English professor had us read a Carlos Castenada (?sp) book in which the narrator described his experiences with peyote. I found the book to be tiresome, and I found myself wanting to skip through these druggy sections. Seeing as I have no experience with hallucinogenic drugs, I guess I will never understand the desire to participate in this kind of experience. (I have one friend who has dropped acid, and told me I should never do it!)
Since I'm already nitpicking, I also felt fairly uneducated as I read this book. The literary references definitely reminded me that I was not an English Lit major.
I am, however, giving this book a 3.5, rounded up to four stars. I found the characters to be well-developed and mostly likable. Even though I was confused at times, I cared about them and wanted to know what happened to the believable romance between Ann and Jimmy. And although I didn't get the literary references, I enjoyed the musical ones.
As an undergrad in the early 80s, an English professor had us read a Carlos Castenada (?sp) book in which the narrator described his experiences with peyote. I found the book to be tiresome, and I found myself wanting to skip through these druggy sections. Seeing as I have no experience with hallucinogenic drugs, I guess I will never understand the desire to participate in this kind of experience. (I have one friend who has dropped acid, and told me I should never do it!)
Since I'm already nitpicking, I also felt fairly uneducated as I read this book. The literary references definitely reminded me that I was not an English Lit major.
I am, however, giving this book a 3.5, rounded up to four stars. I found the characters to be well-developed and mostly likable. Even though I was confused at times, I cared about them and wanted to know what happened to the believable romance between Ann and Jimmy. And although I didn't get the literary references, I enjoyed the musical ones.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 157 reviews