The Magician's Assistant Study Guide consists of approx. 42 pages of summaries and analysis on The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett.This study guide includes the following Plot Summary, Chapter Summaries & Analysis, Characters, Objects/Places, Themes, Style, Quotes, and Topics for Discussion.
I have thoroughly enjoyed other Ann Patchett books I've read, but this one . . . not so much.
I will admit that it kept me reading (listening), but it felt like she had maybe planned this as the first in a series (of at least 2 books) about the Fetters family.
So all in all, I felt like Sabine and the Fetters family had walked up to the edge of a cliff, looked into the abyss, and then the book ends. I mean, I do not like all the ends tied up in a nice shiny bow at the end of any book, but this is this polar opposite! I'm wondering if the problem may be that this was one of her very early works.(?)
William is the son of a lawyer but rather than follow in his father’s footsteps he is determined to be a detective. After graduating from university with a fine arts degree, he is accepted into the force as a police officer. Eventually he is promoted to Scotland Yard where he is works in the fine arts division investigating the case of a priceless Rembrandt painting which has been stolen from a local museum. This where he meets Beth, a young lady who is a research assistant at the museum. In spite of his best efforts, has he been outwitted by an unscrupulous individual? Maybe we will find out in the next book in the series.
Patchett is an excellent story teller. This book drew me in quickly and held me to the end with its twists and turns. The only thing I thought was superfluous was Kitty and Sabine towards the end. I would definitely read a sequel should there be one.
I wasn’t sure what this book was going to be about, but I have heard it is good, and this is the fourth book I have read by Ann Patchett, so I didn’t mind “going in blind.” What a story! It is a story of family, combined with a bit of mystery, and lots of social issues, but very smoothly written. It is not a happy story, but a very satisfying one.
I thought her dream sequences were strange and didn't offer anything to the story, yet they were a prominent part of the writing. I hope the next Ann Patchett book is better.