This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage in Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge

Mar 27, 2015 Booktart rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemporary-fiction

I did not read every story but Patchett is a beautiful writer. The ending to "Dog Without End," about her dog Rose's life, is poignant and stayed with me: "Sometimes love does not have the most honorable beginnings, and the endings, the endings will break you in half. It's everything in between we live for." ...more

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Feb 01, 2014 Erin rated it really liked it

Shelves: nonfiction, book-club, essays

I adore Ann Patchett. I love her books. I love the story of her friendship with Lucy Grealy I love that when Nashville lost its bookstores she opened up an independent one of her own. I loved watching her interview with Stephen Colbert (if you haven't seen it, find it on YouTube). And I loved that in this book of her essays, all previously published, but all new to me, she touches on all those subjects as well as many others.

My book club decided to read this collection because we thought it wou I adore Ann Patchett. I love her books. I love the story of her friendship with Lucy Grealy I love that when Nashville lost its bookstores she opened up an independent one of her own. I loved watching her interview with Stephen Colbert (if you haven't seen it, find it on YouTube). And I loved that in this book of her essays, all previously published, but all new to me, she touches on all those subjects as well as many others.

My book club decided to read this collection because we thought it would be a quick read (and it was) and because we've enjoyed Patchett's books so much she is the only author I can think of that, when she publishes something new, we always consider it and nearly always read it. Now, this is not a perfect book, but Patchett is an excellent writer and does non-fiction as well as she does fiction. I wasn't aware of her background as a magazine contributor, but it wasn't at all surprising to see that in both types of writing she visits many of the same themes generally very artfully. I loved that in the first few pages she mentioned her early work with Adrian Nicole LeBlanc, author of Random Family, one of my all-time favorite books.

OK, so some of the essays were a bit long for me (but she actually even touches on that, noting that her non-fiction was always a slave to the word count required by the publisher) but they were all good, some great (particular standouts for me were the story of her RV trip with her estranged partner, lifelong friendship with an elderly nun, her adult relationship with her grandmother (the reference to "picking up the horrible fried-fish planks from Captain D's she loved" (213) made me laugh out loud....I used to do the very same thing for my grandmother, only she preferred Long John Silver's) and her recounting of the controversy when [title: Truth and Beauty] was selected as Clemson's freshman class read).

And then, oh, the dog stories. Any animal lover will fall a little in love with Rose and I'm not ashamed to say I had the patented Oprah-ugly-cry while reading "Dog Without End" which is one of the most beautiful tributes I've ever read. My husband and I don't have children, but do have beloved dogs so I have lived through the same comments she and her husband receive, that dogs are just a placeholder (then, later, a substitute) for children and I love how she shuts down those "well-meaning" folk, describing exactly how I feel, "'Look at that,' people said, looking at me and not Rose. 'Look how badly she wants a baby.' A baby? I held up my dog for them to see, my bright, beautiful dog. 'A dog,' I said. 'I've always wanted a dog.' The truth is, I have no memory of ever wanting a baby. I have never peered longingly into someone else's stroller. I have, on occasions too numerous to list, bent down on the sidewalk to rub the ears of strange dogs, to whisper to them about their limpid eyes." (75-76). Exactly. And in one sentence she sums up my feelings about dogs with pedigrees (yes, I DO judge people who buy and don't adopt. I do. I try to be a better person than that, but then see the heartbreaking photos of pets nobody wants.) Rose was a "Parking Lot Dog, dropped off in a snowstorm to meet her fate" (77). There are way too many Parking Lot Roses out there - if we buy dogs and don't adopt from shelters or rescues, we are saying they aren't valuable enough to save. So, there's my PSA for the day.

However, my adoration for Patchett blossomed into something else when she compared her relationship with her grandmother to her relationship with Rose. When I lost my maternal grandmother (I was in my thirties) I explained it to my husband in the very same terms that Patchett uses - love for an elderly grandparent is often so similar to the love you have for your dogs, because it's so clear, so true and so unmarked by disappointment and constant change. I was just gutted an felt I was experiencing it again. I marked a lot more dog lines so I could save them for myself.

So, if you like Ann Patchett, read this. if you love essays or great magazine writing, read it. If you love dogs, read the dog essays, then read the whole thing.

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Jun 03, 2014 Jenni rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-finished-in-2015

If you are a writer or want to be a writer, this is a GREAT book for you. Such wonderful stories of Ann's life experiences. Stories of writing and book tours, family, love, divorce, and opening a bookstore when everyone tells you bookstores are dead. It was a joy to read and a joy to listen to on audiobook. I especially loved "the love between the two women is not normal". That was a very interesting read. Ann has a wonderful sense of humor and I love her nonfiction as much as her fiction. ...more

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Jan 16, 2014 Carmen rated it really liked it

Shelves: memoir, essays, bedtime-books

I'm tempted to give this five stars, out of admiration for Ann Patchett's artful and deeply personal essays. So many of them depict her experiences with writing, family, love, and friendship, and in such an intimate way. I saw myself as one of Ann's friends after having finished this collection, which I think says something about how consistently awesome her writing is (all of the essays were written at different times over the past several years). Somehow she's managed to paint herself both as ...more

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Apr 18, 2017 Laurie rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017

I tore through this book of essays like it was a novel. I actually picked it up because I like Patchett's fiction, and I didn't realize this was a book of essays until I started. I can't choose a favorite, they're all great, and Patchett's writing is so vibrant and readable. ...more

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Jun 14, 2014 Melissa rated it it was amazing

Excellent book of essays, including the convocation address she gave when certain people objected to Truth and Beauty as an all-freshman read at Clemson.

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Jan 24, 2014 Jeff Scott rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction, audiobooks, memoir, essays, to-own

It’s difficult to write a memoir using old essays spanning twenty years. I’ve read several short story collections and essay memoirs that are a collection over time and many provide a jarring narrative. The timelines are repetitive and discordant. However, Ann Patchett is able to pull out the story of her life through a series of essays dating back twenty years using a dozen different periodicals. From Vogue to Cuisine to the Atlantic Monthly Patchett has left a trail of her life through bits an It’s difficult to write a memoir using old essays spanning twenty years. I’ve read several short story collections and essay memoirs that are a collection over time and many provide a jarring narrative. The timelines are repetitive and discordant. However, Ann Patchett is able to pull out the story of her life through a series of essays dating back twenty years using a dozen different periodicals. From Vogue to Cuisine to the Atlantic Monthly Patchett has left a trail of her life through bits and pieces. It’s remarkable that she can detail every major moment in her life simply be pulling up an article she wrote for a magazine. It definitely demonstrates the best writing has an auto-biographical element to it. Patchett covers all aspects of her life and the reader will be astounded at how multi-faceted and passionate she is on so many topics. The stories she selects for this collection reflect her passions, her origins, and her deepest beliefs.

Patchett’s memoir is a mix of writer’s guide and This I Believe. The stories are self-contained with a visceral personal punch. Patchett can provide aspects of her own life as fodder for her magazine essays. Her early struggles as a writer, the story of her divorce, dealing with censorship, and the story of her happy marriage are all covered here. A life covered in short essays.

Many writers will struggle to convey their meaning to create an image. It’s like being a fish in an aquarium trying to communicate with the outside world. Patchett doesn’t seem to have these shortcomings. Her work will help other writers both with ideas and realistic advice. The Getaway Car documents the false hope of a writer getting an MFA and thinking the one big book will pay everything off. The writing advice alone in this book is worth the read.

The book really shines when Patchett writes about her loves. Even though there is a titular story in work, one could pull out several references to happy marriages. Patchett’s writing, her husband, the freedom to read, but most important that of her dog. It’s this unabashed endearing quality to the book that is so rewarding. Anyone can relate to these stories and feel the emotions that Patchett relays. It’s an expert work from a master in the field.
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