Ask the Author. She writes with candor, humor, and warmth, and she is oh so perceptive and wise. I cried a little while reading the title essay, a fact that will surprise anyone who knows about my decades-long skepticism about marriage (Ann shares those feelings, which makes her story of how her mind was changed more persuasive for me than I was expecting). It was great getting to know her, as I think she'd make a great friend. . "The Bookstore Strikes Back" and "The Getaway Car") and discuss those together. It’s not that I want to kill it, but it’s the only way I can get something that is so three-dimensional onto the flat page. Blending literature and memoir, Ann Patchett, author of State of Wonder, Run, and Bel Canto, examines her deepest commitments—to writing, family, friends, dogs, books, and her husband—creating a resonant portrait of a life in This is the Story of a Happy Marriage. Just for example, you could group her essays on books and writing (e.g. O Ann Patchett, how I adore thee. Have you read it? Patchett is a good writer, and I liked all of the essays, some more than others, of course. Here’s how it works: I’ll throw out a few topics for discussion, and you can write your responses about these topics (or others you’d like to discuss) in the comment section. Great thoughts, Nancy! Highly recommended, I've realised after reading this that a book of essays is just not my cup of tea. The word “essays” may bring up memories of tedious composition classes, but today’s collections are anything but dull. If you want to write, practice writing. The only problem might possibly be, that reading about Ann Patchett might turn out to be more addictive than reading novels by Ann Patchett - but that of course I will not know until I give them a try, which I intend to do in a very near future. The Wall tells the story of Patchett applying to the LAPD (her Dad was a. I've realised after reading this that a book of essays is just not my cup of tea. or ask your favorite author a question with Cases in point: she joined the LAPD, became a regular at the opera, and took a cross-country trip in an RV—all for the sake of a story. (I put "OFFICIALLY" in BIG print thus making my statement really official! You don't always know how it's going to happen, but it is always going to happen. Thanks to everyone who read our book for this month. This is a marvelous collection of essays from one of my favorite writers, most of which I had never read before. Were you inspired to read more titles by the author? But I didn’t mind — I like both genres. The Wall tells the story of Patchett applying to the LAPD (her Dad was a Captain, and was the person who made the link between the Tate and La Bianca murders) just for the purpose of writing about the experience. I’d always thought her novels were vastly different from one another (one about a magician, one about an opera singer, and one about a pharmacist in the Amazon jungle), but she explains that all of her books are based on the same premise: people getting thrown together in strange environment. I think that glimmers of grace are all around us, and I'd love to share those stories with you. Patchett is a good writer, and I liked all of the essays, some more than others, of course. Just for example, you could group her essays on books and writing (e.g. After listening to the introductory essay, I looked Patchette up and was VERY surprised to see that Patchett's mother is a novelist! She captures both the magic and the torture of the process, and I continually found myself saying, “What? So it was probably more of a case of the daughter influencing th. Career. I would not have picked it up except for the book club. Start by marking “This is the Story of a Happy Marriage” as Want to Read: Error rating book. That can be a challenge. Ann (I feel like we should be on first name basis at this point) has certainly lived a life. I loved this book. After all, I'd already read one of the book's long-form essays, "The Getaway Car," in electronic form and gave it five star, While I was reading this, I was already anticipating giving the book five stars, with four stars based on the book's merits and one star based on the fact that I'm kind of obsessed with Ann Patchett and want to be her friend.