State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
I’m struggling to come up with much to say about this book. I really liked the ending and how Patchett took all the varying characters and plot threads and tied them together in a satisfying way, but the book seemed to take a very long time getting to where it was going. I’m half Brazilian, and have been back to the motherland several times, and this book was pretty much the equivalent of the plane ride there (I’m not one of those who hates air […]
Escape Goat by Ann Patchett
Escape Goat has the pun/metaphor of being a goat that is blamed for all the bad things that happen (they are the Escape Goat) and they are an actual goat that is always escaping their pen. Ann Prachett’s latest picture book is one that deals with the story of telling the truth. It is not overly subtle but also does not come out and say, “You are lying. Tell the truth!” as the characters are being beaten over the head. Yet, it is said that […]
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
Books that follow a set of characters over decades (in this case a span of 50-ish years) and allow the reader to watch lives unfold from childhood to adulthood are fascinating to me. I appreciate the time spent to grow with them and to see how and why they become who they are. Combine that with the succinct, marvelous, heart-wrenching prose that Patchett dishes out and I am invested. When Cyril Conroy purchases a mansion outside of Philadelphia as a surprise for his wife, Elna, […]
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
This is the new Ann Patchett novel, and I have a variety different thoughts about it. For one, I think it’s good. Two, the audiobook is read by Tom Hanks, and while he doesn’t bring any expressly different kind of dimension to the novel, he’s obviously a comforting presence as a reader. Three, this novel is an interesting experiment in which a contemporary novel I am familiar with (Boomers writing about their post-war childhoods dealing with distant parents, divorce, Vietnam, and other aspects of a […]
Lambslide by Ann Patchett
I tend to roll my eyes when here is a children’s book (or any book) by a famous adult author or person. You know that the book will either fly off the shelf or sit there because of who it is and not necessarily because it is a good or bad book. However, you pretty much know the outcome ahead of time: if you are in a liberal area you know Marlon Bundo’s Day in the Nation’s Capital will most likely not sell, but in […]
