Monday book review - The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

 Ann Patchett can do no wrong as a writer, and her latest book The Dutch House is a tour de force in my humble opinion.  It's the story of paradise lost that digs deeply into questions of inheritance, love, forgiveness, how we want to see ourselves, and who we really are; plus it's suspenseful.  (cover blurb)

Indeed, I wanted to read quickly to find out what happens to Danny and Maeve. But I also tried to read it slowly to savor the story, the writing, and the characters. I enjoyed the suburbs of Philly and could feel the chill in the air. 

Cyril Conroy bought the Dutch House, completely furnished, as a surprise for his wife. That did not go over well as she leaves him with two young children and heads to India. Danny tells the story as he and his sister Maeve are ultimately exiled by their stepmother from the house where they  grew up. Back and forth in time, we learn how Danny wanted to follow his father in real estate but first got his medical degree at Maeve's urging. Education funds were the only life remnant from their father. 

cover blurb - Set over the course of five decades, The Dutch House is a dark fairy tale about two smart people who cannot overcome their past. Danny and Maeve rely deeply on each other, and as they sit outside their former estate they smoke cigarettes and spin memories. 

p. 121 (some wonderful writing) There are a few times in life when you leap up and the past that you've been standing on falls away behind you, and the future that you mean to land on is not yet in place, and for a moment you're suspended, knowing nothing and no one, not even yourself. 

I really liked The Dutch House for its characters, story, and soul searching. It's the choice of my PA book club and I look forward to our 12/4/20 discussion.  Why don't you read it over Thanksgiving and join us?

Happy Monday

Book Review - Run by Ann Patchett

Ann Patchett's writing is so smooth and her characters are interesting.  I picked up Run (copyright 2007) at our local Half-priced book store. I was surprised to learn that I had missed reading one of her books.

A former mayor of Boston, Bernard Doyle, raised his boys Tip and Teddy alone but with dreams of success. He's encouraged them to pursue politics, but the now graduate school students have no thirst for such power.

One lives for fish - specializing in those studies. The other drifts more in philosophy. They attend a lecture with their father on a very snowy evening and get into an argument. Inadvertently, an accident occurs that involves a stranger and her daughter, and all of their lives become entangled.

Race, class, and family are all themes in Run.  Are we running away or running toward each other?
Ann Patchett weaves quite a story and keeps the reader on pace to the conclusion.

Book Review - Commonwealth by Ann Patchett

From the cover blurb – Commonwealth by Ann Patchett is a meditation on inspiration, interpretation, and the ownership of stories. It is a brilliant and tender tale of the far-reaching ties of love and responsibility that bind us together.

Patchett is a glorious writer who can weave together a tale that will pull you in and not let go.  Bert Cousins shows up for Franny’s christening party. He’s not been invited, but the Keatings welcome him because that’s what they do. By nightfall he’s kissed Beverly (the mother)  and has set in motion the dissolution of two marriages and the joining of two families.  Yowza.

Five decades are covered in Commonwealth.  The six kids unite and manage to become friends, united against the parents who betrayed them.  Franny, our heroine, begins an affair with a famous author, Leon Posen. Her stories to him of her family become gristmill for his award winning book. Can Franny survive this betrayal of sorts? Can the family overcome the losses, guilt, and connection they have to the past to overcome the future? Humor and heartbreak are the connections in Commonwealth.

Through it all, Patchett’s writing is lovely. She captures the characters, weaves her plot, and keeps us wanting more.  I highly recommend this book and shall not give away more plot. You must delve into it yourselves. Dig deep and root for this family to pull together and make it work. This is very much a book about current times, blended families, and the power of love. 

Book Review: This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett

This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett is “an examination of things she is committed to – the art and craft of writing, the depths of friendship, an elderly dog, and one spectacular nun.” (cover blurb). Her writing is sublime (See State of Wonder, Patron Saint of Liars, and Bel Canto – all great fiction) and she exudes compassion as she tells her tales in essay form.  This book is a mix of life and philosophy all told with humor and a smooth command of language.  

Patchett began as a nonfiction writer for magazines. She eked out a living and was able to turn to fiction. She always knew she was going to be a writer and stayed focused in learning the craft. 

 

P. 21 “ We all have ideas, sometimes good ones. …The story is in us, and all we have to do is sit there and write it down. But it’s right there…that things fall apart.”  She goes on to discuss the actual writing and how difficult it is to commit to paper.  “The book I have not written yet is a thing of indescribable beauty, unpredictable in its patter, piercing in its color, so wild and loyal…it is the single perfect joy in my life.  But to go from three dimensional to the flat page is to have a dry husk of a friend, the broken body chipped, dismantled and poorly reassembled. Dead. That is my book.” 

She is being modest. Her “dead book” is generally a well-received, well written tome. But the writing process is not easy and if you do any writing at all, you will chuckle at her descriptions.

This collection of essays has her dating, divorcing, and finding true love. It has her on book tours, and opening her own book store just when the world says independent book stores are doomed. (NOT) It has her dealing with her elderly grandmother with quiet exasperation. All in all, This is the Story of a Happy Marriage is a visit with Ann Patchett. So, pour a cup of tea and settle in with an old friend. You’ll be a fan for life.

Book Review: State of Wonder

Dr. Marina Singh is sent to Brazil to track down her former mentor, Dr.Annick Swenson, who seems to have disappeared into the Amazon. Marina's partner, Dr. Anders Eckman was sent first, but word came back via a short letter - he's dead.

Science, subterfuge, and sacrifice. Ann Patchett weaves a tale complete with poison arrows. There's the business aspect of pharmaceuticals, there's love and death, a possible cure for malaria or is it a fertility drug, and there's the beauty of the jungle and stepping out of a safe world and into one full of wonder.

Smooth writing, intriguing characters, and a slow building tension infuse State of Wonder. I liked this book and found myself caught up in a different world. I marveled along with Dr. Singh as to how someone so practical could be carried along from one bizarre situation to another. It must have been the heat and humidity.

p. 43 Karen Eckman upon hearing of her husband's death: Hope is a horrible thing you know. I don't know who decided to package hope as a virtue because it's not. It's a plague.

p. 75 Marina's view of the Hotel Indira: From the grand exterior, she entered a lobby of palm plants and tired brown sofas that slumped together as if they had come as far as they could and then given up.

p. 218 Dr. Swenson: I keep hoping that you are more than you show yourself to be, Dr. Singh. I am just on the verge of liking you, but you dwell on the most mundane points.

Ann Patchett's State of Wonder is worth the journey to the Amazon. And yes, Dr. Singh, turns out to be more, much more.