These Precious Days: Essays

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Patchett writes of all her different relationships .. with her three father’s, yes three… of her relationships with her mother, sister, husband, and friends. Thanks Heather. Yeah I think tennis is a life line for me — so I continue on until my knees are too terrible to play. We have fun.

Patchett is a novelist with an eye for detail and character. Her finely crafted essays bring her subjects to life. Her writing is lively, and her portraits are imbued with compassion. Topics include an in-depth- portrait of her three fathers, humorous descriptions of her college summer abroad, her graduate work at the Iowa MFA program, and the influence of Charles Shultz's Snoopy on her development as a writer. On a more serious and personal note, she writes about her marriage, her decision not to have children, and her induction into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. I absolutely adored every minute I spent with this book. I love the way Ann Patchett writes and you can feel the love and wonder with which she views the world and the people around her The only book I’ve read of Pratchett’s is the Dutch House, which I didn’t love. So I’m really curious now to see if her essays would grab like they’ve grabbed you. Those sound lovely.

Overall , this is an extremely readable collection about family, friends, love and what really matters. Her passion for all things bookish shines through and if I’m ever in Nashville her bookshop Parnassus is a must visit. What I’ll take away from this is a feeling of warmth that emanates from the author and how she is prepared to stand up for what she thinks is right. Highly recommended. These Precious Days was on my list of 2021 favorites… so well done! I probably prefer Patchett’s nonfiction, too, and want to listen to This is the Story of a Happy Marriage again one of these days. I’m curious – have you’ve listened to Anna Quindlen’s Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake? It’s one of my favorite essay collections ever. You know when people compliment an author by saying, "Oh, I would read their grocery list if they published it!" Ann Patchett might be that author for me.

These Precious Days, Anne Patchett's memoir in essays, examines the importance of crucial relationships between family and friends, aging and death, and the writing life. Patchett, 58, the author of eight novels, four nonfiction books, and two children's books, opens the door to the world of her youth and invites us into her adult home and Parnassos, the indie bookstore she owns in Tennessee. I enjoyed Patchett’s book of essays called This is the Story of a Happy Marriage, and this piece could fit right in. Lisa mentioned that she has a collection coming out in November. Very exciting!For cost savings, you can change your plan at any time online in the “Settings & Account” section. If you’d like to retain your premium access and save 20%, you can opt to pay annually at the end of the trial.