Dark Iris: These short stories are incredibly well-written and show the development of Ann Patchett into the successful writer she has become. Although non-fiction they carry you along with all the strength of a powerful narrative arc - and for anybody interested in either writing themselves, or its process it is highly recommended.
United Kingdom on Jun 19, 2021
una.b: I really enjoyed this book. It was so interesting to read about the author's life experiences. I hope that Ann Patchett has some more stories to write for us. I have just two of her books left to read and will be sad when I have finished them.
United Kingdom on Apr 02, 2021
Armchair Philosopher: Written for writers. Written for those who already know and like Ann Patchett’s writing style: gentle, graceful, unforced lyricism. I found myself envious as a would-be writer myself.
Canada on Aug 02, 2020
Pauline Butcher Bird: The title of this book is misleading as only one chapter is devoted to the subject of marriage. The rest are chapters on Patchett’s personal experiences with for example, her dog, or her mother, or enrolling in a police academy, or judging the Best American Short Stories, and so on. I did like the chapter riding around America in a Winnebago and another on opening a book store, and a third about her close friendship with her friend who tragically died in her thirties, but most of the rest I skipped through searching for the one on marriage which finally came. It has a salient piece of advice: does your husband/wife make you a better person? If the answer is no, then best to get a divorce. If yes, then stick around.
All the articles are brilliantly written as one would expect when originally published in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and New York Times magazine among others. Perhaps it’s time I tried her fiction.
Freak Out!: My Life With Frank Zappa
United Kingdom on Oct 05, 2017
Southern reader: 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...
United States on Mar 05, 2014
Larry Hoffer: Many people ask me how I select the books I read. Sometimes they've been recommended by someone else whose preferences are similar to mine, or I've read enthusiastic reviews about them. In other cases, I've been intrigued by the title or even the cover. (Never underestimate the power of a stroll through a bookstore when you can find one.) But quite often, I choose books written by authors whose books I've come to love. There is a growing list of authors I'm constantly looking up on Amazon to see when their next book will be released, authors whose books I read sight unseen, unless they're a major departure from their usual work.
Ann Patchett is definitely one of those authors. I first became familiar with her after reading the marvelous Bel Canto, then read her earlier books and have devoured all of the books she has written since then, fiction and nonfiction. So I was intrigued to read This is the Story of a Happy Marriage, a collection of articles and other writings she has published in a wide variety of media, from The Atlantic Monthly and The New York Times to Gourmet and Granta, even her introduction to the volume she edited for The Best American Short Stories...
United States on Nov 30, 2013
| "Celebrate the Joys of Matrimony with 'This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage'” | Uncovering Our Stories, Empowering Ourselves: A Guide for Well-Read Black Girls | Patti Smith's Just Kids: An Anthology of Stories for Young Readers | |
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| Sale off | $2 OFF | $6 OFF | |
| Total Reviews | 22 reviews | 61 reviews | 91 reviews |
| Essays (Books) | Essays | Essays | |
| Publisher | Harper; First Edition | Ballantine Books; Illustrated edition | Ecco; Reprint edition |
| Literary Fiction (Books) | Literary Fiction | Literary Fiction | |
| Hardcover | 320 pages | 272 pages | |
| Author Biographies | Author Biographies | ||
| Customer Reviews | 4.3/5 stars of 2,914 ratings | 4.7/5 stars of 2,533 ratings | 4.5/5 stars of 9,531 ratings |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0062236678 | 978-0525619772 | 978-0060936228 |
| ISBN-10 | 0062236679 | 0525619771 | 0060936223 |
| Best Sellers Rank | #1,405 in Essays #2,062 in Author Biographies#21,659 in Literary Fiction | #709 in Literary Criticism & Theory#816 in Essays #13,515 in Literary Fiction | #4 in Artist & Architect Biographies#51 in Women's Biographies#249 in Memoirs |
| Dimensions | 6 x 1.05 x 9 inches | 5.7 x 0.9 x 7.53 inches | 0.9 x 5.4 x 8.2 inches |
| Language | English | English | English |
| Item Weight | 1 pounds | 12.8 ounces | 12.8 ounces |
United Kingdom on Nov 12, 2022