Ann Patchett possesses a favorite Nashville independent publication, Parnassus Books, and an award winning novelist who just published a brand new publication (the lovely The Dutch House). It will be a pity if you haven’t learned about and enhanced your understanding of this talented writer.
Penn Book took everyone the novels written by Ann Patchett and appeared in their Amazon scores, ranking them against one another to determine which books came out on top. Let us begin with Best Ann Patchett Books To Read.
Who Is Ann Patchett?
Patchett is an award winning novelist and bookstore owner. She had been born in Los Angeles in 1963, a Los Angeles police captain, and Jeanne Ray, a nurse who later became a novelist. and grew up in Nashville.
Patchett went to St. Bernard Academy in Nashville, Tennessee, a private Catholic school for girls. After attending Sarah Lawrence College and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Patchett published her first novel, The Patron Saint of Liars, in The Paris Review, in 1992.
For her novel Bel Canto, she was awarded the 2002 PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize for Fiction in the same year. Patchett is editor of 2006’s anthology series Best American Short Stories. She has since released seven novels and three works of nonfiction. In 2011, she started Parnassus Books with Karen Hayes in Nashville.
Patchett was named to the Time 100 List of Most Influential People in the World by Time magazine. Patchett published Lambslide in 2019 (her first children’s book) and The Dutch House (her second novel for children), a finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
Although I’ve appreciated Patchett’s nonfiction, I believe in her mainly as a novelist. She knows how to allow characters to show themselves, and it is a wonderful joy to sink into the world of a Patchett book simply.
ANN PATCHETT is the author of eight novels, including novels The Patron Saint of Liars and Taft, The Magician’s Assistant, Bel Canto. She also wrote The Dutch House, The Magician’s Assistant, State of Wonder, Commonwealth, and three books of nonfiction Truth & Beauty about her friendship with writer Lucy Grealy.
What Now? An expansion of her graduation address to Sarah Lawrence College and This is the Story of a Happy Marriage. A collection of essays examining the theme of commitment.
Patchett lives with Karl Van Devender, her husband, in Nashville, Tennessee. Patchett has contributed to many publications, including The New Yorker Magazine, The New York Times Magazine, and The Washington Post. Patchett published The Saint Patron of Liars in 1992.
Best Ann Patchett Books
Bel Canto
Although Bel Canto is not Ann Patchett’s first book, it is the one that brought her a wide readership and won both the Orange Prize and the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction.
The story takes place in an unnamed South American country, where a party is thrown in honor of a visiting Japanese businessman who loves opera. A renowned American soprano is invited to perform, but the celebration takes an unexpected turn when terrorists crash the party, mistakingly believing the president is present.
This event leads to a tense standoff where everyone involved must confront themselves and each other. Bel Canto showcases Patchett’s ability to handle multiple character arcs and complex relationships, making it an excellent place to start with her works. The book is beautifully written, intense, and emotional, with a particular talent for depicting parties!
The Getaway Car: A Practical Memoir About Writing And Life
The travel from the mind into the hand is perilous and lined with bodies. It’s the street where almost everybody who would like to write and a number of the men and women who do write has lost So writes Ann Patchett at The Getaway Car, a wry, wisdom packed memoir of her life as a writer.
Here, for the very first time, among America’s most renowned writers (Condition of Wonder, Bel Canto, Truth and Beauty), talks at length about her literary profession, both the highs and the lows, and shares information on the art and craft of writing.
In this exciting look at the growth of a novelist, we fulfill Patchett’s mentors (Allan Gurganus, Grace Paley, Russell Banks), determine where she’s left wrong turns (poetry), and also find out how she receives the web pages written (an unromantic process of pure hard work).
Woven through engaging anecdotes out of Patchett’s lifetime are classes about writing that provide an inside glimpse into the storytelling process and provide a blueprint for anybody wanting to provide writing a severe attempt.
The bestselling writer gives pointers everything from locating ideas to constructing a storyline to fighting writer’s block. Over that, she communicates the joys and benefits of a lifetime spent writing and reading.
Commonwealth
That is my favorite among Patchett’s books. It begins with another superb party scene, now a boozy christening celebration that kicks off an occasion and contributes to two divorces, a newly combined family, along with a cross country movement.
She stated that Commonwealth was partially based on her own childhood experience, and it’s a practical, lived in sense which makes you feel as though you’re studying the lifestyles of people that you know.
The book unfolds within 50 decades, and it is interesting to see these figures change, fall apart, and come back together again. If you’re searching for an absorbing book that seems at once classic and contemporary, this is for you.
The Dutch House
Speaking of both contemporary and timeless, Patchett’s latest book has a fairytale esque quality that can sweep you up. Siblings Danny and Maeve reside in a massive mansion (the Dutch House of this name ) with their property mogul father.
Their mother left the family when they were pretty young and has not been heard from them since. Into the order, the Dutch House’s particular universe includes Andrea, a brand new stepmother that will wind up banning Danny and Maeve in their home.
This comes to pass, and the way Maeve and Danny try and fail to proceed with their lives unfolds through flashbacks since Danny reflects on his life. The publication is a deceptively straightforward, perceptively written look at obsession, loss, sorrow, and family ties.
If you happen to be interested in books of other best-selling authors, go check out Top 7 Best Malcolm Gladwell Books Of All Time [2022] before reading on.
The Patron Saint Of Liars
Patchett’s first book is set at a Kentucky home for unwed mothers. Rose Clinton comes to St. Elizabeth’s and remains even after her daughter is born, creating a life for himself and the infant, one of the nuns and patients that go and come. However, Rose has a past she left behind, and never even St. Elizabeth’s will keep it out.
Truth And Beauty
This memoir tells of Patchett’s friendship with Lucy Grealy, a writer who died of an overdose in 2002. As a young child, Grealy had cancer that required eliminating a part of the jawbone and many reconstructive surgeries. This had a massive effect on her life, which she writes beautifully in her memoir, Autobiography of a Face.
Patchett and Grealy met in grad school and had a close, mutually prosperous relationship. Beauty and truth are the narratives of this friendship.
It is a superbly written account of the connection between two friends and what happens when one of these has problems another can’t fix. You will also have to understand Patchett for a man before you check her out novels.
State Of Wonder
When one of her coworkers dies in mysterious conditions, pharmacologist Marina Singh is sent into a distant portion of the Amazon rainforest to learn what happened.
Another colleague, Dr. Swenson, remains there but proves challenging to discover. Marina must face her memories and previous connections to discover the fantastic, possibly world-changing study both have finished.
What Now?
This short work of nonfiction is predicated on a commencement speech at the graduation address at Sarah Lawrence where she delivered at her alma mater in 2006. It is about her own experience of graduating and wondering, what now? And it is a beautiful, fast read.
Taft
After the mother of John’s son goes away with their kid, the jazz musician is ruined. Into his life comes Fay, a new waitress in his Memphis pub, and her brother Carl.
John finds himself attracted to the two of them, especially to tales in their recently deceased dad, Taft. Soon, John is recreating his variant of Taft’s own life in this moving meditation on fatherhood.
This Is The Story Of A Happy Marriage
This mix of memoirs and essays tells the story of several of Patchett’s most formative experiences: her miserable marriage and her afterward, much more joyful one; just how she became a writer; the choice to start a publication. Patchett is a sympathetic narrator that makes even the tiniest moments feel significant, and that is definitely on screen here.
Run
Lots of Patchett’s books unfold, and there is a pleasure in gradually getting to know her personality. By comparison, Run takes place in Boston for 24 hours. Twins Suggestion and Teddy have been raised in a white family.
Their dad, the former mayor of Boston, has high expectations for their futures. However, an argument and a crash call into question what their family is constructed on.
The Magician’s Assistant
Sabine is a helper to her husband, a magician. This book is about a literal magician’s helper! When he dies, and Sabine discovers he abandoned her at the final trick, she sets out to find out his secrets.
She is joined by members of the loved ones, who she believed had expired but are shown to be not just living but named in his will. It turns out her late husband had lots of secrets, and Sabine decided to show it all…
FAQs
What is Ann Patchett’s most famous book?
Bel Canto (2001) is Ann Patchett’s most famous and critically acclaimed book. It tells the story of a hostage situation in an unnamed South American country and its aftermath.
How many books has Ann Patchett written?
Ann Patchett has written nine novels, one memoir, and two non-fiction books.
What is Ann Patchett’s latest novel?
Ann Patchett’s latest novel is The Dutch House (2019). It tells the story of siblings Maeve and Danny, who are raised by their once-wealthy father in a lavish house in suburban Philadelphia.
Does Ann Patchett write non-fiction books?
Yes, Ann Patchett has written two non-fiction books: This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage (2013) and The Getaway Car: A Practical Memoir About Writing and Life (2015).
Conclusion
Ann Patchett is a critically acclaimed author who has written some of the most beloved books of the past two decades. Her novels explore themes of family, relationships, and self-discovery in a way that speaks to readers around the world. Patchett’s stories are often filled with complex characters and emotionally charged moments, making them a joy to read. Her books have earned her numerous awards and accolades, cementing her place as one of the most respected authors in contemporary literature.
Last update on 2024-04-19 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
