The New York Times - Janet Maslin
Ms. Patchett's style is not overly confessional, but it is beguiling in ways that make her sound like someone you'd want to know. Her new book, This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage, reinforces the impression of an uncommonly kind person who is not above self-interest but loves books, her grandmother, the toughest nun who taught her in grade school, her husband and her darling dog…This book is about so much more than love, marriage or divorce…
The New York Times Book Review - Wendy Lesser
I hope it will not sound disrespectful if I say that I read this book for fun. Yes, I was assigned to review it, and, yes, I assembled all my usual reviewer's equipment (note cards, pen, critical faculties) before sitting down to read. But when I got to the end of the book, I realized I hadn't taken a single note. I had been so engaged by Ann Patchett's multifaceted story, so lured in by her confiding voice, that I forgot I was on the job.
From the Publisher
I had been so engaged by Ann Patchett’s multifaceted story, so lured in by her confiding voice, that I forgot I was on the job. […] As the best personal essays often do, Patchett’s is a two-way mirror, reflecting both the author and her readers.” — New York Times Book Review
“Emotionally lucid. . . . Patchett is at her lyrical best when she catalogues the jungle.” — The New Yorker
“Patchett’s mastery of nonfiction [is] every bit the equal of her skill as a novelist.” — Shelf Awareness
“All the essays were a joy to read...No matter your interest, you’ll find words in this book that speak to you.” — Real Simple
“Each of the essays is its own delight and resonates with warmth and humor… If read straight through, the book presents a lovely and lyrical look at a life well lived.” — Library Journal
“Readable and candid, Patchett’s collection is a joyful celebration of life, love and the written word.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Reading Patchett is like spending time with a deeply perceptive longtime pal, or a new friend that one instantly connects with.” — USA Today
“[A] sparkling collection.” — The New Yorker
“Happy marriage, compelling writing and all worthy endeavor requires hard work. That’s Patchett’s strength. And she does a fine job.” — Miami Herald
“Patchett … is one of our best contemporary novelists. This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage reminds us that she is an exceptional writer of nonfiction, too. Her prose is a pleasure to read, regardless of genre.” — Dallas Morning News
“Novelist Ann Patchett’s excellent essay collection ranges from dogs to writing to white-knuckled air travel.” — Christian Science Monitor
“While being an artistic crafter of words, Patchett also has a storyteller’s ability to sketch a moment so vividly you can’t fail to see how her own writing life was developed.” — Aspen Daily News
“In this heartfelt collection of autobiographical essays, the novelist opens up about love, friendship, and family, exhibiting the compassionate voice that is a hallmark of her fiction.” — O, the Oprah Magazine
“It is a feat that Ann Patchett remains so lovable as a narrator, and so engaging as a storyteller, when writing about her excellent career, personal life, dog, and husband.” — Newsday
“Patchett’s is a no-nonsense voice: clear, sane, companionable… [T]he funny, frank and nervy ‘The Getaway Car’ (possibly worth the book’s price) plunges readers, roller-coaster style, into the story of Patchett’s writing life—essentially, this collection’s real subject.” — San Francisco Chronicle
“[I]n this terrific, wide-ranging collection, Patchett demonstrates how a pro does it.” — NPR's Fresh Air
“All of the essays, which have been collected from her magazine work over two decades, are excellent. Patchett writes enviable prose—fluid, simple, direct, clear, and fearless…” — Esquire.com
“Ann Patchett most definitely has something to say, in her fully realized and beautiful voice.” — Huffington Post
“[A]ll of the periodical pieces collected are finely polished, worthy of their packaging between two hard covers.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune
“Writing of loss and of the complications of love, Patchett lets down her guard … and opens both her sense of humor and her heart.” — Columbus Dispatch
“Wit-filled and elegantly executed” — Entertainment Weekly
“The best advertisement for Ann Patchett’s new collection of nonfiction is anything else Ms. Patchett has written...Ms. Patchett’s style is not overly confessional, but it is beguiling in ways that make her sound like someone you’d want to know.” — New York Times
USA Today
Reading Patchett is like spending time with a deeply perceptive longtime pal, or a new friend that one instantly connects with.
Miami Herald
Happy marriage, compelling writing and all worthy endeavor requires hard work. That’s Patchett’s strength. And she does a fine job.
The New Yorker
[A] sparkling collection.
Dallas Morning News
Patchett … is one of our best contemporary novelists. This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage reminds us that she is an exceptional writer of nonfiction, too. Her prose is a pleasure to read, regardless of genre.
Shelf Awareness
Patchett’s mastery of nonfiction [is] every bit the equal of her skill as a novelist.
Real Simple
All the essays were a joy to read...No matter your interest, you’ll find words in this book that speak to you.
New York Times Book Review
I had been so engaged by Ann Patchett’s multifaceted story, so lured in by her confiding voice, that I forgot I was on the job. […] As the best personal essays often do, Patchett’s is a two-way mirror, reflecting both the author and her readers.
Miami Herald
Happy marriage, compelling writing and all worthy endeavor requires hard work. That’s Patchett’s strength. And she does a fine job.
USA Today
Reading Patchett is like spending time with a deeply perceptive longtime pal, or a new friend that one instantly connects with.
The New Yorker
Emotionally lucid. . . . Patchett is at her lyrical best when she catalogues the jungle.
Esquire.com
All of the essays, which have been collected from her magazine work over two decades, are excellent. Patchett writes enviable prose—fluid, simple, direct, clear, and fearless…
Newsday
It is a feat that Ann Patchett remains so lovable as a narrator, and so engaging as a storyteller, when writing about her excellent career, personal life, dog, and husband.
New York Times
The best advertisement for Ann Patchett’s new collection of nonfiction is anything else Ms. Patchett has written...Ms. Patchett’s style is not overly confessional, but it is beguiling in ways that make her sound like someone you’d want to know.
Entertainment Weekly
Wit-filled and elegantly executed
the Oprah Magazine O
In this heartfelt collection of autobiographical essays, the novelist opens up about love, friendship, and family, exhibiting the compassionate voice that is a hallmark of her fiction.
Columbus Dispatch
Writing of loss and of the complications of love, Patchett lets down her guard … and opens both her sense of humor and her heart.
Aspen Daily News
While being an artistic crafter of words, Patchett also has a storyteller’s ability to sketch a moment so vividly you can’t fail to see how her own writing life was developed.
NPR's Fresh Air
[I]n this terrific, wide-ranging collection, Patchett demonstrates how a pro does it.
Christian Science Monitor
Novelist Ann Patchett’s excellent essay collection ranges from dogs to writing to white-knuckled air travel.
Huffington Post
Ann Patchett most definitely has something to say, in her fully realized and beautiful voice.
Minneapolis Star Tribune
[A]ll of the periodical pieces collected are finely polished, worthy of their packaging between two hard covers.
San Francisco Chronicle
Patchett’s is a no-nonsense voice: clear, sane, companionable… [T]he funny, frank and nervy ‘The Getaway Car’ (possibly worth the book’s price) plunges readers, roller-coaster style, into the story of Patchett’s writing life—essentially, this collection’s real subject.
San Francisco Chronicle
Patchett’s is a no-nonsense voice: clear, sane, companionable… [T]he funny, frank and nervy ‘The Getaway Car’ (possibly worth the book’s price) plunges readers, roller-coaster style, into the story of Patchett’s writing life—essentially, this collection’s real subject.
O: the Oprah Magazine
In this heartfelt collection of autobiographical essays, the novelist opens up about love, friendship, and family, exhibiting the compassionate voice that is a hallmark of her fiction.
Kirkus Reviews
2013-10-01
A well-organized collection of a beloved, award-winning writer's nonfiction essays about her personal and literary lives. Most readers know Patchett (State of Wonder, 2011, etc.) for her richly imaginative fiction. But before she found success as a novelist, she supported herself by writing nonfiction for a diverse variety of magazines, including Seventeen, Mercedes Benz Magazine and Bridal Guide. In this book, Patchett gathers 22 essays published between 1997 and 2012. What she ultimately produces is a text that is part meditation on the writing life and part literary memoir. From an early age, the Los Angeles native knew she wanted to be a writer, but she would be an adult before she realized that, in addition to making art, storytellers "also [had] to make a living." After stints as a cook, waitress and teacher, she discovered that writing nonfiction could pay her bills. It would only be much later that she understood how writing nonfiction had transformed her into "a workhorse," abolished her ego and impacted the future readers of her novels in ways she never expected. Patchett also reflects on her literary successes, as well as on the controversy surrounding Truth & Beauty (2004), which explores the emotionally intense relationship she had with fellow Iowa Writers' Workshop graduate Lucy Grealy. The personal essays reflect a wide range of experiences. In one, she reflects on the rocky childhood that led her away from LA and on to Nashville. In another, she reflects on her failed first marriage and second successful one. Patchett also shares stories of how she learned to appreciate opera, qualified for the LA police academy and unexpectedly became part owner of an independent bookstore. Readable and candid, Patchett's collection is a joyful celebration of life, love and the written word. Wise, humane and always insightful.
