These Precious Days
by Ann Patchett
Wednesday February 22nd
at 1pm
At the library and on zoom
Copies are available at the library including large print and audio cd editions. Also available as a Hoopla ebook and Hoopla audiobook, as well as a Libby ebook.
The beloved New York Times bestselling author reflects on home,
family, friendships and writing in this deeply personal collection of
essays.
"The elegance of Patchett's prose is seductive and
inviting: with Patchett as a guide, readers will really get to grips
with the power of struggles, failures, and triumphs alike."
--Publisher's Weekly
"Any story that starts will also end." As a
writer, Ann Patchett knows what the outcome of her fiction will be.
Life, however, often takes turns we do not see coming. Patchett ponders
this truth in these wise essays that afford a fresh and intimate look
into her mind and heart.
At the center of These Precious Days is
the title essay, a surprising and moving meditation on an unexpected
friendship that explores "what it means to be seen, to find someone with
whom you can be your best and most complete self." When Patchett chose
an early galley of actor and producer Tom Hanks' short story collection
to read one night before bed, she had no idea that this single choice
would be life changing. It would introduce her to a remarkable
woman--Tom's brilliant assistant Sooki--with whom she would form a
profound bond that held monumental consequences for them both.
A
literary alchemist, Patchett plumbs the depths of her experiences to
create gold: engaging and moving pieces that are both self-portrait and
landscape, each vibrant with emotion and rich in insight. Turning her
writer's eye on her own experiences, she transforms the private into the
universal, providing us all a way to look at our own worlds anew, and
reminds how fleeting and enigmatic life can be.
From the
enchantments of Kate DiCamillo's children's books (author of The
Beatryce Prophecy) to youthful memories of Paris; the cherished life
gifts given by her three fathers to the unexpected influence of Charles
Schultz's Snoopy; the expansive vision of Eudora Welty to the importance
of knitting, Patchett connects life and art as she illuminates what
matters most. Infused with the author's grace, wit, and warmth, the
pieces in These Precious Days resonate deep in the soul, leaving an
indelible mark--and demonstrate why Ann Patchett is one of the most
celebrated writers of our time.
