Library Journal - Audio
★ 02/01/2022
Novelist Patchett (The Dutch House) delivers beautiful prose on modern life with honesty and humor in this memoiristic essay collection. When not looking back (at her life, friends, family), Patchett offers musings on the ins and outs of book cover design and the morality of consumerism, gleaned during her pandemic year in which she cleaned, purged, and refrained from shopping. Patchett's poignant reflections are bolstered by her narration of the audiobook, which adds familiarity, depth, and personal connection. Her voice is soothing yet powerful and will inspire listeners to laugh out loud or nod in agreement as if she were telling the tale over a glass of wine at a dinner party. Fans of Patchett's novels will love the peeks at her life and writing process, and fans of essays will enjoy this collection for its diversity and cohesiveness. Be ready to sit in the car for a few extra minutes or walk around the block one more time because you won't want to pause mid-story. VERDICT Patchett's latest comes to life as an audiobook and is a perfect listen for those looking for heartwarming and down-to-earth meditations on life, love, and happiness.—Sarah Tansley
NOVEMBER 2021 - AudioFile
Ann Patchett's warmth, intelligence and generosity of spirit come through in her inviting narration of her latest collection of essays. She sounds completely natural, almost as if she is puzzling out her concerns for the first time as she conveys each accomplished piece. A wide expanse of subject matter is thoughtfully presented. These include considerations in her decision to remain childless, an appreciation of her "three fathers," as well as several narratives candidly examining the writing life and an exquisite remembrance of Eudora Welty. What shine through in every essay are her kindness, sincerity, and incomparable ability to find the good in others. This splendid audiobook is a soothing balm for troubled times. M.J. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
★ 08/16/2021
In this eloquent collection, novelist Patchett (The Dutch House) meditates poignantly—and often with wry humor—on “what I needed, whom I loved, what I could let go, and how much energy the letting go would take.” In “How to Practice,” Patchett writes of her “journey of digging out” and the feeling of lightness she begins to notice as she gets rid of possessions. In the title essay, she shares the story of Sooki, Tom Hanks’s publicist, whom Patchett invited into her home and offered solace and comfort as Sooki underwent pancreatic cancer treatments: “What Sooki gave me was a sense of order, a sense of God, the God of Sister Nena, the God of my childhood, a belief that I had gone into my study one night and picked up the right book from the hundred books that were there because I was meant to.” Other essays cover the lessons Patchett learned on her first Thanksgiving away from home, insights from a year in which she didn’t go shopping, and what she’s picked up from Snoopy. 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. The result is a moving collection not easily forgotten. (Nov.)
From the Publisher
"To read this collection is to be invited into that sacred space where a writer steps out from behind the page to say Hello; let’s really get to know each other. Stoic, kindhearted, fierce, funny, brainy, Patchett’s essays honor what matters most 'in this precarious and precious life.'" — Oprah Daily
"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." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Patchett’s heart, smarts and 40 years of craft create an economy that delivers her perfectly understated stories emotionally whole. Her writing style is most gloriously her own." — New York Times Book Review
"Generous in spirit, animated by a positive outlook and someone who obviously relishes life." — People
“Ann Patchett is, above all, marvelous company.” — San Francisco Chronicle
"Patchett’s voice, equal parts, warm, wry and insightful, reels you in. There’s a freshness, an openness that never gets near over-sharing—and a humanity that never gets near sanctimony." — Wall Street Journal
“A beautiful reminder of what’s important. . . . There’s a generosity in the way she not only looks at the world but invites the reader in to stay for a while.” — Washington Post
"An enviable life shared with candor, emotion, and knockout storytelling power." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Witty and warm, the essays succeed because of Patchett’s inimitable, endearing voice. Simplistic, generous without being cloying, accessible rather than anodyne, These Precious Days feels at once bracing and comforting." — Boston Globe
"A moving and memorable account of a brief but incandescent friendship." — USA Today (four stars)
"A catalogue of all the unexpected ways love can look, if you're imaginative and brave enough to try it — even while knowing that love and grief are two sides of the same coin." — NPR.org
"The mission of memoir is to bring back, at least on the page, lost loved ones, times past and places left behind, and Patchett brings to this reclamation project the abundant literary gifts that light up her nine novels. To that artisanship is added the electricity that only true stories have, the hot current of personal revelation and intimacy." — Minneapolis Star Tribune
“Splendid. . . . These Precious Days overflows with life. . . . It’s warm and funny and smart and full of unexpected insights.” — Tampa Bay Times
“Essential reading. . . . These Precious Days is a book to treasure.” — Toronto Star
“To immerse oneself in her book is to see the world as she does, in all its wonder and beauty. Read it, cherish it, buy a copy for your best friend, then read it once more.” — Inews
“An illuminating, engaging collection. . . . These essays are at once a timely reminder that the days are precious—and a how-to guide for making them so.” — Irish Times
"In this collection, readers will find humor, optimism, abundant joy and acceptance of loss, along with moments of laughter sprinkled with tears. Death is inevitable for all, so celebrate the precious moments with a sense of adventure, good books and great conversations with family and friends." — Booktrib
Oprah Daily
"To read this collection is to be invited into that sacred space where a writer steps out from behind the page to say Hello; let’s really get to know each other. Stoic, kindhearted, fierce, funny, brainy, Patchett’s essays honor what matters most 'in this precarious and precious life.'"
Library Journal
★ 10/15/2021
Like her novels and her previous essay collection This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage, Patchett's latest work of nonfiction possesses a careful dignity always on the edge of cracking open. In essays such as "How Knitting Saved My Life" she shows readers how repetitive, meditative practices like knitting have helped her literally and figuratively find healing patterns, and she offers glittery shards of optimism among broken ruins of lives and loves, perfectly arranged and carefully rendered. Let these essays unfold in their perfect arrangement of emotions, presented in taut and unflinching yet lovely prose that begs to be felt to the bone. Readers will be glad her essays, as she says in the introduction, won't die and that Patchett offers glittery splinters of hope that they too can persevere. VERDICT For the author's many fans and anyone who loves beautiful writing.—Emily Bowles, Lawrence Univ., WI
NOVEMBER 2021 - AudioFile
Ann Patchett's warmth, intelligence and generosity of spirit come through in her inviting narration of her latest collection of essays. She sounds completely natural, almost as if she is puzzling out her concerns for the first time as she conveys each accomplished piece. A wide expanse of subject matter is thoughtfully presented. These include considerations in her decision to remain childless, an appreciation of her "three fathers," as well as several narratives candidly examining the writing life and an exquisite remembrance of Eudora Welty. What shine through in every essay are her kindness, sincerity, and incomparable ability to find the good in others. This splendid audiobook is a soothing balm for troubled times. M.J. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2021-08-03
In a series of essays, the beloved novelist opens the door and invites you into her world.
As she herself is aware, Patchett has a gift for friendship—never clearer than in the magical and heartbreaking title essay, which made the rounds from friend to friend by way of texted links when originally published in Harper’s during the pandemic. (If you haven't read it yet, get ready for Tom Hanks, Kundalini yoga, cancer treatment, and a profound yearning to be a guest in Patchett's Nashville home.) Like This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage (2013), this book contains a mixture of occasional essays and profound ones, all previously published. Patchett includes the text of a wonderful lecture on her "feral" experience in graduate school in Iowa and an introduction written for the collected stories of Eudora Welty that seems as perfect as the stories themselves. In addition to family and friendship—"Three Fathers" and "Flight Plan" are standouts in this category—several essays deal with aspects of the writing life. The author explores the process of managing one’s papers and offers various angles on how one comes to the vocation of literature. "Influence," she writes, "is a combination of circumstance and luck: what we are shown and what we stumble upon in those brief years when our hearts and minds are fully open." Patchett also writes delightfully about Snoopy, the cartoon beagle and would-be novelist, first among her literary influences. Toward the end of the book, Patchett digs into Updike, Bellow, and Roth. Perhaps a few of the slighter pieces could have been left out, but even those have great lines and interesting paragraphs. A bracingly testy essay about the author’s decision not to have children will give readers crucial pointers on conversational gambits to avoid should you ever get that houseguest invitation.
An enviable life shared with candor, emotion, and knockout storytelling power.
