Four Books to read with Truth and Beauty

In Truth and Beauty, Ann Patchett writes about her relationship with fellow writer Lucy Grealy. I loved how Patchett presented a really honest picture of their friendship. It's tempting to portray ourselves and the ones we love best as always kind and always good. But that's not the case. We all make selfish decisions. We all hurt each other sometimes. Ann writes about not really wanting to be roommates with Lucy at the beginning of their relationships and she recalls the times when Lucy was less than kind or considerate to her. 

Truth and Beauty is a great book to read as readers think about what makes a good friendship and the marks that our relationships leave on our lives. And of course Patchett is an incredible writer, so it is a pleasure to read each and every page.It was especially interesting to see how Patchett (unsurprisingly) talks about many other books and authors. This would be a great choice to read in tandem with some other books. Here are my picks for Truth and Beauty companion reads!



1. Bel Canto is probably Ann Patchett's most beloved novel and it is also the book that catapulted her to literary stardom. The novel is about a group of terrorists takes a birthday party of dignitaries as hostages. It is beautifully written and will make readers reflect on the connections we make in unexpected situations.

2. Autobiography of a Face is Grealy's memoir about her many surgeries and living with a face that didn't look like everyone else's. She writes candidly about the advantage of getting special treatment but the pain of being ostracized and wanting to look like and be like the people around her. 

              

3. Elizabeth McCracken was a colleague and friend of both Ann and Lucy. I've always heard great things about short stories, but now I am determined to finally read some. I love finding all of the connections among writers!

4. MFA vs. NYC explores the benefits of having an MFA and those of just writing without the constraints of a degree program. There are long stretches of Truth and Beauty where Patchett remembers the stress of handing in work for classes, finding fellowships, and applying for the scholarships that would allow the two friends to keep writing.

              

Review: This is the Story Of A Happy Marriage

This Is The Story Of A Happy Marriage

By Ann Patchett

Harper November 2013

320 pages

From the library  

Ann Patchett is known as a novelist. Her books Bel Canto, Run, and State of Wonder are beloved by readers all over the world. But Patchett began her career as a magazine writer. She provided articles for publications like Seventeen and Atlantic Monthly on topics as diverse as traveling cross country in an RV to taking care of her elderly grandmother. While these selections may seem a random collection, they work together wonderfully and show readers a new side of Ms. Patchett's writing and her personal life. 

This collection was stunning. I am starting to believe that Patchett can write about anything. A part of her power as a writer comes from her gentle honesty. She is willing to write about some of the most painful and difficult periods of her time with kindness for herself and for the others in her life. While the subjects in the essays vary from her husband to an elderly nun to a dog, her compassion for each sheds light onto Ann Patchett as a person. 

While reading this book, I vacillated between wanting to hide away and read every single page and wanting to read each selection slowly, leaving time to really let Patchett's words sink in. There is a unique and wonderful feeling when you finish an article or short story and just feel satisfied as a reader. You feel as if there is no need to read another article or book because that one piece was just perfect. I felt this way at the end of each article and I would be hard pressed to choose a favorite because I enjoyed all of them.

One of my favorite passages is from her article about writing, but it is so relevant to everyday life. "Forgiveness. The ability to forgive oneself. Stop here for a few breaths and think about this because it is the key to making art, and very possibly the key to finding any semblance of happiness in life. Every time I have set out to translate the book (or story, or hopelessly long essay) that exists in such brilliant detail on the big screen of my limbic system onto a piece of paper (which, let's face it, was once a towering tree crowned with leaves and a home to birds), I grieve for my own lack of talent and intelligence. Every. Single. Time. Were I smarter, more gifted, I could pin down a closer facsimile of the wonders I see. I believe, more than anything, that this grief of constantly having to face down out own inadequacies is what keeps people from being writers. Forgiveness, therefore, is key. I can't write the book I want to write, but I can and will write the book I am capable of writing. Again and again throughout the course of my life I will forgive myself."

This Is The Story Of A Happy Marriage is one of my favorite books of the year. Non-fiction sometimes lives in the shadow of fiction, but Patchett writes as beautifully about the details of opening her bookstore or finding her beloved dog as she did about the lives and loves of the characters in her novels. By reading this book, I feel that I know Ann Patchett better, have new respect for her art, and found new inspiration for creating my own. This book is one you don't want to miss. 

Review: State of Wonder

State of Wonder

By Ann Patchett

Harper June 2011

Marina Singh is a pharmaceutical researcher awaiting the return of her lab partner and friend Anders Eckman. He has gone to retrieve the reclusive, but brilliant, Dr. Annick Swenson who is creating a miracle fertility drug in the Amazon. When Marina receives a letter telling her that Anders is dead, she is devastated. She goes to break the news to Ander’s widow Karen, accompanied by Mr. Fox, the company’s president and her secret lover. Karen confides in Marina that she believes her husband is still alive. When Mr. Fox asks her to go and complete Ander’s mission to find Dr. Swenson and report on her progress, Marina agrees to go, if only to find out what really happened to her friend and give closure to his grieving widow.

A brief aside - I love Ann Patchett. She is one of my favorite authors…ever. I have read all of her fiction and was extremely excited when I learned that another book would be published this year. That being said, this was not my favorite of hers. While I enjoyed it, I couldn’t shake this feeling of distance from the characters and the action.

Ms. Patchett is a genius at the casual twist of story. You think you know what is happening and where the plot is going, but then a character happens to reveal that nothing is as you thought. Her characters are immensely rich – relatable, but unique and interesting. Patchett’s writing, as always, is lyrical. Her stories? I firmly believe that you could give Ann Patchett any setting and any character and she could write something beautiful.

There is a lot of battle here between the changing beliefs and ethics of the researchers in their search to find a drug that will allow women to have children well past the usual age of menopause. Marina and the reader find themselves reevaluating beliefs. What does Marina owe to the pharmaceutical company that she works for? What do they owe to the Lakashi people they are working among?

There is an aura of magic that follows Marina through the Amazon. To go from the sterile lab of her company in the snowbound state of Minnesota to the lush jungles with ritualistic cultures gives a sort of otherworldly feel to the novel.

In comparison with books at large, this is a great read – the characters are engaging, and the story will keep you flipping pages late into the night. But in comparison with other Patchett novels, it’s not the strongest.