Commonwealth: A Novel
The best-selling author and winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize tells the enthralling story of how an unexpected romantic encounter irrevocably changes two families’ lives. Spanning five decades, Commonwealth explores how this chance encounter reverberates through the lives of the four parents and six children involved. Their childhood becomes the basis for his wildly successful book, ultimately forcing them to come to terms with their losses, their guilt, and the deeply loyal connection they feel for one another.
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Community Reviews
I have said it before and I will say it again, Ann Patchett can write prose like none other, but I really just needed more plot. There were so many threads that were enough to hold my attention, but they never fully materialized before moving on to something else. I found myself constantly comparing this one to The Dutch House, which just handled similar subject matter better. Ultimately, it was okay, just not the book I had wanted it to be.
Like her award-winning novel Bel Canto, I found myself enjoying Commonwealth while I read it, but it instantly seemed forgettable after I finished it. None of the characters (and there are many in Commonwealth) were either very endearing or special in any way.
This is the story about how two families are broken up by an affair that begins at the christening party of little Franny, and an uninvited guest sees her gorgeous mother and kisses her. From this, six children get hustled around between parents, who often behave so irresponsibly it's remarkable the kids weren't taken away from them.
Mostly, this is supposed to be a story about how the relationships between and among the siblings and step-siblings evolve, particularly after a devastating event that I will not describe to avoid spoilers. A major subplot involves the grown-up Franny and her affair with a much older, famous novelist, whom she allows to mine her family's dramatic story, much to her own eventual regret.
Sadly, there are no universal lessons or insights here that one can come away with -- perhaps other than "Don't start kissing someone, no matter how attractive, if that person is married to someone else." How hard is that, really?
This is the story about how two families are broken up by an affair that begins at the christening party of little Franny, and an uninvited guest sees her gorgeous mother and kisses her. From this, six children get hustled around between parents, who often behave so irresponsibly it's remarkable the kids weren't taken away from them.
Mostly, this is supposed to be a story about how the relationships between and among the siblings and step-siblings evolve, particularly after a devastating event that I will not describe to avoid spoilers. A major subplot involves the grown-up Franny and her affair with a much older, famous novelist, whom she allows to mine her family's dramatic story, much to her own eventual regret.
Sadly, there are no universal lessons or insights here that one can come away with -- perhaps other than "Don't start kissing someone, no matter how attractive, if that person is married to someone else." How hard is that, really?
I love Ann's writing. Her character descriptions, the scenes she sets. It's all amazingly vivid and real. It does bring to mind my own childhood (there were 6 of us too), running free during the summer days, coming in for dinner at the ringing bell. I actually thought this story flowed seamlessly, even if in the moment I wondered why it jumped from one sibling's story to the next. The emotions evoked by the descriptions of each of the Keating and Cousins children were so familiar, because they were so like my own family's.
I tried. I really really tried. My all-time favorite book is Bel Canto. I gave this book 95 pages to get me interested, and I just can't try anymore. I don't care. I'm bored. The characters are flat. It's confusing. There were at least two grammatical errors in the first few pages. So I quit. I'm extremely disappointed because I absolutely have loved the author in the past. But I just can't do it anymore.
A wonderful read
I couldn't put it down. It was heartbreaking yet satisfyingly loving to learn about this family and how there choices affected them in adulthood. Loved it.
I couldn't put it down. It was heartbreaking yet satisfyingly loving to learn about this family and how there choices affected them in adulthood. Loved it.
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