These Precious Days: Essays

So good! Great collection of essays that give reader a deeper insight into Ann Patchett - her feelings, her memories, her dreams, her bookstore, her marriage … chock full of beautiful stories present and past. I actually enjoy her nonfiction more than her novels. Quite a literary force.

There is something for everyone in this collection, whether long-time Patchett fans, or those just introduced to her. Those who want a little insider’s look into her craft will enjoy the essay on cover art. There's an essay about her relationships with her father and stepfathers, an essay about her relationship with a close childhood friend, and essays about her love of the work of Eudora Welty and how she discovered Kate DiCamillo. There's an...read more

If you have never read an Ann Patchett book, you are in for a treat. Like a luxurious, expensive dinner, one savours her sentences. She beautifully orchestrates her essays - the words evoke images and colours while she speaks about everyday encounters. Patchett goes deep - right down to heartfelt emotions in her writings and she brings us with her. She allows the reader to reflect on their own lives and the import each person in our lives brin...read more

This. Was. Incredible. I had never read any of Ann Patchett’s work before and I’m so glad I started with this one because now I’m hooked on her writing, her stories and just her as a person. She writes about faith, deep friendships, family and all the mess that goes along with it and an unlikely friendship she formed with Sookie. I loved the story of her and Sookie. This book was such a great escape from the crazy world we live in, and to think i...read more