Description
Ann Patchett reflects on home, family, friendships and writing in this deeply personal collection of essays.
“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’s 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 us how fleeting and enigmatic life can be.
From the enchantments of Kate DiCamillo’s children’s books and youthful memories of Paris, to the cherished life gifts given by her three fathers and the unexpected influence of Charles Schulz’s Snoopy, from 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 deeply in the soul, leaving an indelible mark.
Endorsements
New York Times bestselling author
More Like This
