Fear was my gateway to becoming interested in stories. My nanny growing up, a Scottish expat named Jackie with a fox pelt of red hair and a manic...
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Run, a worthy successor to Bel Canto, shows off Patchett's trademark gorgeous prose and emotional depth. Her characters are believably flawed, but ultimately good and decent human beings who you want to spend time with. Recommended by Jill Owens, Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Publisher Comments:
Since their mother's death, Tip and Teddy Doyle have been raised by their loving, possessive, and ambitious father. As the former mayor of Boston, Bernard Doyle wants to see his sons in politics, a dream the boys have never shared. But when an argument in a blinding New England snowstorm inadvertently causes an accident that involves a stranger and her child, all Bernard Doyle cares about is his ability to keep his children — all his children — safe.
Set over a period of twenty-four hours, Run takes us from the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard to a home for retired Catholic priests in downtown Boston. It shows us how worlds of privilege and poverty can coexist only blocks apart from each other, and how family can include people you've never even met. As in her bestselling novel Bel Canto, Ann Patchett illustrates the humanity that connects disparate lives, weaving several stories into one surprising and endlessly moving narrative.
Suspenseful and stunningly executed, Run is ultimately a novel about secrets, duty, responsibility, and the lengths we will go to protect our children.
Review:
"This fifth novel by the author of the much-admired 'Bel Canto' is engaging, surprising, provocative and moving. Its force is diminished somewhat by a couple of extended passages in which Ann Patchett resorts to conversation rather than action to fill in some of her plot's holes, but these are minor annoyances in what is otherwise a thoroughly intelligent book, an intimate domestic drama that nonetheless... Washington Post Book Review (read the entire Washington Post review) deals with big issues touching us all: religion, race, class, politics and, above all else, family. Patchett opens the story with the description of a small statue of ambiguous provenance that has been in the Sullivan/Doyle families for three generations. It is of Mary Queen of Angels, but it bears a striking resemblance to Bernadette Doyle, who died more than a decade ago, leaving a husband (whom Patchett simply calls Doyle throughout) and three sons. The statue is 'maybe a foot and a half high, carved from rosewood and painted with such a delicate hand that many generations later her cheeks still bore the high, translucent flush of a girl startled by a compliment.' Traditionally the statue has been handed down to a daughter, but since Bernadette left none, its future is in doubt; where it ends up, and how, are the threads along which Patchett has strung her tale. Doyle and Bernadette had one son, Sullivan, and about a decade later adopted two, Tip and Teddy. The younger boys are African-American, now 21 and 20 years old; Sullivan is 33 and, in the years since a terrible auto accident, rarely at home. In the decade and a half since Bernadette's death from cancer, Doyle has been the younger boys' father, mother, teacher and caretaker, and his love for them is almost painfully intense. It is also, as is often true of love, complicated, because Doyle wants nothing so much as for his adopted sons to follow him into his own cherished career of politics. He is a former mayor of Boston, and when Tip, a student at Harvard, develops a passionate interest in fish, Doyle is taken aback: 'He would admit that his (own) youth had been marked by a great interest in marine life, but that it came along with an interest in the Red Sox and Latin, twentieth-century American novels, Schubert, the Democratic Party and the Catholic Church. His plan had been to pass all of those interests and dozens more along to the boys in equal measure in hopes of making them well-rounded, well-educated citizens. He did not mean for any of his sons to become ichthyologists. He had meant for them, at least one of them, to be the president of the United States.' Both boys are appealing and apt, but neither shows much interest in taking up their father's causes. 'Tip was smarter and Teddy was sweeter. They had heard it since a time before memory,' though it really isn't true because 'Teddy wasn't stupid, he just wandered.' While Tip 'could be pinned into place by an idea,' Teddy is haunted by the memory of his lost mother and wants nothing so much as to be told stories about her: 'That was how he came to be so close to his great-uncle, Father Sullivan. It turned out that the priest had stories stacked up like dinner napkins. ... Somewhere along the line Teddy's love for his mother had become his love for Father Sullivan, and his love for Father Sullivan became his love for God.' So one son wants to be an ichthyologist and the other may — the jury is still out — want to be a priest. It's hardly what Doyle had bargained for, and he resists it with all his quite considerable might. At the age of 63 he tries 'very hard to think of ways to keep ahead of his sons,' but it gives much evidence of being a losing cause. These are 'the last moments of his ability to exert any sort of parental authority.' He has retained an 'essential closeness' with the boys not merely because of love but also because this closeness 'was born out of their own bad luck.' Now, on the brink of adulthood, they remain deeply loyal to him, but they are about to head in their own directions, ones not dictated by Doyle. Then an accident occurs. Walking with his father after having been dragged to a political speech, Tip suddenly is struck by a passing car. He might well have been killed had not a woman, a stranger, leaped out of the dark and shoved him away. Tip suffers a relatively minor injury, but her condition is more serious. Her name is Tennessee Alice Moser, and she is African-American. She is taken to the hospital, leaving her 11-year-old daughter, Kenya, at loose ends. Doyle allows her to spend the night at his house, but he does so reluctantly, because he fears that sheltering someone else's child could lead to unpleasant legal complications. It leads to complications, all right, but not the ones that Doyle fears. When it becomes clear that Tennessee will be hospitalized for some time, the Doyles find they have little choice except to let Kenya stay on with them in their comfortable house in a part of Boston where gentrification is still a sometime thing. It turns out that Tennessee's tidy but very modest apartment is barely a stone's throw away: 'That was Boston: on one block there were houses so beautiful the mayor himself could be living in one and three blocks away there was a housing project where it maybe wasn't always so nice but it was still a lot nicer than some other places.' The project is called Cathedral: 'The sprawl of mustardy-yellow brick buildings turned into something of a maze and no good ever came of mazes, but there was a playground that kids actually used. Because it sat hip to hip against a better neighborhood, it was patrolled with greater regularity. The police pushed down hard on the nefarious elements and in doing so managed to hassle most of the decent citizens as well, so the crime rates stayed down and for the most part no one was happy. Boston Medical Center was only blocks away. There was a woman's shelter, a food pantry, plenty of resources and yet every one of them was stretched thin enough to snap. If Doyle could have been the mayor again he liked to think there were some things he would do differently.' Doyle is a believer in politics. He thinks that 'it's something that a person has to do,' and he would agree with another character who believes that 'there were some people who had the ability to tell other people what was worth wanting, could tell them in a way that was so powerful that the people who heard them suddenly had their eyes opened to what had been withheld from them all along.' He feels responsible for the difference between the lives of the people living in Cathedral and those living in more prosperous neighborhoods, though history makes plain that there's only so much that he — or anyone else in public office — can do about it. In the end, though, more than anything else 'Run' is about family, and the infinitely surprising ways in which families can intersect with each other. Patchett has populated the novel with an uncommonly interesting and attractive group of people: Doyle, at once sentimental and tough, generous and willful; Tip, purposeful and uncompromising; Teddy, warm-hearted and kind. I found myself especially drawn to Kenya, a preternaturally gifted runner blessed with 'strength, grace, concentration,' and to Sullivan, irreverent and idiosyncratic, the prodigal son who reappears unexpectedly and, despite his father's suspicions and doubts, provides his own kind of strength in a time of change and uncertainty. To the novel's many strengths, one last must be noted. Endings in novels aren't easy and sometimes really don't matter, since in the reader's mind the characters keep right on living, but Patchett has given this one an ending that is just about perfect. Certainly it felt that way to me as I quite reluctantly reached the final page. Jonathan Yardley's e-mail address is yardleyj(at symbol)washpost.com." Reviewed by Jonathan Yardley, Washington Post Book World (Copyright 2006 Washington Post Book World Service/Washington Post Writers Group) (hide most of this review)
Review:
"[L]uminous....In extraordinarily fluid prose, Patchett unfolds this story to its epiloguelike final chapter as she illuminates issues of race, religion, duty, and desire." Booklist (Starred Review)
Review:
"[E]ngrossing and enjoyable....The somewhat unusual premise is presented very matter-of-factly; this is not a story about race but about family and the depths of parents' love of their children...and of each other. Recommended." Library Journal
Review:
"A family-of-man fable that reads a little too pat to ring true....Compelling story but thematically heavy-handed." Kirkus Reviews
Review:
"Ms. Patchett gives her readers much to contemplate when genetics, privilege, opportunity and nurture come into play. And to her credit she is neither vague nor reductive about any of these things; she creates a genuinely rich landscape of human possibility." Janet Maslin, The New York Times
Review:
"Ann Patchett is capable of lovely work, but there isn't a believable moment in this inert novel....The loopy plot is so contrived it's hard to know what you want for these characters. It's even harder to care. (Grade: C)" Entertainment Weekly
Review:
"Patchett's finest work....Run is dazzling from the start; it wastes no time getting revved up....Run is a mature work, a book that feels effortlessly wrought. It is also an affirming book, and Lord knows, we could use a few more of those." Chicago Tribune
Review:
"Run is a graceful, deceptively straightforward novel, seeming as effortless as Kenya unfolding her legs on a city street. And yet it manages to deliver a story about race, attachment, and sacrifice. Nothing easy about that." Boston Globe
Review:
"Like Anne Tyler, Ann Patchett explores big questions without pretentiousness. Her quirky characters speak offbeat but believable dialogue. Miraculously, despite the coincidences of the plot, Run rings true." Cleveland Plain Dealer
Review:
"What felt effortless in Bel Canto...is schematic and all too precious in Run....It's easy to become sarcastic about Run, which is a shame, because it's filled with lovely intentions and a few truly moving passages." USA Today
Review:
"Patchett is a virtuoso storyteller, with an ability to create characters we can innately understand. Run is as strong and heartfelt a tale as her other works. It is funny and touching and troubling, ending like a good sermon in redemption and hope." Chicago Sun-Times
Review:
"It's difficult to understand why an author would seed her story with potentially rich material only to refrain from exploring it. But this might explain why Patchett's characters ultimately feel less real than symbolic, as wooden as the Virgin's statue." Leah Hager Cohen, The New York Times Book Review
Review:
"Patchett's efforts to depict the triumph of family in a dysfunctional world carry all the emotional heft of a Lifetime TV movie. This is fiction for people who live with their blinders on." The Philadelphia Inquirer
Synopsis:
The highly anticipated new novel from the bestselling author of Bel Canto is an engrossing story of a fateful night and day that will change everything for one Boston family. At its center, Run is about what defines family and the lengths to which we will go to protect our children.
Ann Patchett is the author of four novels: The Patron Saint of Liars, which was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year; Taft, which won the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize; The Magician's Assistant, for which she was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship; and Bel Canto, which won the PEN/Faulkner Award, England's Orange Prize, the Book Sense Book of the Year Award, and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. It has been translated into thirty languages. Her nonfiction book, Truth & Beauty, was a New York Times bestseller and the winner of a Books for a Better Life Award. Patchett has written for many publications, including the Atlantic Monthly, Harper's Magazine, Gourmet, the New York Times Magazine, Vogue, and the Washington Post. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
redrockbookworm, July 22, 2008 (view all comments by redrockbookworm)
I am an admirer of Ann Patchett and two of her previous works; Bel Canto and Patron Saint of Liars. Run contains many thematic similarities to her previous books but manages to approach them from a different perspective. All of Patchetts books present the reader with addictive tales about unusual and troubled characters forced by unexpected circumstances to confront and resolve compelling questions confronting them in their everyday lives.
Run is a story of intersecting destinies; an exquisite family portrait that examines aspects of love, loss, father/son relationships, religion, the black experience, political ethics, social responsibility and finally every child's quest for individual identity and their longing for parental love and approval.
Run is aptly titled since each character in this novel is running, either physically or metaphorically, toward or away from something in their lives.
Patchett's elegant prose and storytelling talent captures the subtle metamorphosis each character undergoes as well as offering the reader powerful insights into familial relationships.
This is a tale that completely involves the reader in the lives of its characters, who feel like family and continued to live on in your memory long after the last page has been turned.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No (6 of 10 readers found this comment helpful)
KAbbey, December 30, 2007 (view all comments by KAbbey)
Patchett has crafted another beautifully written narrative. "Run" follows the Doyle family: father Bernard, biological son Sullivan, and adopted sons Tip and Teddy. A sudden calamity brings strangers into their lives and over the course of the next twenty-four hours, their perspectives and lives are changed forever. Patchett has mastered the art of writing in a way that completely absorbs her readers. It flows so smoothly between different character's inner dialogues and past reflections. The book is filled with doubt, loss, and tragedy, but also delivers hope. I felt a connection with each character and a devotion to their lives. As good as Bel Canto, "Run" leaves me in anticipation of Patchett's next novel!! I would also recommend reading Tino Georgiou's bestselling novel--The Fates--if you missed it!
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No (23 of 43 readers found this comment helpful)
I wanted to love this book but it was not possible. Oh, there's a lot to love - Patchett could not write a book that wasn't at least a little lovable but this one misses the mark a bit. I thought my book was missing pages towards the end ... so much time had passed between the body of the work and the ending but apparently that's what she intended. Still ... it's a good book and she's a good author - certainly better than many who are steady visitors to the "Best Sellers Lists." One can hardly call them authors - they're machines who simply re-tool their work (Patterson, Steele, etal). Patchett is a good author and I look forward to her next book.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No (18 of 40 readers found this comment helpful)
Run, a worthy successor to Bel Canto, shows off Patchett's trademark gorgeous prose and emotional depth. Her characters are believably flawed, but ultimately good and decent human beings who you want to spend time with.
by Jill Owens
"Review"
by Booklist (Starred Review),
"[L]uminous....In extraordinarily fluid prose, Patchett unfolds this story to its epiloguelike final chapter as she illuminates issues of race, religion, duty, and desire."
"Review"
by Library Journal,
"[E]ngrossing and enjoyable....The somewhat unusual premise is presented very matter-of-factly; this is not a story about race but about family and the depths of parents' love of their children...and of each other. Recommended."
"Review"
by Kirkus Reviews,
"A family-of-man fable that reads a little too pat to ring true....Compelling story but thematically heavy-handed."
"Review"
by Janet Maslin, The New York Times,
"Ms. Patchett gives her readers much to contemplate when genetics, privilege, opportunity and nurture come into play. And to her credit she is neither vague nor reductive about any of these things; she creates a genuinely rich landscape of human possibility."
"Review"
by Entertainment Weekly,
"Ann Patchett is capable of lovely work, but there isn't a believable moment in this inert novel....The loopy plot is so contrived it's hard to know what you want for these characters. It's even harder to care. (Grade: C)"
"Review"
by Chicago Tribune,
"Patchett's finest work....Run is dazzling from the start; it wastes no time getting revved up....Run is a mature work, a book that feels effortlessly wrought. It is also an affirming book, and Lord knows, we could use a few more of those."
"Review"
by Boston Globe,
"Run is a graceful, deceptively straightforward novel, seeming as effortless as Kenya unfolding her legs on a city street. And yet it manages to deliver a story about race, attachment, and sacrifice. Nothing easy about that."
"Review"
by Cleveland Plain Dealer,
"Like Anne Tyler, Ann Patchett explores big questions without pretentiousness. Her quirky characters speak offbeat but believable dialogue. Miraculously, despite the coincidences of the plot, Run rings true."
"Review"
by USA Today,
"What felt effortless in Bel Canto...is schematic and all too precious in Run....It's easy to become sarcastic about Run, which is a shame, because it's filled with lovely intentions and a few truly moving passages."
"Review"
by Chicago Sun-Times,
"Patchett is a virtuoso storyteller, with an ability to create characters we can innately understand. Run is as strong and heartfelt a tale as her other works. It is funny and touching and troubling, ending like a good sermon in redemption and hope."
"Review"
by Leah Hager Cohen, The New York Times Book Review,
"It's difficult to understand why an author would seed her story with potentially rich material only to refrain from exploring it. But this might explain why Patchett's characters ultimately feel less real than symbolic, as wooden as the Virgin's statue."
"Review"
by The Philadelphia Inquirer,
"Patchett's efforts to depict the triumph of family in a dysfunctional world carry all the emotional heft of a Lifetime TV movie. This is fiction for people who live with their blinders on."
"Synopsis"
by chrisb@powells.com,
The highly anticipated new novel from the bestselling author of Bel Canto is an engrossing story of a fateful night and day that will change everything for one Boston family. At its center, Run is about what defines family and the lengths to which we will go to protect our children.
Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.
