Synopses & Reviews
A New York Times Notable Book
“A moving emblem of fatherhood’s rarely explored passion.”—Los Angeles Times
“Absorbing .º.º. Strikingly original.”—Kirkus Reviews
John Nickel, an ex–jazz musician, wanted nothing more than to be a good father, but when his son is taken away Nickel is left only with his Beale Street bar. He hires a young waitress named Fay Taft, who brings with her a desperate, dangerous brother, Carl. Nickel finds himself consumed with Fay and Carl’s dead father— Taft—obsessing over and reconstructing the life of a man he never met. But his fascination for Taft and his sympathy for these lost, young strangers soon take him down a twisting, darkening path.
A stunning artistic achievement, Taft confirms Ann Patchett’s standing as one of our most gifted writers and reminds us of our deepest instincts to protect the people we love.
A stunning artistic achievement, Taft confirms Ann Patchett’s standing as one of our most gifted writers and reminds us of our deepest instincts to protect the people we love.
“Patchett writes with remarkable conviction and attention to telling details.”—Jane Smiley in Mirabella
ANN PATCHETT is the author of six novels, including Bel Canto, winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize. She has written for the Atlantic, Gourmet, the New York Times Magazine, Vogue, the Washington Post, and others.
Synopsis
An ex-jazz drummer wants nothing more than to be a good father in this moving family novel by the New York Times best-selling author of The Dutch House.
When John Nickel's lover takes away his son, Nickel is left only with his Beale Street bar in Memphis. He hires a young waitress named Fay Taft, who brings with her a desperate, dangerous brother, Carl, and the possibility of new intimacy. Nickel finds himself consumed with Fay and Carl's dead father -- Taft -- obsessing over and reconstructing the life of a man he never met.
A stunning artistic achievement, Taft confirms Ann Pathcett's standing as one of the most gifted writers of her generation and reminds us of our deepest instincts to protect the people we love.
"What could be merely a literary parlor trick -- keeping three stories in the air at once -- becomes...as resonant as a blues song, each story harmonizing with and answering others. . . . Expect miracles when you read Ann Patchett's fiction." -- New York Times
Synopsis
A New York Times Notable Book
"As resonant as a blues song. . . . Expect miracles when you read Ann Patchett's fiction."--New York Times Book Review
An ex-jazz drummer wants nothing more than to be a good father in this moving family novel by the New York Times best-selling author of The Dutch House.
When John Nickel's lover takes away his son, Nickel is left only with his Beale Street bar in Memphis. He hires a young waitress named Fay Taft, who brings with her a desperate, dangerous brother, Carl, and the possibility of new intimacy. Nickel finds himself consumed with Fay and Carl's dead father--Taft--obsessing over and reconstructing the life of a man he never met.
A stunning artistic achievement, Taft confirms Ann Patchett's standing as one of the most gifted writers of her generation and reminds us of our deepest instincts to protect the people we love.
Synopsis
Best-selling novelist Ann Patchett’s second, "strikingly original"* novel tells the moving story of John Nickel, an ex–jazz musician who wanted nothing more than to be a good father. When his lover takes away his son, he’s left only with his Beale Street bar. He hires a young waitress named Fay Taft, who brings with her a desperate, dangerous brother, Carl, and the possibility of new intimacy. Nickel finds himself consumed with Fay and Carl’s dead father— Taft—obsessing over and reconstructing the life of a man he never met.
A stunning artistic achievement,
Taft confirms Ann Patchett’s standing as one of the most gifted writers of her generation and reminds us of our deepest instincts to protect the people we love.
*Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
A repackage of Ann Patchett's novel Taft, about a middle-aged black man who runs a blues club in Memphis.
Synopsis
"A secretive magicians death becomes the catalyst for his partners journey self-discovery in this “enchanting” book (San Francisco Chronicle) “that is something of a magic trick in itself” (Newsweek). When Parsifal, a handsome and charming magician, dies suddenly, his widow Sabine—who was also his faithful assistant for twenty years—learns that the family he claimed to have lost in a tragic accident is very much alive and well. Sabine is left to unravel his secrets, and the journey she takes, from sunny Los Angeles to the bitter windswept plains of Nebraska, will work its own magic on her. Sabine's extraordinary tale, “with its big dreams, vast spaces, and disparate realities lying side by side” captures the hearts of its readers and “proves to be the perfect place for miraculous transformations” (
The New Yorker). "
About the Author
Ann Patchett is the author of Bel Canto, Taft, and The Patron Saint of Liars, which was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. She has written for many publications, including Elle, GQ, The Paris Review, and Vogue. She lives in Tennessee.