These Precious Days: Essays
- Downloads：8201
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-12-08 07:21:17
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Ann Patchett
- ISBN：B08VMXDSLM
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
The beloved New York Times bestselling author 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 suprising 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’ 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 how fleeting and enigmatic life can be。
From the enchantments of Kate di Camilo’s children’s books to youthful memories of Paris; the cherished life gifts given by her three fathers to the unexpected influence of Charles Schultz’s Snoopy; 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 deep in the soul， leaving an indelible mark—and demonstrate why Ann Patchett is one of the most celebrated writers of our time。
“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 suprising 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’ 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 how fleeting and enigmatic life can be。
From the enchantments of Kate di Camilo’s children’s books to youthful memories of Paris; the cherished life gifts given by her three fathers to the unexpected influence of Charles Schultz’s Snoopy; 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 deep in the soul， leaving an indelible mark—and demonstrate why Ann Patchett is one of the most celebrated writers of our time。
Reviews
JoAnn
，
Ann Patchett has become a favorite of mine。 Reading her essays feels like she is in the room talking to me。
Liv
，
immaculate。 it's a treat to watch AP push herself to new heights with each book， but this one especially excited me because I'm an essayist and loved seeing her experiment with form。 everything about an Ann Patchett book is a wonder。 this latest was no exception。 immaculate。 it's a treat to watch AP push herself to new heights with each book， but this one especially excited me because I'm an essayist and loved seeing her experiment with form。 everything about an Ann Patchett book is a wonder。 this latest was no exception。 。。。more
Deedi Brown （DeediReads）
，
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking。com/reads/。TL;DR REVIEW:These Precious Days is another beautifully heartfelt essay collection from Ann Patchett。 It was a delight to read， especially the title essay。For you if: You like memoiristic essays and/or essays about the writer life。FULL REVIEW:First， thank you to Harper Books for sending me an advanced review copy of this book！ I really， really enjoyed it。These Precious Days is a new collection of essays from Ann Patchett， and it’s just as b All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking。com/reads/。TL;DR REVIEW:These Precious Days is another beautifully heartfelt essay collection from Ann Patchett。 It was a delight to read， especially the title essay。For you if: You like memoiristic essays and/or essays about the writer life。FULL REVIEW:First， thank you to Harper Books for sending me an advanced review copy of this book！ I really， really enjoyed it。These Precious Days is a new collection of essays from Ann Patchett， and it’s just as beautiful， readable， and heartfelt as you’d expect。 I always love reading Ann Patchett’s essays in the New Yorker and such， and this was no different。 I read one essay each morning until I finished it， and it made for a great start to each day。 I was sad when it ended。Patchett writes about all kinds of things， from her late father（s）， to her professional journey with book covers， to learning how to accept the mortality of her loved ones， to being childless by choice， to how she found her way to opening a bookstore。 The title essay is the longest and echoes the loudest; it’s about her deep friendship with Tom Hanks’ assistant， Sooki， who lived with Patchett and her husband during the pandemic while undergoing cancer treatment。There is a level of humanity and approachability in Patchett’s nonfiction that’s hard to pinpoint， but always present。 She has a skill for making it clear how much she loves the people she’s writing about， even as she notes shortcomings and the reality of their impact of her life。 It’s tender， and it makes you feel cared for as a reader， too。If you like memoiristic essays， especially those about the writer’s life， pick this one up。CONTENT AND TRIGGER WARNINGS:COVID-19 pandemic; Terminal illness; Death and grief 。。。more
Adele Stratton
，
As always， she's wonderful。 As always， she's wonderful。 。。。more
Maddie
，
A lovely collection of essays by one of my favorite writers。 Ann Patchett makes you laugh and cry， brings you into her COVID bubble， introduces you to her family and best friends， and shares some lovely vignettes of her life in a time where we might have a little more perspective on valuing a few precious days。
Liz Owen
，
I so loved this book。 It covers friendship， books， life and death。 She writes beautifully and the book made me chuckle and cry; so much of it resonated with me。
Heather
，
I don’t always love books of essays — maybe one or two will move me。 I love this book， especially the last four pieces。
Jessie Pyle
，
Love the glimpses into life of the author。
Becca！
，
My favorite author。 She did it again。
Ann
，
Written from her heart with much love， this collection of essays is indeed precious。 I want Ann Patchett’s to be my friend。 I'm going to reread Eudora Welty。 Written from her heart with much love， this collection of essays is indeed precious。 I want Ann Patchett’s to be my friend。 I'm going to reread Eudora Welty。 。。。more
Michelle
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I love Ann Patchett's work and this book of essays is no exception。 In this book she explores the decision to not have children and the ways in which society and the public make assumptions and unabashedly ask intrusive questions。 Patchett also spends time discussing life and death， particularly how she experienced the life and death of a dear friend。 She discusses her marriage and relationships with insight and honesty。 I found the information and stories from the world of publishing to be espe I love Ann Patchett's work and this book of essays is no exception。 In this book she explores the decision to not have children and the ways in which society and the public make assumptions and unabashedly ask intrusive questions。 Patchett also spends time discussing life and death， particularly how she experienced the life and death of a dear friend。 She discusses her marriage and relationships with insight and honesty。 I found the information and stories from the world of publishing to be especially interesting。 She discusses the process of cover art selection for her books （a process about which I knew nothing） and even how Tom Hanks came to be the narrator for the audiobook of The Dutch House。 This is a great read for anyone who loves Ann Patchett and especially for those who are interested in the world of writing。Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy of this book。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Jen
，
4。25Poignant & so touching。 I really felt Patchett writing from the heart， especially in her last couple of essays about Sooki。 Loved <3
Gulf Coast
，
So good！ :）Will recommendLibrary read
Melissa
，
I love how with essays you get so many snippets of the author’s life and mind。 As usual， there were some I connected with more than others but I loved Patchett’s reminiscing and loved how intimate the book felt。 My favorites were My Year of No Shopping， There are No Children Here， The Nightstand， and Sisters。
Melki
，
I'm not sure why I decided to read this one as I've only ever read one Ann Patchett book - State of Wonder， a book that I thought was excellent， though it didn't leave me feeling as though I needed to read everything the author had ever written。Perhaps it was the dog on the cover 。 。 。Anyway， I did love the first essay about Patchett's three fathers。 I particularly enjoyed the bits about the reading habits of the men， as my own dad guided， perhaps even molded me into the reader I am today。 Unfor I'm not sure why I decided to read this one as I've only ever read one Ann Patchett book - State of Wonder， a book that I thought was excellent， though it didn't leave me feeling as though I needed to read everything the author had ever written。Perhaps it was the dog on the cover 。 。 。Anyway， I did love the first essay about Patchett's three fathers。 I particularly enjoyed the bits about the reading habits of the men， as my own dad guided， perhaps even molded me into the reader I am today。 Unfortunately， things went downhill after that。I'm used to books of essays offering the author's comments and opinions on popular culture， politics， body image， etc。 While it's true that many of the chapters here are about universal themes， they mostly describe how those concerns apply to Ann Patchett， making this more memoir than essays。 I realize I'm the dissenting opinion here， and I know that Patchett's legions of fans will adore this book。 It just wasn't for me。 That sure is a cute dog on the cover， though 。 。 。 。。。more
Jenny
，
I absolutely loved this on audio。 I wanted to slow down to savor it， but it was impossible to stop listening。
Rachel
，
At first， I thought these essays were all going to be a touch depressing。 Then I began to enjoy them more。 The title essay （and the longest essay） is wonderful。 The epilogue made me cry， but it was not depressing， just sad。 A really excellent work。
Holly Brown
，
Happy and sad and full of lifeI laughed， cried and smiled to myself。 There is the promised bit about being young and in Paris。 It was great to reread the main essay。
Becca
，
I love everything she writes。 I liked getting to know her better through these essays。
Mark Wheaton
，
What a wonderful， deeply felt book。
Jan Gleim
，
Classic Ann Patchett I never want her books to end。 She is an amazing author。 Everything in her stories is a reflection of my life。
Lois
，
Ann Patchett is a talented and thoughtful writer， and also co-owner of a bookstore。 She has a husband she adores and they have a large house to which they happily welcome friends and acquaintances who visit and often stay for lengths of time。 With all the different people and events she mentions in the essays in this book， I think she could write several more and fill them with many more stories that would be just as interesting， funny and/or moving as these were。Out of all the stories in this b Ann Patchett is a talented and thoughtful writer， and also co-owner of a bookstore。 She has a husband she adores and they have a large house to which they happily welcome friends and acquaintances who visit and often stay for lengths of time。 With all the different people and events she mentions in the essays in this book， I think she could write several more and fill them with many more stories that would be just as interesting， funny and/or moving as these were。Out of all the stories in this book， there were only one or two that I could have passed on。 Not bad。 In a normal book of essays or short stories， its much more hit or miss。 There were favorites here for me， including one about trying not to shop for a whole year， one on getting rid of things you really don’t need or use， one about choosing book covers， and of course the title story， about her friend Sooki， and how their relationship came to be， which was bittersweet， and really made you wish you were a friend of Ann’s too， because she really takes care of the people she loves。 Otherwise， there were stories about or to do with her 3 fathers （her mom married several times）， books （of course）， Snoopy （yes， that Snoopy）， the decision to not have children， art， music， meditation and yoga， other authors and their books that she loves， and more。 She mentions her husband a lot， and they clearly have a wonderful marriage。 She mentions dogs; her current Sparky （on the cover， painted by Sooki） and others she’s loved and lost。 In reading her essays， I made up a list of books I’ve never gotten to that she greatly admires， which made me want to look into them myself。 This is a warm， thoughtful， funny， witty book， and I do recommend it。 。。。more
Robyn Martin
，
Audible
Emily
，
This is an interesting and moving collection of vignettes from Ann Patchett’s life。 I love her writing， perspective， and heart。 The topics of many of these essays are ones I care about， such as faith， love， reading， writing， the impact of relationships， and separating ourselves from consumerism。 I especially loved the sweet story of her typewriter， the nightstand of lost writings （write！）， her MFA experience， and her generous heart woven throughout her experiences。 I would recommend this book， e This is an interesting and moving collection of vignettes from Ann Patchett’s life。 I love her writing， perspective， and heart。 The topics of many of these essays are ones I care about， such as faith， love， reading， writing， the impact of relationships， and separating ourselves from consumerism。 I especially loved the sweet story of her typewriter， the nightstand of lost writings （write！）， her MFA experience， and her generous heart woven throughout her experiences。 I would recommend this book， especially for all Ann Patchett fans。 -“Books were not just my education and my entertainment， they were my partners。 They told me what I was capable of。 They let me stare a long way down the path of various possibilities so that I could make decisions。”-“The things we buy， and buy， and buy are like a thick coat of Vaseline smeared on glass。 We can see some shapes out there， light and dark， but in our constant craving for what we may still want， we miss too many of life’s details。”- “You are not my problem to solve， but my brother to love。”-“There never had been a moment like this in my life…so much love。 And all of it free from doubt， or exhaustion， or misunderstanding。 This love had always been there and would always be there no matter how I rewrote it or forgot it。 I stood inside my gratitude and cried until finally I fell asleep。 That’s what I got from these books: the ability to walk through the door where everything I thought had been lost was in fact waiting for me。 All of it。 The trick was being brave enough to look。 The books had given me that bravery， which is another way of saying， the ability to believe。”-“’I’d be grateful if you’d pray for her，’ I said。 Because while I was uncertain about prayer in general， I believed in the power of Sister Nina’s prayers unequivocally。 I’d seen her work in action。”-“As it turned out， Sooki and I needed the same thing: to find someone who could see us as our best and most complete selves。”-“Dad， there is joy in the place that you left。”-“We’re laughing because we’re happy。 We feel like we’ve gotten away with something。 We managed to skip out on our sadness for a couple of hours and come to the beach， and that’s the closest thing to a miracle we can drum up at this point。 This group is bound together by our desire to hold Sooki aloft， to lift her up to the sun。” 。。。more
Anna Snader
，
Dear Friends， There are so many words that I have for this book。。。 all which feel inadequate for expressing the true beauty of it。 A teacher first introduced me to Ann Patchett， and told me Ann owned a bookstore in my town: the one I adored！ As a result， I became intrigued with her books， and shelved some of them to-read。 About a month later， I had heard about her new book "These Precious Days，" and began my internet search of articles and interviews about it。 It sounded absolutely intriguing， b Dear Friends， There are so many words that I have for this book。。。 all which feel inadequate for expressing the true beauty of it。 A teacher first introduced me to Ann Patchett， and told me Ann owned a bookstore in my town: the one I adored！ As a result， I became intrigued with her books， and shelved some of them to-read。 About a month later， I had heard about her new book "These Precious Days，" and began my internet search of articles and interviews about it。 It sounded absolutely intriguing， beautiful， and perfect for my non-fiction craze。 I was visiting the small bookstore， speaking about how I rarely see Ann Patchett there （she maybe was there before but I didn't know who she was）， and to my great surprise， she was there， doing a book signing of "These Precious Days。" I was beyond excited。 I got a copy signed by her and made a little small talk。 In the book it said， "Anna， Enjoy the Days。" I am telling this story all because I really love Ann Patchett's writing， and I love this book。 I was excited to see her at the bookstore before I had even read one of her books， and the book definitely lived up to its hype。 I loved this book for many reasons。 1） We live in the same city。 Because we live in the same city， some of the events she names I also experienced。 I resonated with her experience。2）The stories were perfectly ordinary。 Sweet and ordinary。 3） The friendships and the dogs。Again I have too many words and too little words to describe how much I really loved this。 I think you should go read it for yourself。 。。。more
Katrina
，
Not every story interested me but the good thing about a collection is you can just flick past and get to the next one。The story about Sookie was especially moving。
K
，
3。5
Bibi
，
Over the years， I have read quite a few of Ann's books （Bell Canto， State of Wonder， Commonwealth， and The Dutch House）。 I was never bedazzled by her works which will account for my average ratings。 I find her latest book - These Precious Days: Essays - a little more interesting mainly because I like the non-fiction aspect and the fact that the essays are varied in length。 Some of the stories I really like while there are others which， for me， are just 。。。。meh！Here are a few of my favourites:My Over the years， I have read quite a few of Ann's books （Bell Canto， State of Wonder， Commonwealth， and The Dutch House）。 I was never bedazzled by her works which will account for my average ratings。 I find her latest book - These Precious Days: Essays - a little more interesting mainly because I like the non-fiction aspect and the fact that the essays are varied in length。 Some of the stories I really like while there are others which， for me， are just 。。。。meh！Here are a few of my favourites:My number one is the story of Father Charlie Strobel in Worthless Servant。 The selflessness of this man shines through even after the sad tragedy of his own mother。 This is a truly moving and inspiring story。 Here is a passage from this essay which I really like and need to remind myself:The trouble with good fortune is that we tend to equate it with personal goodness， so that if things are going well for us and less well for others， it's assumed they must have done something to have brought that misfortune on themselves while we must have worked harder to avoid it。 We speak of ourselves as being blessed， but what can that mean except that others are not blessed， and that God has picked out a few of us to love more？ It is our responsibility to care for one another， to create fairness in the face of unfairness and find equality where none may have existed in the past。Another which is a quote by Robert F Kennedy is also a good reminder:Few will have the greatness to bend history itself， but each of us can work to change a small portion of events， and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation。。。 In My Three Fathers and Two more things I want to say about my father， I enjoy reading how the trio she calls her fathers has made a mark in the author's life with a more profound impact by her biological father。。。。my father gave me strength， Mike gave me adoration， Darrell gave me acceptance。He taught me that to ask someone to read my work was to ask them to give me their time。My father told me I should be a better friend。The author is fortunate to be surrounded by caring and kind people。 She is married to Karl VanDevender， a hard-working doctor who is also a very giving person。 Their marriage is a blessed one。 Ann Patchett （AP） accommodates his love for fishing and flying and Karl accommodates every other way。 I read with interest how wonderfully Karl was able to diffuse a situation with a young woman and her adopted daughter from Russia。 He tells Ann - The woman had just needed someone to remind her how valuable her daughter was， how lucky they were。Her essay about her dear friend， Tavia is also a good read。 It is a testament to AP's ability to nurture and value relationships。 This book is also very personal as AP discusses her decision to not have children and how this is often difficult for others to understand or accept。 Some typical comments tossed her way include "。。。because until you have children， you don't know what it means to love" or the perception that "imagine how selfish a person would have to be to not have a child。" What is clear from AP's writing is that she has grown "not to care about other people's opinions"。AP also provides some insight about the world of publishing and how book titles， book covers， and illustrations， or photography are carefully selected。 The marketing aim is to get the attention of the reader - Book covers should entice readers the way roses entice bees -like their survival depends on it。In Sisters， we learn how beautiful AP's mother is and given that they are often mistaken for sisters， the extension is that AP is just as beautiful which is very also evident from her published images。 I chuckled at this passage in this essay:Despite all indications to the contrary， most women harbor some secret hope that they might be beautiful， that the right dress or lipstick or diet could turn the tide in their favour。A lot of AP's work is inspired by true events in her life。 She mentions that her book， 'Commonwealth' is actually autobiographical。 Her attempt to adopt little Stevie led to her novel 'Run'。 The essay from which the book's title is drawn is an essay about kindness and the heartbreak of cancer。 In this essay， we are given a front row seat witness to the generosity of AP and her husband， Karl。 The biggest clue is how open their home is to friends and family。AP knew from childhood that she wants to be a writer and she uses her MFA degree in unique ways which include a co-ownership in the aptly named bookstore - Parnassus。 This little collection of stories focus on AP's family， friends， and the power of love and kindness。 Clearly this is a courageous effort of sharing very personal information and one cannot help but turn the final page with a feeling of warmth towards this author。 。。。more
Gail Burger
，
These Precious Days - a truly lovely book。 If you are a fan of Ann Patchett or even if you aren’t， her essays will take you to emotional highs and lows。 I really didn’t want this book to end。 Her insights into writing， love， death， family and friends kept me wanting more。 I reread certain paragraphs multiple times and wanted them to keep traveling through my mind。 Definitely one of my favorites to end the year！
Bec
，