This is the Story of a Happy Marriage

Libby, Joan, Annie, Maddy, Sheri, Margie and I  met yesterday for book club.  Those of you who were in Mexico, Spain, India, and undisclosed locations were missed. Thanks Marylib for your email about the book. We all appreciated your comments which provoked discussion about her insights into the writing process.   Some of us loved this part, and others not so much. Maddy commented that she was fascinated by the artistic process and Patchett's ability to create and hold an entire story in her mind.  Her humility at admitting that she destroys this beautiful butterfly of the story in her head by putting  it down on paper and in the process killing it was poignant. She comments that: "The journey from the head to hand is perilous and lined with bodies.  It is the road on which nearly everyone who wants to write- and many who do write- get lost."

Overall, I would say that most of us loved the book, even though some admitted to being not too fond of short stories or essays and would rather sink their teeth into a novel.  Margie said that she was ordinarily one of these, but that she really enjoyed this particular book.  Sheri absolutely loved the story about Opera and many of us are planning to attend one of the live broadcasts that take place here in Fort Collins. And Annie, who along with Joanie felt the book was very slow to start, began to warm to Ann Patchett when she told the story of pushing Rosie, her old dog, in a baby carriage for her daily walk.

 I think everyone who read the convocation speech to the Clemson freshman wished that they had had such a speech when beginning college. Some expressed the opinion that Patchett appeared self absorbed, and most of us could agree with that. But the stories, "This Dog's Life", "On Responsibility", and "The Mercies", among others revealed Ann Patchett's  enormous and caring heart.   Libby and I had both were so intrigued with her relationship with Lucy that we went on and read "Truth and Beauty" and we found moments to interject morsels from that book as they related to one of the essays.  We agreed that the essays were uneven, but I thought it revealed her willingness to share her writing for various magazines and various audiences across the years.

 We talked about our favorites, but didn't really delve into  the title essay, which I actually thought was one of her more interesting ones. We all appreciated the question posed to Ann in a earlier piece when she was agonizing over her first marriage.  "Does your husband make you a better person?"  Ann said that was the first instruction about marriage that she had received in her 25 years of life.   Two other valuable pieces of advice she received from her mother  "Every single relationship you will have in your lifetime is going to end."  and "Stop trying to make everything permanent."  (How Buddhist!) These, I believe paved the way for Ann to be able to finally love and commit to Karl. She comments at the end of that essay as she reflects on the earlier question "Does he make you a better person?.... I want to tell her, Yes, with the full force of his life, with the example of his kindness and vigilance, his good sense and equanimity, he makes me a better person.  And that is what I aspire to be, better, and no, it really isn't any more complicated than that." 

There was something for everyone here.  After a disastrous reaction to her book, "The State of Wonder", we are Ann Patchett fans once more.