Several years ago, I had the opportunity to attend a book reading by Ann Patchett. She was very entertaining, smart, and very down-to-earth. I've always loved her books and she has moved to the top of my Favorite Authors list. After hearing she had a new book out, I knew it was only a matter of time before I'd read it. And Commonwealth is quite the read.
This is a book best read in a short period of time. I'm not saying you have to devour it in a weekend, but it's not the kind of book you can pick up and put down over several months. The reason for this is that there are lots of characters with a variety of different relationships.... plus the book takes place over many years and the stories jump around within that time frame. Basically, the novel is about two families, each with multiple young children, who merge when the father of one family marries the wife from the other family. All the children develop relationships as they grow up together, and the book follows them all into middle age. Each chapter jumps you into the life of one of the other family members so it sometimes gets confusing, but persistence pays off. Excellent writing and character development. Highly recommend this one. -June
1 comment:
Once again, I agree with and thank you for this recommendation. I also appreciated your "warning" that the author plays with the timeline like no other! She is a splendid author and this book is so rich!!
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