Ann Patchett Popular Books

Ann Patchett Biography & Facts

Ann Patchett (born December 2, 1963) is an American author. She received the 2002 PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize for Fiction in the same year, for her novel Bel Canto. Patchett's other novels include The Patron Saint of Liars (1992), Taft (1994), The Magician's Assistant (1997), Run (2007), State of Wonder (2011), Commonwealth (2016), The Dutch House (2019), and Tom Lake (2023). The Dutch House was a finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Biography Ann Patchett was born on December 2, 1963, in Los Angeles, California, to Frank Patchett (a Los Angeles police captain who arrested Charles Manson and Sirhan Sirhan) and Jeanne Ray (a nurse who later became a novelist). She is the younger of two daughters. Her mother and father divorced when she was young. Her mother remarried, and when Patchett was six years old the family moved to Nashville, Tennessee.Patchett attended St. Bernard Academy, a private Catholic school for girls in Nashville, Tennessee run by the Sisters of Mercy. Following graduation, she attended Sarah Lawrence College.After college, she attended the Iowa Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa, where she lived with the memoirist and poet Lucy Grealy. Their time as roommates and their life-long friendship was the subject of her 2004 memoir Truth & Beauty. In her early twenties Patchett married; however, the marriage lasted only about a year.In her late twenties, Patchett won a fellowship to the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Massachusetts; during her time there, she wrote her first novel The Patron Saint of Liars, which was published in 1992.In 2010, she co-founded a bookstore with Karen Hayes, Parnassus Books, in Nashville, Tennessee, which opened in November 2011. In 2016, Parnassus Books expanded, adding a bookmobile to expand the reach of the bookstore in Nashville.Patchett lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband, Karl VanDevender. It is Patchett’s second marriage. Writing Patchett's first published work was in The Paris Review, a story that appeared before she graduated from Sarah Lawrence College.For nine years, Patchett worked at Seventeen magazine, where she wrote primarily non-fiction and the magazine published one of every five articles she wrote. She ended her relationship with the magazine after getting into a dispute with an editor and exclaiming, "I’ll never darken your door again!"Patchett has written for numerous publications, including The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The Washington Post, O, The Oprah Magazine, ELLE, GQ, Gourmet, and Vogue. In 1992, Patchett published The Patron Saint of Liars. The novel was made into a television movie of the same title in 1998. Her second novel Taft won the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize in fiction in 1994. Her third novel, The Magician’s Assistant, was released in 1997. In 2001, her fourth novel Bel Canto was her breakthrough, becoming a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist, and winning the PEN/Faulkner Award.A friend of writer Lucy Grealy, Patchett has written a memoir about their relationship, Truth & Beauty: A Friendship. Patchett's novel, Run, was released in October 2007. What now?, published in April 2008, is an essay based on a commencement speech she delivered at her alma mater in 2006. Patchett is the editor of the 2006 volume of the anthology series The Best American Short Stories. In 2011, she published State of Wonder, a novel set in the Amazon jungle, which was shortlisted for the Orange Prize. In 2016 she published her novel Commonwealth to widespread critical acclaim. Patchett called the book her "autobiographical first novel," explaining, “The wonderful thing about publishing this book at 52 is that I know that I am [already] capable of working from a place of deep imagination.”In 2019, Patchett published her first children's book, Lambslide, and the novel The Dutch House, a finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.In November 2021, she published These Precious Days, an essay collection she describes as the sequel to This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage. These Precious Days received wide acclaim, with review aggregator Book Marks rating it a “rave” based on 25 reviews. In 2023, Ann Patchett published a novel called Tom Lake, and it was ranked a The New York Times Best Sellers.Her work has been translated into more than 30 languages. Awards and honors For specific works Nashville Banner Tennessee Writer of the Year Award, 1994. Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize (Taft), 1994. National Book Critics Circle Award finalist (Bel Canto), 2001. PEN/Faulkner Award (Bel Canto), 2002. Orange Prize (Bel Canto), 2002. BookSense Book of the Year (Bel Canto), 2003. Wellcome Trust Book Prize shortlist (State of Wonder), 2011.For corpus Guggenheim Fellowship, 1995 (mid-career). In 2012, Patchett was recognized on the Time 100 list as one of the most influential people in the world by Time magazine. Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award (body of work), 2014. 2014 Kenyon Review Award for Literary Achievement American Academy of Arts and Letters, 2017Published works Novels — (1992). The Patron Saint of Liars. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 039561306X. OCLC 24796726. — (1994). Taft. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 9780395694619. Retrieved 14 September 2016. Reprinted in the following year, see Taft. New York, NY: Random House. 1995. ISBN 0804113882. Retrieved 14 September 2016. — (1997). The Magician's Assistant. New York: Harcourt Brace. ISBN 9780151002634. OCLC 36225079. — (2001). Bel Canto. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 9780060188733. OCLC 45466121. — (2007). Run. New York: HarperLuxe. ISBN 9780061363931. OCLC 173640797. — (2011). State of Wonder. New York: Harper. ISBN 978-0062049803. OCLC 649701863. — (2016). Commonwealth. New York, NY: Harper. ISBN 9780062491794. OCLC 932576291. — (2019). The Dutch House. New York, NY: Harper. ISBN 9780062963673. — (2023). Tom Lake. New York, NY: Harper. ISBN 9780063327528 Nonfiction — (2004). Truth & Beauty: A Friendship. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 0060572140. OCLC 53932670. Retrieved 14 September 2016. — (2008). What Now?. New York: Harper. ISBN 9780061340659. OCLC 179806486. — (2011). The Getaway Car: A Practical Memoir About Writing and Life. Byliner, Incorporated. ISBN 9781614520665. — (2013). This is the Story of a Happy Marriage. New York, NY: Harper. ISBN 9780062236678. OCLC 857776359. — (2021). These Precious Days: Essays. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-309278-5.References Further reading Gilbert, Elizabeth (April 18, 2012). "The World's 100 Most Influential People, 2012: Ann Patchett, Writer". Time. Archived from the original on April 19, 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2016. Philpott, Mary Laura (August 10, 2016). "I'm not Ann Patchett: Confessions of the Human Behind a Twitter Account". The Washington Post. Retrieved 14 September 2016. Brown, Jeffrey; Patchett, Ann (September 13, 2016). "Novelist Ann Patchett on How Independent Bookstores Build Community". PBS Ne.... Discover the Ann Patchett popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Ann Patchett books.

Best Seller Ann Patchett Books of 2024

  • On Animals synopsis, comments

    On Animals

    Susan Orlean

    NATIONAL BESTSELLER“Magnificent.” The New York Times “Beguiling, observant, and howlingly funny.” San Francisco Chronicle “Spectacular.” Star Tribune (Minneapolis) “Full of asto...

  • Inishowen synopsis, comments

    Inishowen

    Joseph O'Connor

    From the bestselling author of Star of the Sea and Shadowplay, 'a powerful, moving adventure of raw fate and betrayed love' (Independent on Sunday).Inspector Martin Aitken's life i...

  • A Journal of the Plague Year synopsis, comments

    A Journal of the Plague Year

    Daniel Defoe & Christopher Bristow

    'The most reliable and comprehensive account of the Great Plague that we possess' Anthony Burgess In 1665 the plague swept through London, claiming over 97,000 lives. Daniel Def...

  • Once Again synopsis, comments

    Once Again

    Catherine Wallace Hope

    An imaginative, emotional debut novel for fans of Ann Patchett about one woman's fight to save her daughter from repeating a deadly fate.What if you had one chance to save someone ...

  • A Weekend in New York synopsis, comments

    A Weekend in New York

    Benjamin Markovits

    'What are you feeling so anxious about? I'm the guy who has to go out there and lose.''That's what I don't like. That's what you don't realise. It's harder on the rest of us.''I'm ...

  • Crime and Punishment synopsis, comments

    Crime and Punishment

    Fyodor Dostoyevsky & Oliver Ready

    'A truly great translation . . . This English version really is better' A. N. Wilson, The SpectatorTIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2014This acclaimed new translation o...

  • Tattoos on the Heart synopsis, comments

    Tattoos on the Heart

    Gregory Boyle

    “Destined to become a classic of both urban reportage and contemporary spirituality” (Los Angeles Times)Tattoos on the Heart is a series of parables about kinship and redemption fr...

  • What Could Be Saved synopsis, comments

    What Could Be Saved

    Liese O'Halloran Schwarz

    When a mysterious man claims to be her longmissing brother, a woman must confront her family’s closely guarded secrets in this “delicious hybrid of mystery, drama, and elegance” (J...

  • Perfect Little World synopsis, comments

    Perfect Little World

    Kevin Wilson

    Wilson’s ambition alone is exciting. . . . [His] writing has a Houdinilike perfection, wherein no matter how grim the variables, each lovely sentence manages to escape with all its...

  • How Strange a Season synopsis, comments

    How Strange a Season

    Megan Mayhew Bergman

    “Dazzling.” The New York Times Book Review, Editors’ Choice “Richly satisfying.” The Wall Street Journal “These are stories you want to live in…a collection perfectly suited for ou...

  • Magic Lessons synopsis, comments

    Magic Lessons

    Alice Hoffman

    In this “ bewitching” (The New York Times Book Review) novel that traces a centuriesold curse to its source, beloved author Alice Hoffman unveils the story of Maria Owens, accused ...

  • The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman synopsis, comments

    The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman

    Angela Carter

    Desiderio, an employee of the city under a bizarre reality attack from Doctor Hoffman's mysterious machines, has fallen in love with Albertina, the Doctor's daughter. But Albertina...

  • I Miss You When I Blink synopsis, comments

    I Miss You When I Blink

    Mary Laura Philpott

    NATIONAL BESTSELLERA charmingly relatable and wise memoirinessays by acclaimed writer and bookseller Mary Laura Philpott, “the modern day reincarnation of…Nora Ephron, Erma Bombeck...

  • Cobble Hill synopsis, comments

    Cobble Hill

    Cecily von Ziegesar

    The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Gossip Girl series brings her sharpeyed and irresistible wit to this “quirky novel of lovable misfits” (Publishers Weekly) chronicli...

  • The Index of Self-Destructive Acts synopsis, comments

    The Index of Self-Destructive Acts

    Christopher Beha

    “Beha tackles finance, faith, war, entitlement, and no end of selfdestructive acts. I greatly admired both the writing and the ambition.” Ann PatchettA New York Times Editors’...

  • The Book of Magic synopsis, comments

    The Book of Magic

    Alice Hoffman

    “Hoffman certainly knows how to enchant” (The New York Times Book Review) in this breathtaking conclusion to the Practical Magic seriesa spellbinding and bewitching novel that asks...

  • Into the Jungle synopsis, comments

    Into the Jungle

    Erica Ferencik

    In this “hypnotic, violent, unsparing” (A.J. Banner, USA TODAY bestselling author) thriller from the author of the “haunting, twisting thrill ride” (Megan Miranda, New York Times b...

  • Sanshiro synopsis, comments

    Sanshiro

    Natsume Sōseki & Jay Rubin

    One of Soseki's most beloved works of fiction, the novel depicts the 23yearold Sanshiro leaving the sleepy countryside for the first time in his life to experience the constantly m...

  • The Best Short Stories 2021 synopsis, comments

    The Best Short Stories 2021

    Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie & Jenny Minton Quigley

    Twenty prizewinning stories selected from the thousands published in magazines over the previous yearcontinuing the O. Henry Prize's centurylong tradition of literary excellence.&#...

  • Run Me to Earth synopsis, comments

    Run Me to Earth

    Paul Yoon

    From awardwinning author Paul Yoon comes a “spellbinding” (The Washington Post) novel about three kids orphaned in 1960s Laosand how their destinies are entwined across decades, an...

  • Faithful synopsis, comments

    Faithful

    Alice Hoffman

    From the New York Times bestselling author of The Marriage of Opposites and The Dovekeepers comes a soulsearching story about a young woman struggling to redefine herself and the p...

  • The Shroud synopsis, comments

    The Shroud

    Ian Wilson

    Two decades after radiocarbon dating declared the Turin Shroud a mediaeval fake, brandnew historical discoveries strongly suggest that this famous cloth, with its extraordinary pho...

  • The Dearly Beloved synopsis, comments

    The Dearly Beloved

    Cara Wall

    “This gentle, gorgeously written book may be one of my favorites ever.” Jenna Bush Hager (A Today show “Read with Jenna” Book Club Selection!)This “moving portrait of love and frie...

  • The Patron Saint Of Liars synopsis, comments

    The Patron Saint Of Liars

    Ann Patchett

    A New York Times Notable BookAcclaimed author Ann Patchett's debut novel, hailed as "beautifully written . . . a first novel that second and thirdtime novelists would env...

  • His Favorites synopsis, comments

    His Favorites

    Kate Walbert

    A “tense, taut, and thrilling” (Marie Claire) novel about a teenage girl, a predatory teacher, and a school’s complicity from the highly acclaimed, bestselling National Book Award ...

  • My Bookstore synopsis, comments

    My Bookstore

    Ronald Rice, Richard Russo, Leif Parsons & Emily St. John Mandel

    In this enthusiastic, heartfelt, and sometimes humorous ode to bookshops and booksellers, 84 known authors pay tribute to the brickandmortar stores they love and often call their s...

  • The Persians and Other Plays synopsis, comments

    The Persians and Other Plays

    Aeschylus & Alan H. Sommerstein

    Aeschylus (525456 BC) brought a new grandeur and epic sweep to the drama of classical Athens, raising it to the status of high art. The Persians, the only Greek tragedy to deal wit...

  • The Beauty of Dusk synopsis, comments

    The Beauty of Dusk

    Frank Bruni

    From New York Times columnist and bestselling author Frank Bruni comes “a book about vision loss that becomes testimony to human courage, a moving memoir that offers perspective, c...

  • Birds of a Lesser Paradise synopsis, comments

    Birds of a Lesser Paradise

    Megan Mayhew Bergman

    An “astonishing debut collection, by a writer reminiscent of such greats as Alice Munro, Elizabeth Strout, and even Chekhov” (Sara Gruen, author of Water for Elephants), focusing o...

  • Red Cavalry and Other Stories synopsis, comments

    Red Cavalry and Other Stories

    Isaac Babel, Efraim Sicher & David McDuff

    Throughout his life Isaac Babel was torn by opposing forces, by the desire both to remain faithful to his Jewish roots and yet to be free of them. This duality of vision infuses hi...

  • Bomb Shelter synopsis, comments

    Bomb Shelter

    Mary Laura Philpott

    A New York Times Editors’ Choice One of NPR’s Best Books of the Year“A beautifully wrought ode to life…a precious gift to the world.” The Washington PostFrom the bestselling author...

  • The Life of Samuel Johnson synopsis, comments

    The Life of Samuel Johnson

    James Boswell & David Womersley

    In Boswell’s Life of Samuel Johnson, one of the towering figures of English literature is revealed with unparalleled immediacy and originality. While Johnson’s Dictionary remains a...

  • Night Walks synopsis, comments

    Night Walks

    Charles Dickens

    Charles Dickens describes in Night Walks his time as an insomniac, when he decided to cure himself by walking through London in the small hours, and discovered homelessness, drunke...

  • The River We Remember synopsis, comments

    The River We Remember

    William Kent Krueger

    In 1958, a small Minnesota town is rocked by a shocking murder, pouring fresh fuel on old grievances in this dazzling novel, an instant New York Times bestseller and “a work of art...

  • The Whole Language synopsis, comments

    The Whole Language

    Gregory Boyle

    Gregory Boyle, the beloved Jesuit priest and author of the inspirational bestsellers Tattoos on the Heart and Barking to the Choir, returns with a call to witness the transformativ...

  • You Be Mother synopsis, comments

    You Be Mother

    Meg Mason

    What do you do, when you find the perfect family, and it's not yours? A charming, funny and irresistible novel about families, friendship and tiny little white lies.The only thing ...

  • The World That We Knew synopsis, comments

    The World That We Knew

    Alice Hoffman

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER LONGLISTED FOR THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL On the brink of World War II, with the Nazis tightening their grip on Berlin, a mother’s act of courage and love...

  • Tales of Two Americas synopsis, comments

    Tales of Two Americas

    John Freeman

    Thirtysix major contemporary writers examine life in a deeply divided Americaincluding Anthony Doerr, Ann Patchett, Roxane Gay, Rebecca Solnit, Hector Tobar, Joyce Carol Oates, Edw...

  • Animal synopsis, comments

    Animal

    Lisa Taddeo

    From Lisa Taddeo, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller and global phenomenon Three Women, comes an “intoxicating” (Entertainment Weekly), “fearless” (Los Angeles Times), and ...

  • The Rules of Magic synopsis, comments

    The Rules of Magic

    Alice Hoffman

    An instant New York Times bestseller and Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick from beloved author Alice Hoffmanthe spellbinding prequel to Practical Magic.Find your magic.For the Owens...

  • What Comes Next and How to Like It synopsis, comments

    What Comes Next and How to Like It

    Abigail Thomas

    The New York Times bestseller from the beloved author of A Three Dog Lifean exhilarating, superbly written memoir on friendship, family, creativity, tragedy, and the richness of li...

  • Fractured Soul synopsis, comments

    Fractured Soul

    Akira Mizubayashi & Alison Anderson

    Awarded the Prix des libraires by France’s booksellers, a universal story about music and restoring one’s faith in others amid the aftermath of tremendous loss.Tokyo, 1938. An amat...

  • Hunger synopsis, comments

    Hunger

    Roxane Gay

    From the New York Times bestselling author of Bad Feminist: a searingly honest memoir of food, weight, selfimage, and learning how to feed your hunger while taking care of yourself...

  • Joy of Cooking synopsis, comments

    Joy of Cooking

    Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, Ethan Becker, John Becker & Megan Scott

    “Generation after generation, Joy has been a warm, encouraging presence in American kitchens, teaching us to cook with grace and humor. This luminous new edition continues on that ...