I'm very grateful to fellow Ann Patchett fan Jess Plant for giving me a copy of 'These Precious Days' - Patchett's 2021 collection of non-fiction essays. I discovered Ann Patchett somewhat belatedly in 2023, reading her brilliant 2001 novel ‘Bel Canto’ (reviewed here in December 2023). Since then I have read and enjoyed her five subsequent novels (reviewed here, January 2024 - June 2025). 'These Precious Days' is an engaging and enjoyable collection of pieces on a variety of topics which gives you a rounded picture of the author, her personality, childhood, career, family and friends. Some of her pieces reminded me in their structure and tone of the comic essays of David Sedaris (reviewed here in June 2015). There are some very moving essays in 'These Precious Days' and Ann Patchett is particularly thought-provoking on the difficult topic of mortality. She is also very interesting on the business of being a writer and on her writing process. When I wrote here about her 2007 novel 'Run' (reviewed here in June 2024) I noted that Ann Patchett reminded me of the great contemporary American novelist Anne Tyler. So it was satisfying to discover, in the essay 'Cover Stories', that the publisher of Patchett's first novel hired the artist who had painted the cover illustration for Tyler's 'Breathing Lessons' in the hope of attracting Anne Tyler fans. Thirty years later Patchett says people still tell her that her novels remind them of Tyler's. Reading Ann Patchett's essays certainly makes you want to visit her book shop, Parnassus Books in Nashville. And I'm now really looking forward to reading her recently published tenth novel 'Whistler'.
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