Nov 21

Nov 21 These Precious Days

Author: Ann Patchett
Publisher: Harper
Goodreads | The StoryGraph

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Note: Content and trigger warnings are provided for those who need them at the bottom of this page. If you don’t need them and don’t want to risk spoilers, don’t scroll past the full review.

Cover Description

“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.

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.