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  • My first Ann Pratchett book gets a gold star

  • A little sad, yet hopeful tale about the complicated love of parents for their children & the reciprocal. The story of Bernard Doyle, a prominent, white Bostonian who with his wife adopts two Afro-American males. Pratchett weaves a convoluted but engrossing story that comes full circle.

    

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• ― Marion the librarian said on May 11, 2009 | Add your feedback

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  • A subtle book. Easy to read but deep in nature. Themes of religion, politics, family....a modern Brothers Karazamov. Patchett hits it out of the park again.

    

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• ― Dchase21 said on Apr 24, 2009 about the Paperback edition| Add your feedback

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  • In an interview, Ann Patchett said that to her the book was about politics, to her publisher it was about family, but she wants every reader to see in it what he/she will.

    Tennesee Moser gave her baby up for adoption. A very short time later, she decided she wanted her boys to be together, so ... Continue

    In an interview, Ann Patchett said that to her the book was about politics, to her publisher it was about family, but she wants every reader to see in it what he/she will.

    Tennesee Moser gave her baby up for adoption. A very short time later, she decided she wanted her boys to be together, so (through the adoption agency) she requested and got permission for the new family to also adopt her little boy. Of course, when the white mayor of Boston adopts a black baby, and soon after another little black boy, it is easy for Tennessee to figure out where her children are. Ten years later, she finds herself raising a daughter named Kenya. Throughout the years, she and Kenya stand in the shadows of her boys' lives, watching over them. Other than flashbacks and flash-forwards, this book takes place on a winter day in which Tennessee sees one of her boys back up (while arguing with his father) into the path of an oncoming SUV. She pushes him to safety, putting herself in the path of the oncoming vehicle. At this point, the paths of the two families begin to intertwine. The characters are believable, likeable good people with flaws. Their lives all change on this day, in some ways for the better, in some ways for the worse. The novel is beautifully crafted and it was a pleasure to listen to.

    

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• ― Missmath144 said on Sep 25, 2008 about the Paperback edition| Add your feedback

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