This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage'So compellingly personal you feel you're looking over her shoulder as she sits down to write' New York Times 'Electrically entertaining ... Funny, generous, spirited and kind' The Times This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage is an irresistible blend of literature and memoir revealing the big experiences and little moments that shaped Ann Patchett as a daughter, wife, friend and writer. Here, Ann Patchett shares entertaining and moving stories about her tumultuous childhood, her painful early divorce, the excitement of selling her first book, driving a Winnebago from Montana to Yellowstone Park, her joyous discovery of opera, scaling a six-foot wall in order to join the Los Angeles Police Department, the gradual loss of her beloved grandmother, starting her own bookshop in Nashville, her love for her very special dog and, of course, her eventual happy marriage. This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage is a memoir both wide ranging and deeply personal, overflowing with close observation and emotional wisdom, told with wit, honesty and irresistible warmth. |
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LibraryThing Review
User Review - TimBazzett - LibraryThingThis book was a pure pleasure to read. Ann Patchett calls herself a novelust, a fiction writer, but this book contains some of the best, most polished NON-fiction that I've read in many years. There ... Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - Linyarai - LibraryThingThis was a collection of essays, which I am learning I never enjoy. The first one was enough to make me want to quit the book entirely. The ones on Divorce and her Bookstore were redeeming and I enjoyed those, but the rest just dragged. Read full review
Contents
Nonfiction an Introduction | 1 |
How to Read a Christmas Story | 11 |
The Sacrament of Divorce | 61 |
The Paris Match | 70 |
The Best Seat in the House | 81 |
My Road to Hell Was Paved | 88 |
Tennessee | 101 |
On Responsibility | 109 |
My Life in Sales | 163 |
The Right to Read | 186 |
Introduction to The Best American Short Stories 2006 | 202 |
The Bookstore Strikes Back | 225 |
This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage | 238 |
Our Deluge Drop by Drop | 272 |
The Mercies | 285 |
Fact vs Fiction | 154 |
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Common terms and phrases
Allan Gurganus Ann Patchett asked believe better book tour bookstore called Christmas Clemson couldn’t dinner divorce door drive everything father feel fiction girl give gone Grace Paley grandmother hand happened head Hotel Bel-Air husband I’ve idea isn’t Karen Karen Hayes Karl Karl’s knew LAPD later leave living look Lucy lunch magazine marriage married Mendoza minute months morning mother moved Nashville never night novel nuns once opera Paige parking lot person pick Provincetown pull remember Renée Fleming Rose short story Sister Melanie Sister Nena someone started stay stop sure talk tell Tennessee there’s thing thought told took Truth & Beauty turned wait walk wasn’t watch week what’s Winnebago woman women wonder writing wrote Yaddo you’re
Bibliographic information
| Title | This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage |
| Author | Ann Patchett |
| Publisher | A&C Black, 2013 |
| ISBN | 1408842408, 9781408842409 |
| Length | 320 pages |
| Subjects | › Biography & Autobiography / General Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |