20 Best Books By Ann Patchett (2023 Update)

This set of large paperbacks is a good value for the two popular and acclaimed series. I would recommend to Ann Cleeves or general mystery/crime fiction aficionados.soozreeder

Haven't opened this as its a gift but so happy with the quality of these, look like theyre brand new and never opened! And the cheapest I found this collection online anywhere including the final book!paigekb

Somehow I never heard of A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness until a friend recommended it to me recently. I dont read a lot of fantasy or paranormal literature as a rule. I enjoyed it a lot because it has all the ingredients I look for: interesting, well-developed characters, a bit of humor, mystery, a twisty plot, and great settings (I would so like to visit the Bodleian Library). It also has something Ive never previously encountered in a novel: characters speaking Old French or Occitan. Perfect for those who enjoy vampires and the paranormal (and even for those of us who don't read many vampire stories).bastimret

I'm really enjoying this book. I saw the series on tv and liked it so i decided to read the first book. This goes into so much more details of each person background that they can only show you so much on tv. Matthew and Diana are my new favorite couple to love. CAn't wait to read the next book and watch season 2.YOLANDA

I had made an abortive attempt to watch the TV adaptation of this trilogy without first reading the books, but someone loaned me the first – Discover of Witches – and I was hooked by the end of the first twenty pages. The novel is rich with detail – of history, metaphysics, and places – and the characters manage to be both exotic and believable: no small feat when writing about witches, vampires, and demons. As an historian, I am attracted to stories that bring the past to life, but only if the depiction is authentic and then only if it is also entertaining. Harkness does not disappoint.pookettemaureen

I loved her first book so that probably had a lot to do with me loving this one. I couldn’t put it down most of the time. I really liked the writing style and I think that is what kept me sucked in. The way she writes her sections and at the end of each section there is foreshadowing to her disappearance. That kept me wanting to read more to find out what actually happened. I loved the ending! I didn’t see it coming! This was an all around good book. If you like mysteries then you are going to love this book. Audiobook comments: Read by imogen church. The setting of this book was England and the accent sounded just like it. I didn’t like the Brooklyn accent that well. I still loved the overall read of the book though.shelby.r

This is one of my absolute favorite psychological thrillers. I liked this book a lot more than I expected based on the reviews. It kept me guessing all through out the book. I never knew what would happen next. I can usually figure a book out pretty quick but the ending was a total shock to me. It kept me completely hooked until the end. There were so many great characters and so many great surprises. If you like this genre this book is for you!nikki.n

Sorry. The book was so stupid.. It was really just due to the main character. She was just a simpering, whining girl . I really wanted to finish the book so I could write a scathing review. The character wasn't the only thing missing-Detailed descriptions of the ship, ports and what was happening. Even the descriptions of the inner workings of the ship left me knowing nothing more than I did before. All in all, it was a waste of time reading this.This whimpy , scared girl does not reflect the women of today. I've got to remember the author's name so I don't buy any more of her books. I can't get it out of my house soon enough!!Books-A-Million

So many typos!!! Did they not edit this before publishing? Hard to read and nothing new or scandalous in it. Save your time and $$.Karl

I loved this book and it is a must read for a housewives fan! The way the chapters were structured was so interesting and mirrored the way the show confessionals are done, where the women are sharing their perspective woven around the narrative we are watching on TV. The passion and depth that Dave Quinn has as a true fan of housewives was evident and this book could only be written by someone with the knowledge that a Bravo aficionado has!H

If you are a Real Housewives fan this book is a MUST!! My only complaint would be the 30% off sticker that Target put right on the cover! Taking it off without ruining the book was no easy featRhettsMomma

It is a unique and intriguing alternative story that I've thoroughly enjoyed. I'd recommend it for the young and young at heart.paulmarcelrene

WoW!!! This is my second favorite book, I also got this on my Birthday. It is soo interesting how they twisted the story of Aladdin. I'm so mesmerized by the book and I truly enjoyed itveronica.t

"Its strange to love a place like you would a person, but I do!" Absolutely beautiful! It's a little daunting picking up a graphic novel retelling of one of my most treasured childhood books but Mariah Marsden captured the essence of the original story with all of the most treasured anecdotes (such as the infamous slate scene with Gilbert Blythe and Anne's failed hair dye attempt) and keeping the original quotes when it feels necessary ("I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.") The illustrations were beautiful and I loved the detail and care that went into them to visually bring the story to life. I highly recommend this to all Anne of Green Gables fan. I already want to pick it up again and flip through my favourite pages.MC

I received an eARC copy of this book from the publisher. Here is my honest review. A thoroughly enjoyable adaptation of a beloved novel. Anne of Green Gables is such a beautifully written story and is so dear to my heart that I wanted to read this…but I was a little hesitant as well. (The new Netflix adaptation of Anne is not a favorite for me). I like my Anne with all her quirks and spunk to retain her positive outlook on life. It's one of her strengths. Marsden did a fabulous job of pulling out the highlights of the book and reworking them into a graphic novel format while retaining some of the beautiful and lyrical language of L.M. Montgomery. It is Anne, and Marilla, and Matthew, and Diana, and Gil, and Josie, and Rachel Lynde that you find in the pages of the original novel. I know these characters and I know this story – that background definitely added to my enjoyment of the book. It's hard to say for sure how someone who hasn't read the novel would experience this, but I imagine that they would find a kindred spirit in Anne and want to read the series. The only reason I didn't give that fifth star was the artwork. I think Thummler did a great job based on my limited exposure to this genre; it is certainly in keeping with the style of other graphic novels I've read. While the background or landscape scenes were lovely, I wished the scenes with the characters would have showcased more of the softness and elegance that I associate with Avonlea, PEI and the time period in general. The novel has a very idyllic feel to me and I didn't feel like all of the artwork captured that.* That is just my personal preference and I still enjoyed this very much! *Not related to this review, but the blurb mentions that Thummler is working on her own graphic novel, which I would pick and read.CL

Summer has wanted Colin AKA "Fitz" for more than a year now. When they see each other next, she is attending the same school, and even his roommate. If only he hadn't implied she was superficial. Fitz has tried everything to stay away from Summer. Each day brings another reason or event where he has to see her, talk to her, and get to know her. The more he does the more he wants. If he hadn't mad her mad somehow…… I feel like the characters getting together was inevitable. They have a lot in common, including the people they hang around with, family, etc. I think it was good for both of them to grow and find one another. I was thrilled to see some old favorites and fell in love with this new series in moments.2kasmom

Easily one of the best books I have ever read. This is a VERY dark dystopian story, but filled with thoughtfulness, wisdom and striving for goodness and hope against all odds. I just can’t recommend it enough.B

My 12 year old daughter is reading the series. She finds it fun and interesting. She's not into standard books and not a big fan of reading but these graphic novels she really enjoys. As a parent, I think this is a good series.KELLIE

While I’m not a fan of graphic novels, because I love the written word and all of the details in the original series, my younger daughter does more reading this way. Any chance to get a book into her hands is a plus! This “remake” of the original Babysitters Club series have been done really well and are modernized and relatable for today’s readers.GFMama

Wow. This book made me laugh, cry, scream, and tear up with happiness all at once. That is so rare in a book, and Laurie Frankel captures it all in this book. It was so engaging, even when I didn't have time to read, I was thinking about the book. Incredibly written and so very important to have such a book for people to read. Loved every minute.Rach C

Nothing I say could do this novel justice: it is the first book I've read in years that I want to hand out on street corners and force all my friends and family and neighbors to read IMMEDIATELY. It is profound and hilarious and uplifting and thought-provoking and page-turning. I fell in love with the entire family: parents, five kids, and grandma. The writing made me laugh out loud and stay up late for just one more chapter. The story made me think about society and gender in a way I never had before, impressing upon me how absurdly preoccupied we are with what happens to be in other peoples' pants (or skirts). There are fairy tales and horror stories, parenting tips and transformations. Read it!!!!Becca

This book is so honest and real and deals with being different in today's society. It's so raw and definitely a book I couldn't put down. I would read it again. And again.Kadybug

Min nya favorit!! älskade den första delen (we we’re liars) och blev överlycklig när jag såg att denna kommit ut. Blir helt fast när man börjar läsa den. Rekommenderas att läsa första delen innan dock för att undvika lite spoilersNathalie C

Having already read and loved 'We Were Liars', I really enjoyed the prequel which gives a greater depth to the characters. The story is told from Carrie's perspective, a narrator so unreliable it almost opens up more questions than it answers, but this is the beauty of the duology – it is realistic because people are unreliable narrators of their own lives whether they like to admit it or not! The twist at the end of We Were Liars shocked me to the extent that I had to read the book immediately again. Despite being more dramatically subtle, Family of Liars has achieved the same, by giving new perspectives to the SInclair family, I will again be searching for my copy of We Were Liars. If you enjoy an unreliable narrator and a thriller with cleverly written twists coupled with the escapism of a 'perfect' setting, you will love it. Another success for E Lockhart – a book that just cannot be put down!sunshinesg

Had to source a mystery book with a place in the title for a reading challenge and this one was the first one I came across. I'm now going to read the rest of them.Elizabeth

The Dutch House is the seventh novel by NYT best-selling American author, Ann Patchett. It had been Danny's childhood home. Cyril Conroy had bought the incredible Dutch House, there in small-town Pennsylvania, in 1946 for his young family: his wife Elna, and five-year-old Maeve. It was just as the last Van Hoebeek, the original owners, had left it: furnishings, fittings, even clothing. Danny was born a few years later, and lived there until his step-mother threw him out at fifteen. Danny's mom had left when he was three; he was eight when Andrea Smith first came on the scene, but he and Maeve dismissed any idea of permanence. Andrea persisted, though; Andrea was fascinated with every detail of The Dutch House and Van Hoebeek family, who had made their fortune in packaged cigarettes. Had Maeve and Danny paid more attention, they might have seen the signs, they might have predicted, but not prevented, it: just three years after she had first stood in front of the Van Hoebeek portraits in the drawing room, Andrea married Cyril, and took up residence in The Dutch House with her daughters. No longer were they the comfortable Conroy trio, lovingly cared for by Sandy and Jocelyn. Danny had counted on following his canny father into real estate and construction; instead, Maeve insisted he study medicine at Columbia: their father's trust, grudgingly dispensed by Andrea, was covering the not-inconsiderable cost. And on visits home, the siblings would park on Van Hoebeek Street, regard The Dutch House, and fume over their stolen inheritance, their self-made father's fortune. Maeve, aware Cyril's humble beginnings, was the most resentful; Danny had "never been in the position of getting my head around what I'd been given. I only understood what I'd lost." Not until a career had been gained and discarded, and a marriage and children made, some twenty-seven years after they had been ejected from The Dutch House, did Maeve and Danny finally acknowledge what their obsession had done to them: "We had made a fetish out of our misfortune, fallen in love with it. I was sickened to realize we'd kept it going for so long" While Danny's wife seems resentful of his close relationship with his sister, it is not until a certain, somewhat familiar old woman turns up at Maeve's hospital bed that he realises: "I had a mother who left when I was a child. I didn't miss her. Maeve was there, with her red coat and her black hair, standing at the bottom of the stairs, the white marble floor with the little black squares, the snow coming down in glittering sheets in the windows behind her, the windows as wide as a movie screen… 'Danny!' she would call up to me. 'Breakfast. Move yourself.'" This is very much a character-driven story, and it clearly demonstrates Patchett's literary skill: her characters are interesting and allowed to grow and develop, to display insight and utter wise words. The bond between the siblings is so well portrayed, it's impossible not to feel for them. Like Anne Tyler, Patchett manages to make the lives of fairly ordinary people doing fairly ordinary things worth reading about. Patchett's prose is wonderful: "The madder Maeve got, the more thoughtful she became. In this way she reminded me of our father – every word she spoke came individually wrapped" and "Her wrist looked like ten pencils bundles together". And that striking cover? It neatly ties the whole thing together, beginning and end. What a wonderful read!!Cloggie Downunder

Ann Patchett's writing is always completely absorbing. It is so easy to be swept away, despite being so elegant and restrained. For a novel that covers such a big portion of time, it is very intimate. The external world seems to have no bearing here, these lives are presented to us almost without context. And I think it is this, and the singular narrative voice, that creates such heightened intimacy. As a reader we aren't given any greater insight, we can only see what Danny sees. It is oddly disconcerting and not something I've ever experience as a reader before, but it is such a clever way to paint a portrait of a life. Only Patchett could craft something so narrow, yet it is filled with so much meaning. I'm also sure that Patchett is the only writer who could make me Danny work as a character and narrator. He is generally self-absorbed and unaware of the world and the people around him. He cannot see beyond himself, does not see himself beyond the immediate, and it is his obliviousness that makes him possessive – of his sister, his memories, the house. He knows all of these things, people and places but only through his narrow lens. Always the women around to save him from himself. He is the frustrating voice through which we traverse time in the novel, which makes us as a reader oblivious to what is happening until suddenly we can see a bigger picture. Only Patchett could make it work. In the end, as with all of Patchett's books, it is about the people who make up a life – innocent and guilty, forgiven and unforgiven in the same moment – and how it just keeps going one way or another; the circular nature of it.Hannah2020

'Had me' from the first page. First time read of this author and not disappointed. Wanted the story to keep going. Reluctant to read the last page. BRILLIANT!!!grbat_2947

The Dutch House is the seventh novel by NYT best-selling American author, Ann Patchett. It had been Danny's childhood home. Cyril Conroy had bought the incredible Dutch House, there in small-town Pennsylvania, in 1946 for his young family: his wife Elna, and five-year-old Maeve. It was just as the last Van Hoebeek, the original owners, had left it: furnishings, fittings, even clothing. Danny was born a few years later, and lived there until his step-mother threw him out at fifteen. Danny's mom had left when he was three; he was eight when Andrea Smith first came on the scene, but he and Maeve dismissed any idea of permanence. Andrea persisted, though; Andrea was fascinated with every detail of The Dutch House and Van Hoebeek family, who had made their fortune in packaged cigarettes. Had Maeve and Danny paid more attention, they might have seen the signs, they might have predicted, but not prevented, it: just three years after she had first stood in front of the Van Hoebeek portraits in the drawing room, Andrea married Cyril, and took up residence in The Dutch House with her daughters. No longer were they the comfortable Conroy trio, lovingly cared for by Sandy and Jocelyn. Danny had counted on following his canny father into real estate and construction; instead, Maeve insisted he study medicine at Columbia: their father's trust, grudgingly dispensed by Andrea, was covering the not-inconsiderable cost. And on visits home, the siblings would park on Van Hoebeek Street, regard The Dutch House, and fume over their stolen inheritance, their self-made father's fortune. Maeve, aware Cyril's humble beginnings, was the most resentful; Danny had "never been in the position of getting my head around what I'd been given. I only understood what I'd lost." Not until a career had been gained and discarded, and a marriage and children made, some twenty-seven years after they had been ejected from The Dutch House, did Maeve and Danny finally acknowledge what their obsession had done to them: "We had made a fetish out of our misfortune, fallen in love with it. I was sickened to realize we'd kept it going for so long" While Danny's wife seems resentful of his close relationship with his sister, it is not until a certain, somewhat familiar old woman turns up at Maeve's hospital bed that he realises: "I had a mother who left when I was a child. I didn't miss her. Maeve was there, with her red coat and her black hair, standing at the bottom of the stairs, the white marble floor with the little black squares, the snow coming down in glittering sheets in the windows behind her, the windows as wide as a movie screen… 'Danny!' she would call up to me. 'Breakfast. Move yourself.'" This is very much a character-driven story, and it clearly demonstrates Patchett's literary skill: her characters are interesting and allowed to grow and develop, to display insight and utter wise words. The bond between the siblings is so well portrayed, it's impossible not to feel for them. Like Anne Tyler, Patchett manages to make the lives of fairly ordinary people doing fairly ordinary things worth reading about. Patchett's prose is wonderful: "The madder Maeve got, the more thoughtful she became. In this way she reminded me of our father – every word she spoke came individually wrapped" and "Her wrist looked like ten pencils bundles together". And that striking cover? It neatly ties the whole thing together, beginning and end. What a wonderful read!!Cloggie Downunder

Ann Patchett's writing is always completely absorbing. It is so easy to be swept away, despite being so elegant and restrained. For a novel that covers such a big portion of time, it is very intimate. The external world seems to have no bearing here, these lives are presented to us almost without context. And I think it is this, and the singular narrative voice, that creates such heightened intimacy. As a reader we aren't given any greater insight, we can only see what Danny sees. It is oddly disconcerting and not something I've ever experience as a reader before, but it is such a clever way to paint a portrait of a life. Only Patchett could craft something so narrow, yet it is filled with so much meaning. I'm also sure that Patchett is the only writer who could make me Danny work as a character and narrator. He is generally self-absorbed and unaware of the world and the people around him. He cannot see beyond himself, does not see himself beyond the immediate, and it is his obliviousness that makes him possessive – of his sister, his memories, the house. He knows all of these things, people and places but only through his narrow lens. Always the women around to save him from himself. He is the frustrating voice through which we traverse time in the novel, which makes us as a reader oblivious to what is happening until suddenly we can see a bigger picture. Only Patchett could make it work. In the end, as with all of Patchett's books, it is about the people who make up a life – innocent and guilty, forgiven and unforgiven in the same moment – and how it just keeps going one way or another; the circular nature of it.Hannah2020

'Had me' from the first page. First time read of this author and not disappointed. Wanted the story to keep going. Reluctant to read the last page. BRILLIANT!!!grbat_2947

Another great book about Shetland which arrived on time in fantastic condition. I love Ann Cleeves' books about Jimmy Perez and his investigations in the Scottish Isles. One can picture what the places look like from her descriptions and the storyline is gripping. Highly recommended.ginger8110

I enjoy Ann Cleeves' writing, find her stories compelling and complete, with a rare loose end ever to be found. Her latest release, Wild Fire, is planned to be the last in the Shetland series featuring the all-too-human 'inlander', Jimmy Perez. I think it a pity if this is to be the last because, like her character Vera, Jimmy has become a bit of a worldwide favourite who will be sorely missed by many – both on the written page and in the BBC One television series based on Cleeves' writing. A young nanny is found hanged, with the hanging secondary to what killed her; she had been strangled before being hung from a rafter in a byre on a property in the town of Deltaness. The home was redesigned and rebuilt after its previous owner fell on hard times, its byre also the site where that earlier owner returned one night to hang himself. Is it coincidence or is there a connection? And what, too, is the meaning of three scraps of graph paper bearing hangman symbols? Ann Cleeves weaves an intriguing tale around the family who employed the live-in nanny – was the husband having an affair with her? – and a broad cast of characters, including a high-functioning autistic teen boy and his sister. A further level of interest surrounds news brought to the island by Jimmy's boss and occasional lover, DCI Willow Reeves, who flies in to be senior investigating officer. In a way, the fact I can't tell you a whole lot about the book is, in itself, a bit of a spoiler, but a whole lot less than if I were to divulge much of the story itself. Suffice to say, it was a two-night read that kept me involved from the first page to last, and I believe this will be the case with the majority of readers. Just one thing: Despite the inevitable twists in plot, I felt Ann Cleeves telegraphed her story to a degree – but that might only be me. Even so, the enjoyment of her convoluted tale was never compromised. A grand yarn with great characters that will be appreciated by old readers and new.John

Bought for a gift for my elderly mum. She's really enjoying the read . Top quality brand new books and buying 4 makes a better bargainmichaejone_515

Anna Jacobs books are really interesting and once you start reading her books you cant put it down .also of course when you finish one book you have to get more .valbatema_0

Another great book about Shetland which arrived on time in fantastic condition. I love Ann Cleeves' books about Jimmy Perez and his investigations in the Scottish Isles. One can picture what the places look like from her descriptions and the storyline is gripping. Highly recommended.ginger8110

I enjoy Ann Cleeves' writing, find her stories compelling and complete, with a rare loose end ever to be found. Her latest release, Wild Fire, is planned to be the last in the Shetland series featuring the all-too-human 'inlander', Jimmy Perez. I think it a pity if this is to be the last because, like her character Vera, Jimmy has become a bit of a worldwide favourite who will be sorely missed by many – both on the written page and in the BBC One television series based on Cleeves' writing. A young nanny is found hanged, with the hanging secondary to what killed her; she had been strangled before being hung from a rafter in a byre on a property in the town of Deltaness. The home was redesigned and rebuilt after its previous owner fell on hard times, its byre also the site where that earlier owner returned one night to hang himself. Is it coincidence or is there a connection? And what, too, is the meaning of three scraps of graph paper bearing hangman symbols? Ann Cleeves weaves an intriguing tale around the family who employed the live-in nanny – was the husband having an affair with her? – and a broad cast of characters, including a high-functioning autistic teen boy and his sister. A further level of interest surrounds news brought to the island by Jimmy's boss and occasional lover, DCI Willow Reeves, who flies in to be senior investigating officer. In a way, the fact I can't tell you a whole lot about the book is, in itself, a bit of a spoiler, but a whole lot less than if I were to divulge much of the story itself. Suffice to say, it was a two-night read that kept me involved from the first page to last, and I believe this will be the case with the majority of readers. Just one thing: Despite the inevitable twists in plot, I felt Ann Cleeves telegraphed her story to a degree – but that might only be me. Even so, the enjoyment of her convoluted tale was never compromised. A grand yarn with great characters that will be appreciated by old readers and new.John