In the titular essay These Precious Days, Patchett tells the wonderful story of how Tom Hanks’ book Uncommon Type turning up on her doorstep led not only to a friendship with the actor, but to Hanks narrating the audiobook to Patchett’s The Dutch House. She muses upon experiences as a writer and bookshop owner, the journey of getting published, and thoughts while re-reading Virginia Woolf. While deeply personal, they are also relatable. The essays span a variety of themes, from growing up to relationships with parents, sisters and partners. As readers, we are lucky enough to receive this insight. Patchett’s style is personal, conversational and often filled with dialogue, as if she is recounting a story to a friend. Together, they make a sumptuous collection, and read as if they were always intended to form a book. These Precious Days is a collection of essays previously published in publications including the New York Times, Washington Post and The Lonely Planet Travel Anthology. Patchett is truly embedded in the literary world, and These Precious Days provides a beautiful glimpse into this world. She also co-owns and runs a bookshop in her hometown of Nashville. She was even named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2012 – a remarkable accolade. She has written eight novels, including the New York Times bestselling The Dutch House, Commonwealth, State of Wonder and her Orange Prize-winning novel Bel Canto. Ranging from the personal – her portrait of the three men she called fathers how a chance encounter with Tom Hanks led to one of the most important friendships of her life how to answer when someone asks why you don’t have children – to the sublime – the unexpected influence of Snoopy the importance of knitting the pleasure to be found in children’s books – each essay transforms the particular into the universal, letting us all see our own worlds anew.Īnn Patchett is a deservedly celebrated literary talent, whose fiction and non-fiction continues to inspire readers. Illuminating, penetrating, funny and generous, These Precious Days is joyful time spent in the company of one of our greatest living authors.

Tom hanks the dutch house