characters in commonwealth by ann patchett

I wanted to be able to move through time and between characters, and that was easier when I could look at the chessboard and say, “OK, I’ll put this weight on my sister and this weight on my stepbrother, and I’m going to move them around. Patchett races the lives of the Keating and Cousins families through marriages and divorces, illnesses and deaths (including a tragically unexpected one). I had more confidence in a larger structure once I could use real people-not as characters but as chessmen. She has been the recipient of numerous awards including the PEN/Faulkner. Operating off the timeline of my experience and family made that much easier. Ann Patchett is the author of novels, works of nonfiction, and childrens books. Book of the day Fiction Review Commonwealth by Ann Patchett review breathtaking, perceptive and poignant An adulterous affair brings two California families uneasily together in this story set. These books were getting claustrophobic, and so I was very interested in writing a book that covered more time. Bel Canto is about suspension of time and takes place over four months Run takes place in 24 hours State of Wonder takes place over three months. One of the things I’m obsessed with in all my books is time, and I felt that time in my work was contracting. 'Patchett brings every character in Commonwealth to luminous life.'-The Entertainment Report Praise for State of Wonder 'An engaging, consummately told tale.

Was it freeing to write so close to home?Ībsolutely. Or, as my mother would say, “None of it happened, and all of it is true.” When daughter Franny Keating dates a well-known writer in her twenties, he adopts their story to create his masterpiece, also called Commonwealth. The vast majority of the emotions the characters feel in Commonwealth did happen to me. Lily Meyer: How much did you borrow from your own family to write Commonwealth?Īnn Patchett: The vast majority of the things that happened in Commonwealth did not happen to me.

Characters in commonwealth by ann patchett