An Evening of Conversation with Ann Patchett
Spend an unforgettable evening with bestselling author Ann Patchett as she discusses her newest book, Whistler, along with her remarkable life in writing. From the creative process to the ever-changing book industry, Patchett offers candid insights, sharp wit, and thoughtful conversation about storytelling, publishing, and what it means to be a writer today.
Tickets: $35 (admission + book), $15 (admission only)
Note: This event will be held at the JCC Greater Boston, 333 Nahanton Street, Newton, MA, 02459.
The acclaimed, prize-winning #1 New York Times bestselling writer returns with a moving, luminous novel that reminds us of the sweetness and impermanence of life and the power of connection to defy time.
About Whistler:
When Daphne Fuller and her husband Jonathan visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, they notice an older, white-haired gentleman following them. The man turns out to be Eddie Triplett, her former stepfather, who had been married to her mother for a little more than year when Daphne was nine. Now fifty-three, Daphne hasn’t seen Eddie for many years, not since the fateful event that changed the direction of both their lives. Meeting again, time falls away; while their relationship was brief, it had a profound impact on them both, and now that they are reunited, they have no intention of ever being separated again.
Whistler is a story about two adults looking back over the choices they made, and the choices that were made for them. It’s a story about bravery, memory, the often small yet consequential moments that define our lives, and the endless stream of loss that in time comes for us all. Beautiful in its simplicity, it is ultimately about how love endures, and how the feeling of being known by one other person, even for a short period of time, can change everything.
About Ann Patchett:
Ann Patchett is the author of ten novels, including The Patron Saint of Liars, Bel Canto, Commonwealth, The Dutch House, Tom Lake, and the forthcoming Whistler. She has also written four nonfiction books—Truth & Beauty, What Now?, This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage, and These Precious Days—and collaborated with Robin Preiss Glasser on three children’s books. She released an annotated edition of Bel Canto and served as guest editor of Best American Short Stories.
Her honors include the National Humanities Medal and the PEN/Faulkner Award; The Dutch House was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. Named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People, she is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and a frequent contributor to The New Yorker, Harper’s Magazine, and The New York Times. Her books are New York Times bestsellers translated into more than thirty languages.
In 2011, she opened Parnassus Books in Nashville and became a leading advocate for independent bookstores. She lives in Nashville with her husband, Karl VanDevender, and their dog, Nemo, and regularly appears on Parnassus’s social media and Laydown Diaries to discuss new releases.