Full disclosure: I loooove Ann Patchett and have permanently parked her novels Bel Canto, Run, Taft and State of Wonder in a prime location on my wall of bookcases. In fact, I'd go far as to say State of Wonder is one of the best books I have ever read.
I love her complex tales, sharp mind and perfect ear, but most of all I admire her courage as a creator of characters. When it comes to the challenge of developing personas wholly unlike herself, Ann Patchett is fearless. She just jumps right in, calls on her magical skill and voila!, she takes on the voice of a child of the Amazon, an aging black barkeep, a Boston Irish politician, old women, young women, you name it.
So, it is not too surprising that, when Nashville business leaders called on Patchett to help fill the void when multiple bookstores left that city, she jumped right in. To learn more about how and why she became a bookseller as well as the author of bestsellers, see this story/video from The Atlantic, below.
I love her complex tales, sharp mind and perfect ear, but most of all I admire her courage as a creator of characters. When it comes to the challenge of developing personas wholly unlike herself, Ann Patchett is fearless. She just jumps right in, calls on her magical skill and voila!, she takes on the voice of a child of the Amazon, an aging black barkeep, a Boston Irish politician, old women, young women, you name it.
So, it is not too surprising that, when Nashville business leaders called on Patchett to help fill the void when multiple bookstores left that city, she jumped right in. To learn more about how and why she became a bookseller as well as the author of bestsellers, see this story/video from The Atlantic, below.
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/12/the-bookstore-strikes-back/309164/
