Commonwealth
Ann Patchett
One stolen kiss at a christening reshapes two families for fifty years. Patchett unspooling how the past haunts everyone.
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★ 5Bel Canto
Ann Patchett
Bel Canto by Anne Patchett is, I think, her masterpiece. (And I’ve read all of her books!) The plot sounds like it’s ripped from an airport thriller: An opera singer is performing at a millionaire’s birthday party when terrorists take the entire mansion hostage. But what happens next is anything but predictable, and the prose is gorgeous. I read it every few years and recommend it to all of my friends.
Tom Lake
Ann Patchett
An older woman tells her daughters about the summer she spent performing alongside — and falling in love with — a now-famous actor. My friend Anna said her husband adored this book just as much as she did — impressive, considering he typically reads business non-fiction.
The Dutch House
Ann Patchett
A brother and sister, exiled from their childhood home, keep circling back to it for decades. Patchett doing what she does best.