Run By Ann Patchett

WEEKEND READS BY CHERIE COOPER

BOOK REVIEW

Coffee and books – it’s a match made in heaven, right?
 
I recently treated myself to some shiny new books from New Norfolk’s gorgeous Black Swan Bookshop in Tasmania’s beautiful Derwent Valley. The valley is awash with autumn’s characteristic red and gold, a coffee and some books was just the way to celebrate nature’s majesty. (But then again, I “celebrate” with coffee and new books pretty much every week…)
 
One of my purchases was Run by the incomparable Ann Patchett. Like its title, Run is a short but powerful read, about family and fate.  
 
Our story begins during a wild snowstorm. A former mayor and his two privileged adult sons are leaving a public lecture when a woman (seemingly a stranger) pushes one of them out of the path of a car. She’s hit instead, and gravely injured, while her young daughter watches in horror. What follows is a gripping tale, as emotional as it is compelling. 
 
Run is about the love and devotion we show our families, blood or chosen. It’s also about faith – whether that’s the belief in a higher power, or simply hoping our life choices, when we make them, are the right ones. 
 
Anything Patchett turns her hand to is fantastic and Run is no exception. Her prose is elegant and understated, carrying the reader along on a breathless journey that’s short in length but deep in emotion. There is something so special about the fable-like nature of this story – I kept thinking about it for days.
Do yourself a favour and pick up Run (or anything by Ann Patchett). Don’t forget the coffee! 
 
Get your copy here.
 
 
Cherie Cooper Author Profile Picture
Cherie Cooper

Cherie lives, works, and reads in beautiful Tasmania – the green island gem below Australia known for its gorgeous landscape and beautiful wildlife. She holds multiple academic qualifications in English, journalism, and fine art theory, and has worked in writing, editing, and communications roles for more than a decade. Most importantly, she has a deep love for books that began as soon as she learned how to read.

Old, new, any genre – for Cherie, reading is about as vital as breathing. She is interested in sharing books that move, excite, and compel, so others can share the joy of a truly great read. While she reads across most genres, her favourite is literary fiction. Particularly anything by Margaret Atwood, Ottessa Moshfegh, Kate Atkinson, Elizabeth Berg, Ann Patchett, and Anne Tyler.

Cherie frequents Tasmania’s beautiful boutique book shops as well as scouring secondhand shops for books to add to her extensive home library.   Catch up with her on LinkedIn and on Instagram.

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