Promotional Information

Ann Patchett's first novel, "The Magician's Assistant", was shortlisted for the Orange Prize.

About the Author

Ann Patchett was born in Los Angeles in 1963. She is the author of The Patron Saint of Liars, The Magician's Assistant and Bel Canto for which she won the Orange Prize 2002. She is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and the Nashville Banner Tennessee Writer of the Year Award. She has also written for numerous publications including, the New York Times Sunday Magazine, the Chicago Tribune, the Boston Globe, Vogue, GQ, Elle and Gourmet. Ann Patchett lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

Reviews

PRAISE FOR TAFT: 'Expect miracles when you read Ann Patchett's fiction. Comparisons are tempting to the unabashed romanticism of Laurie Colwin, the eccentric characters of Anne Tyler, the enchantments of Alice Hoffman. But Patchett is unique; a generous, fearless and startlingly wise young writer.' NEW YORK TIMES REVIEW OF BOOKS "Patchett is excellent at portraying the steady love and interest that holds the family members together, even though that love and interest isn't always successful at preserving them from danger." Jane Smiley 'That Ann Patchett, who is white, should choose a black man as her narrator may raise some eyebrows, but the tone is so steady and strong that the increasingly dangerous surprises delivered here catch up with you every time.' NEW YORKER 'Taft's story of the relationship between the black, bar-owning drummer John Nickel, who narrates the novel, and white, 18-year-old Fay Taft, who comes to work for him, is constantly engaging.' Erica Wagner, The Times 'Patchett's solid, assured tale moves at a swift pace but the real strength is in the development of the characters.' The Scotsman 'The emotional ties are so taut that the merest touch from Patchett sets everything jangling. A marvellously understated book.' The Guardian 'Taft, shows the author's skill at putting herself - and her readers - in another skin. Her skill is simply extraordinary.' Erica Wagner, The Times PRAISE FOR BEL CANTO, WINNER OF THE ORANGE PRIZE 2002: 'A beguiling mix of thriller, romantic comedy, and novel of ideas...Crisply written, immaculately plotted, and often very funny, it is that rarity -- a literary novel you simply can't put down.' The Times 'Like the blueprint of operatic performance that she has imported, Patchett slides from strutting camp to high tragedy, minute social comedy to sublime romanticism.' Alex Clark, The Guardian

Following her well-received debut, The Patron Saint of Liars , Patchett convincingly portrays a bar manager's conflicted feelings for a teenage waitress in this tale of fatherhood and unfulfilled dreams. Narrator John Nickel runs a bar called Muddy's on Memphis's Beale Street. He took the job to help provide for his lover, Marion, and their 10-year-old son, Franklin, who have since moved away, leaving him concerned that the boy lacks paternal guidance. When 17-year-old Fay Taft shows up at Muddy's, lies about her age and asks for a job, Nickel is touched by her neediness and hires her. But he doesn't bargain on her growing desire for him, or on her drug-dealer brother, who brings sleazy clients to the bar. Another complication is the issue of race--Fay is white, Nickel black--but the author concentrates on the color-blind moral problems that any family faces. As Nickel contemplates his own predicaments, he imagines scenes of the Tafts in a stable home before their father died. His sincere sense of responsibility--to his son, to Fay, even to Fay's no-good brother--is conveyed with visceral power, although the hard-boiled dialogue often resembles parody. Patchett's characters may include tough cookies with hearts of gold, but the novel is at its best when she mutes the melodrama and focuses on basic moral issues. (Oct.)