Run

by Ann Pachett

Run <> Paperback <> AnnPatchett <> HarperPerennial

Hardcover

Published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Nicole Handy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to this on and off over the last year. Pachett's writing is some of my favorite, but occasionally, I don't connect with a story. This one did not keep my attention.

[Patricia Asige · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was promising at first. I liked the back story of the statue, how it ended up as a family heirloom, the adopted sons and how they were being raised by their dad. It stretched incredulity however when learning that the birth mum had been following the family for years, had relayed who they were to her young daughter and just happened to prevent a serious injury to one of the boys by pushing him away from a oncoming car, thereby fatally injuring herself.

I also could not understand why, through Sullivan, she described Afria as wanting in every way. Africa is a continent with 54 countries. There was no reference to what part of Africa he lived and no discussion with any of the family as to what he had been doing there in the first place. Yes, he had run from both parental rage and cover up of the car accident, but his character could have developed further. I found myself skipping through pages and was glad to have reach the end.

I could not recommend this book. It seemed so formulaic.

[Sandy Beery · Rating 4 out of 5]

How many ways can you think of using the form of Run? Ann Patchett exemplifies them all in this novel. A book I picked up long ago but just got to read, I enjoyed her development of all the characters. Family members running away from their history, an 11 year old precocious runner, a father who once ran a successful political career until he didn’t but so wanted one of his sons to run for office. The intertwining of divergent family members all are told from one night when Tip is saved unknowingly by his birth mother and how her chance encounter on a snowy night in Boston allowed a family to run through all their demons to create a new dynamic for the future.

[Jay Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ann Patchett is clever. Very clever. In Run, we have a plot that has several elements - a Boston Brahmin family with some issues; a poor single-mother family and a snow storm. Perfect raw materials for Ms. Patchett to work with.

And work she does! - it was no great surprise that the elements were related - but how the author fashions the connections between the two families is nothing short of craftsmanship. I was particularly impressed with Tennessee's ' bardo' moment with her lost friend - that connection point in the novel was spectacular.

Patchett's work here wasn't surprising - she is a pre-eminent novelist who leverages excellent background and trends to apply to her works. The fact that these themes are traditional and universal - despite the elements being as diverse and contradictory as they could possibly be - works well for her work.

[William Weld-Wallis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another of my Ann Pachett binge books, but I really liked this one. Interesting characters, interesting family and politcal storyline set in Boston, and interesting interweaving of a couple of stories that meet up in this book. The little girl in the mddle of everything is fantastic. Highly recommend.

[Erni Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this author's writing style, and how she slowly unravels her characters until you know them well. Can't wait to read more.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

[Priscilla Mowinkel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found it a tedious read. I usually enjoy her books

[Emily Grotta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd been looking for this book and found it at a used bookstore. Ann Pachett never ceases to amaze me. What an incredible writer.