2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge discussion

Our November read will be Commonwealth by Ann Patchett.

One Sunday afternoon in Southern California, Bert Cousins shows up at Franny Keating's christening party uninvited. Before evening falls, he has kissed Franny's mother, Beverly - thus setting in motion the dissolution of their marriages and the joining of two families.

Spanning five decades, Commonwealth explores how this chance encounter reverberates through the lives of the four parents and six children involved. Spending summers together in Virginia, the Keating and Cousins children forge a lasting bond that is based on a shared disillusionment with their parents and the strange and genuine affection that grows up between them.

When, in her twenties, Franny begins an affair with the legendary author Leon Posen and tells him about her family, the story of her siblings is no longer hers to control. Their childhood becomes the basis for his wildly successful book, ultimately forcing them to come to terms with their losses, their guilt, and the deeply loyal connection they feel for one another.

Told with equal measures of humor and heartbreak, Commonwealth is a meditation on inspiration, interpretation, and the ownership of stories. It is a brilliant and tender tale of the far-reaching ties of love and responsibility that bind us together.

Ilona will be our discussion leader, thank you!

Hi everyone, I am looking forward to reading this book with you all :) It has been on my TBR shelf for a while, probably since it was a nominee for the Goodreads choice awards last year!
Has anyone read any of Ann Patchett other works?

I have not read any of Ann Patchett. I am curious, people who have read this before, is it similar to Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi or One Hundred Years of Solitude?
All I know of this book is the description above and the fact that it spans 5 generations sounds like the same set-up of the books above. I'll be honest; I was less than thrilled with them, so I'm a little nervous going into this one. Although, I listened to those two on audiobook and am planning to read this one, so perhaps that will help.

This would be my first Ann Patchett book.

this will be my first Prachett book too

I've already started and am really liking it so far, will post my opinions soon in the other discussion threads.