Ann Patchett

Ann Patchett

Ann Patchett is the best selling American author of novels, children’s books, short stories, essays and memoirs. Patchett was born on December 2, 1963, in Los Angeles, California. Her father was a Los Angeles police captain (who arrested Charles Manson) and her mother, a nurse turned novelist. Her parents divorced when she was a child and her mother remarried and they moved to Nashville, Tennessee.

Patchett graduated from Sarah Lawrence College and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. While at the University of Iowa her roommate was memorist and poet Lucy Grealy. The two remained lifelong friends and she wrote about their friendship in her memoir Truth & Beauty.

Patchett has received numerous awards and fellowships including a National Humanities Medal, England’s Women’s Prize, the PEN/Faulkner Award, the Harold D. Vursell Memorial Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a Guggenheim Fellowship, The Chicago Tribune’s Heartland Prize, The Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, and the Women’s National Book Association’s Award. Her novel, The Dutch House, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. In 2012 she was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.

In addition to her writing, Patchett has been an independent bookseller since 2011 when she opened Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee with her business partner Karen Hayes. She champions independent bookstores whenever she gets a chance. She currently lives in Nashville with her husband Karl VanDevender, and their dog, Sparky.

Recommendations For Ann Patchett

Recommended by Elizabeth Jones

Ann Patchett is one of my favourite authors, and Bel Canto is one of my all time faves. Truly a wond

Recommended by Ella Miller

State of Wonder is like no book I’ve ever read. One of the best books I’ve read in the last 25 years

Recommended by Eliza Brown

Ann Patchett is one of my favorite authors. She never disappoints! I just listened to the audio of T

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Books By Ann Patchett

Nashville: Scenes from the New American South

The Verts: A Story of Introverts and Extroverts

Tips and Resources From Your Ann Patchett Book Club Friends:

Ann Patchett’s writing captivates readers with her intricate plots, lyrical prose, vibrant characters, and delicate yet powerful narratives. Whether it’s the story of a young pregnant girl in rural Kentucky in Patron Saint of Liars or the dinner guests taken hostage and brought together by the beauty of art and music in Bel Canto, Patchett expertly weaves together stories of ordinary people experiencing extraordinary events. Her writing often explores themes of love and loss and the dynamics of family and friendship, and our universal human desire for connection.