Reviews

Run by Ann Patchett

rebcamuse's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

While slow in places, this is a very beautiful book, reminiscent in ways of Agee's A Death in the Family--not in terms of the story, but in the way it reveals so many characters. I love that Patchett doesn't resort to chapters headed by the characters' names but just shifts seamlessly through the hearts and minds of the different family members.

Kenya will be on my list of all-time favorite characters. What a beautifully written young girl with an amazing spirit.

Also, so many layers of maternal onion! At the end, it all comes full circle. Without spoilers, it is managed in a way that normally I'd find trite, but instead I was in tears. Patchett often makes me cry. Her exploration of family dynamics is exceptional (see The Dutch House). I love that Run is about Kenya, but also about them all: running for office, Uncle Sullivan in the hospital telling Teddy to run, etc. There's also an undercurrent of the idea of penance, which in Patchett's hands transcends religion and seems to be part and parcel of our ability to participate in humanity

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death and Death of parent

jess_mango's review against another edition

4.0

In Run, Ann Patchett evokes 24 hours in a snowy, wintry Boston. Patchett explores the family dynamics of the Doyle family whose patriarch, Bernard, is the former mayor of Boston. Bernard has been raising his son Sullivan and his two adopted African-American sons, Tip and Teddy, alone for the past 10 years since his wife died. The boys are all grown up and in one eventful night their world is turned upside-down. I won't delve too much into the plot for fear of revealing spoilers. The story touches on race, family, and class. It feels like a book that could lead to some good book club discussions. We'll see how my book club for this book goes next week.

I didn't find "Run" to be as strong a novel as "Bel Canto" or even "The Magician's Assistant" was, but I still enjoyed reading it. Patchett's writing is beautiful. Some of the plot points seemed a bit too contrived, but I found myself reading the book rather quickly and unable to put it down at times. I wavered between giving this a 3.5out of 5 and a 4 out of 5 rating.

graceduncan's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

bzoetbzoet's review

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

goodem9199's review

2.0

It was well written, but I just didn't care about the story.

book_concierge's review

4.0

Patchett is a fine writer. In this work she crams a lifetime of drama into, basically, one 24-hour period in the lives of a widowed father, his adopted sons and oldest, biological child, the mother of his adopted boys, and the daughter of that woman (who is a talented and precocious "little sister" to the boys).

shareen17's review

3.0

I think this author writes cleverly crafted stories. She finds the emotional depth of little moments and is good at tying a variety of characters and happenings together. I'm only giving 3 stars though, because for whatever reason, I found it very easy to put down.

jrangel1's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

alidottie's review

3.0

3 and a half stars. It took me a long time to like this book. About 2/3 of the way through I started to feel some attachment to the characters and found that I was really interested. I like that most of the book takes place within 24 hrs and visits different characters at overlapping times.

the_villager's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0