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bookherd's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A widowed white Irish American father and his two black adopted sons are at a Jesse Jackson event in Boston when they are involved in an accident. Another person involved in the accident, seemingly an unrelated bystander, turns out to be much more connected to their family than they initially thought. On top of that, the ne'er do well estranged older son (not adopted) chooses that night to reappear at home. Family drama ensues.
This is family drama, but it is very polite, well behaved drama. Characters disagree with each other vehemently, but there is no yelling, banishing/disowning each other, or even cursing. Still, the characters are interesting people and the story is compelling. The title, "Run," refers both to the sport and running for office, with a pleasant bit of ambiguity, since the widowed father is a former Mayor of Boston and would like one or both of his adopted sons to become President of the United States. My one complaint about this book is that it becomes hard to believe the eleven year old girl is really only eleven as the story advances.
This is family drama, but it is very polite, well behaved drama. Characters disagree with each other vehemently, but there is no yelling, banishing/disowning each other, or even cursing. Still, the characters are interesting people and the story is compelling. The title, "Run," refers both to the sport and running for office, with a pleasant bit of ambiguity, since the widowed father is a former Mayor of Boston and would like one or both of his adopted sons to become President of the United States. My one complaint about this book is that it becomes hard to believe the eleven year old girl is really only eleven as the story advances.
hjf95's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jmcmillan18's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
kprouse13's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-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
5.0
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
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
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.
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.
bzoetbzoet's review against another edition
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 against another edition
2.0
It was well written, but I just didn't care about the story.