mangosmom2018 's review for:

Run by Ann Patchett

4.0

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I love Anne Patchett's writing, and this book was, like her others, moving, thoughtful and well done. It did not quite measure up to Bel Canto, my favorite of hers, but I liked it better than Magician's Assistant. The story is an interesting one. An Irish family living in Boston adopt two black babies, one of whom they adopt outright, and the other is the sibling of that baby and the mother abandons the older child on their doorstep. The Irish mother dies only a year or so after the adoption, so the white Dad is left raising the boys, and his son from the marriage, on his own. What follows is an encounter with a young black girl and her mother, who turns out to be their birth mother. A unique plot and Patchett doesn't just follow expected story lines, which is what makes the book interesting and an enjoyable read. My main problem with the book is that it ended too soon. Not just becuase I liked reading it but because there was not enough closure to several of the questions that were presented during the book. I felt like I was left hanging on several points. Still, it was great and I would recommend it.