Run audiobook

You never know what’s going to lead you to your next book.A few months ago, I read (and loved) Ann Patchett’s essay collection These Precious Days. One of the essays included the information that Patchett had once considered adopting a child based on a story in her local newspaper. The adoption didn’t pan out, but the boy’s story stayed with her, and eventually inspired her to write the 2007 novel Run. Then I remembered I owned a copy of Run, so I dug it up and, within a few chapters, was completely immersed in its story of family, class, race and love. Set over 24 hours, it tells the story of the Doyle family: Bernard Doyle is a lawyer and former mayor of Boston who lives in one of the city’s wealthiest neighbourhoods with his two sons Tip and Teddy, biological Black siblings and college students whom Doyle and his wife Bernadette adopted some 20 years earlier. (Bernadette died when the boys were young, and her spirit hovers over most of the book.) The Doyles also have an older sibling, Sullivan, who, it’s hinted at early on, brought some public shame to the family. Doyle has always wanted Tip and Teddy to go into politics – they’re named after two famous Bostonian politicians, “Tip” O’Neill and Teddy Kennedy. But Tip is obsessed with ichthyology at Harvard, and Teddy is interested in joining the priesthood, like his Uncle Sullivan (Bernadette’s brother).On the night the book opens, Doyle, Tip and Teddy are heading to go hear Jesse Jackson speak in Cambridge, which Patchett describes in vivid detail. After the event, Tip escapes being run over by an SUV when a Black woman pushes him out of the way and takes the brunt of the car herself. Her 11-year-old daughter is left alone when the woman is taken away in an ambulance, and Doyle and Teddy take her to the hospital. What follows is a plot as full of coincidence and contrivance as a Charles Dickens novel. But Patchett is such a graceful and generous writer you can easily ignore this, as well as the schematic nature of the book and the slight thinness of the characters. What she’s exceptionally good at is moving the narrative along and switching points of view. There’s a faint whiff of white saviourism to the story, and I’m not sure Patchett pulls off a scene that dips into the supernatural. But she doesn’t hold back from pointing out the huge divide between the haves and the have nots, people who might live a block or two away from each other in many major cities. Her depiction of Catholicism adds a rich layer, too. And this might seem minor, but I enjoyed reading this book during the winter. Run is set during a big snowstorm, and the fact that it was snowing (albeit mildly) outside for much of the time I read it added to the experience.

I just finished reading "Run" last week. I loved "Bel Canto", so I was excited about the new book. I even bought it new in hardcover and everything. I started reading it, despite being in the middle of "Musicophilia" by Oliver Sacks. I tore through the book. All I wanted to do was go home and read. It is one of those books that reveals the sadness that lies right underneath happiness. It makes me think something about how rich and beautiful life can be although our lives may not be lives we would have chosen. The characters, including a white ex-politicain father and his adopted African-American sons, are all... what's the opposite of stereotypical? They are unique, individual, flawed, detailed - without being self-consciously "quirky" characters. They feel real.Ann Patchett seems to have a thing about running. One day last week, I was telling my honey about my favorite part of "Bel Canto", which is this gorgeous scene where these people who have been hostages and trapped inside get to go outside. One man starts running circles around the building and others join him. This obviously doesn't describe what was gorgeous about the scene, but I will just say that it took my breath away and that it captures something about the freedom in running. The day after I was talking about this scene, I read a stunning scene about running in "Run". It's a bit of a theme, I guess. But anyway, it's beautiful and puts into words a primal joy of being alive.

One out of the park for me - a complete surprise. It was a book club read that others had finished before I started, foolishly I read some of the comments and what I read was not encouraging. I started reading, thinking it was likely to be similar to Bel Canto which I found okayish but not memorable - although I now see that I gave it four stars. it serves me right for pre-empting things! Seriously wow! I am considering another star but will wait and see what further reflection brings. Run resonated so deeply with me that I am left feeling a little breathless. One of the many things I love about books and reading is the way one person responds almost viscerally to a book yet another is left unmoved. I believe this is because it's a contextual thing, our reaction depends on where your head and heart are whilst reading. I suspect this book has had such an impact because I am currently looking at connection in relation to my work - real honest connection appears to be the cornerstone of authentic relationships. The connection theme is strong and interwoven through out this. It is about exploring what matters most, whilst there is lots of distraction around politics, race, religion, financial status and education it comes back to connection. All be it good thought provoking distractions but distraction all the same.The nature vs nurture debate rages through out (a topic that always pulls me in) and whilst we know that genes reign supreme the intricacy with which Ann Patchett presents this, really is clever and there are a few fun twists. The dialogue from each of the characters thoughts is a beautiful thing, I especially enjoyed the son who feels abandoned and betrayed by life's events. In a short 24 hr period he figures a few things out, as does his uncle who has devoted his life to religion begins to wonder at 80 something if perhaps he had it all wrong. One more aspect I particularly liked was the linking of self to home and house.At times I felt as if Ms Patchett resides in my head, her description of how it feels to gain focus around an event through exercise was superb. Already as I use this review to put my swirling thoughts into some semblance of sense I feel a five star rating coming.........and another read some other time.

Just another wonderful book by Ann Patchett. Like I have said previously, for writers first starting out they would do themselves a favor by reading this talented author. Her narrative flows perfectly, her characters are rich and interesting, and her writing style is lucid and clear and still powerful. She is no Conrad, Joyce, or Toni Morrison, but she is awfully good."Run" is a book about a racially mixed family in Boston. The father, the former mayor of the city, is left to raise his children after his wife dies from cancer. Unable to have more than one child, they adopted two black brothers... one who was just born and the other 14 months old. The interplay between them is fantastic. The book is marvelous.

I have to preface this review by saying that I loved Ann Patchett's Bel Canto so I may just be a big fan of her particular style of writing. With that said, I loved this book. The characters were interesting and the story was developed and complicated (but not annoyingly so). I really enjoyed that most of the book takes place in a period of 24 hours; it really increases the urgency and drama of the plot. I also respected that I couldn't predict all of the events that happened, not all of them good, but it made me want to know what was going to happen next. A fantastic read!

I had a little trouble deciding whether to give this book three stars or four, but then I realized I was letting my expectations interfere. This book was good -- really good -- and if it had been written by an unknown author there'd be no question of giving it four stars. But instead it was written by the exquisite Ann Patchett, and was her first book after Bel Canto, an absolute masterpiece. So, of course it suffers in comparison. I imagine this is a common problem in art. Answer quick: What was Michael Jackson's next album after Thriller? Picasso's next painting after Guernica?Anyway, Run is a fantastic read, and has a lot to say about the families we're given versus the families we build. Particularly wonderful is an opening section that tells a tale that took place in Ireland and has been handed down through the generations. Patchett's novels often feel like modern-day fables, and this one is no exception.

Boston. Snowy and cold.Tip and Teddy and their father, Doyle, goes to see a lecture together. While walking to the after party, Tip gets struck by a car. A lady named, Tennesse, throws herself to save Tip, but ends up badly injured herself, leaving her daughter, Kenya behind. What does Tip, Teddy, Doyle, Sullivan, Fr Sullivan, Tenesse and Kenya all have in common?I absolutely loved Ann Patchett style of writing. The author is crisp, to the point and I had no problem in following the story along. Ann Patchett didn't jump too much from character to character, so it was easy to identify who and what happened at such time. The book was written in real time over a 24 hour period, but it wasn't structured as such, so there was a good pace to the story.I recommend this book to anyone who loves a fast paced books (although lesser of the action) and who loves a bit of politics to their story.

This book sucked me in from the first page. I stayed up late after a not-quite-long-enough-flight to finish reading it. The writing is smart and the premise fascinating. Just the right mix of family drama and political implications. Definitely a little far fetched at times...one too many coincidences...and one near-death hallucination I could do without to add yet another twist to this windy road. But as always, Patchett's prose is lyrical without ever being overly wordy and a delight to read!

p.29 Doyle had a fondness for politicians when they weren't running for anything, when they were out of the game altogether.p.66 She looked tired, average, not at all heroic.p.149 It did not recede so much as hover, waxing and waning at different intervals but always there.Run is an impressive story. The author tackles impossible topics: race relations, the definition of family, personal sacrifice. Although the subjects are deep, they are covered in a thorough manner. The foundation of the storyline contains diverse perspectives. There are an array of characters worthy of discussion within the novel. Moving into and out of the minds of every character allows the reader a perspective, and specific, important knowledge, that the subjects do not possess. Mainly, the narrative perspective is from Tip, a young man who has been adopted into white family where Doyle is a politician. Tip is ambitious college student who is both driven and myopic, consumed by the study of fish. Sullivan is clever, witty, scheming, and destructive, but is also a character with heart and flashes of compassion. Doyle, Teddy, and Kenya add a fantastic flavor to the rich stew of the story.However, Beverly/Tennessee emerges as the most intriguing character. The duality of the character is worthy of further inspection. The consistent question to ask about her storyline is why. Why does she follow? Why does she raise Kenya? Why, why, why? The internal motivation of the character is avoided to force the reader to complete their own story for a compelling character. Sprinkled throughout the text are snippets of political speeches. The work and words of Eugene V. Debs, Martin Luther King, Jr., Jesse Jackson, and others are all quoted within the text. In fact, one most important turning points within the plot is when Sullivan quotes MLK, Jr. to Teddy (256-257). The quote is a thinly veiled description of their bond, it is both revealing and instructive of the relationship of the brothers and the family.

This book was excellent. First of all I LOVE Ann Patchett. I think she is quite possibly one of the best writers of my generation, she has this amazing ability to make you totally invested in her characters. And, she is the only writer who has ever made me cry actual tears of sadness. And for those of you who know me, this is a huge feat... I never cry.This book definitely lived up to my expectations and I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes well written and moving fiction. Just read it... Do it.

Wow. This isn't a perfect book (because the child protagonist & her mom are a bit too perfect), but I couldn't put it down. It's so beautifully written, & the characters' struggles engrossed me utterly. Partly because adoption has been a major theme in my family of origin, but largely because Patchett succeeds in making this fictional family matter to me.