Commonwealth A Novel

"Spinning ordinary lives into literary gold" - Seattle Times

"Ann Patchett's gifts are more clear than ever in Commonwealth" - Dallas Morning News

"[A] memorable, modern novel" - Flavorwire

"...to create a story with 10 protagonists that spans 50 years - and at least five settings spread across the globe - is a balancing act that requires immense narrative skill, and Patchett never falters." - Knoxville News-Sentinel

"Exquisite... Commonwealth is impossible to put down." - New York Times

"close obervation, deadpan humor... Chekhov regularly invoked" - Wall Street Journal

"a wry, compassionate tale" - Christian Science Monitor

"Wonderful... Patchett is a master storyteller" - O, the Oprah Magazine

"Commonwealth bursts with keen insights into faithfulness, memory and mortality... [An] ambitious American epic..." - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"(A) rich and engrossing new novel ..." - New York Times Book Review

"The genius of the way Patchett approached Commonwealth is that it's constructed like a puzzle... Maybe it's another case of the tried-and-true adage: "Write what you know." Because this book? It's pure gangbusters." - San Francisco Chronicle

"Reading Commonwealth is a transporting experience... It feels like Patchett's most intimate novel and is without doubt one of her best." - Los Angeles Times

"Commonwealth is a sly book about storytelling, a story about a single incident - really two pivotal incidents - spun out over the length of a narrative constructed like a conversation but encompassing decades." - Kansas City Star

"Patchett gives us funny, flawed characters, and the rich reward of Commonwealth is seeing their lives unfold..." - Houston Chronicle

"Wryly humorous, intensely moving... this domestic novel is a book to savor from one of our finest writers" - Coastal Observer

Praise for Commonwealth:

"Wonderfully executed..." - Marie Claire

"Commonwealth is an all-American family saga, but her touching and even-handed approach to themes such as family politics, love, the role of literature and the acidic nature of lies is buoyed by a generous sprinkling of matter-of-fact humor" - BookPage

"Commonwealth is a smart, thoughtful novel about the ties that bind us." - Pop Sugar

"Patchett's storytelling here feels warmer and richer and more resonant than anything she's done before." - Entertainment Weekly

"The prose is lean and inviting...A satisfying meat-and-potatoes domestic novel from one of our finest writers." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Indeed, this is Patchett's most autobiographical novel, a sharply funny, chilling, entrancing, and profoundly affecting look into one family's "commonwealth," its shared affinities, conflicts, loss, and love." - Booklist

"...a funny, sad, and ultimately heart-wrenching family portrait...Patchett elegantly manages a varied cast of characters...[Patchett is] at her peak in humor, humanity, and understanding people in challenging situations." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Patchett's storytelling has never seemed more effortlessly graceful. This is minimalism that magically speaks volumes..." - Washington Post

"moving, beautifully crafted novel..." - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

"... the emotional intelligence of Patchett's storytelling here feels warmer and richer and more resonant than anything she's done before." Rating: A - Entertainment Weekly

"This is surely the smartest, most exciting novel of the summer." - Washington Post

"The book is serious, but also so pleasurable that you hope it won't end." - NPR

"Extraordinary. . . . Is there nothing the prodigiously talented Ann Patchett can't do?" - Boston Globe

"splendid new novel... Just try to stop reading. And you won't want to. Patchett is in stellar form." - USA Today