... a cornucopia of treats. Witty and warm, the essays succeed because of Patchett’s inimitable, endearing voice. Sincere but never simplistic, generous without being cloying, and accessible rather than anodyne, These Precious Days feels at once bracing and comforting.

... excellent.

Terrific.

Read as a whole, it’s clear that Patchett is at her best when given the opportunity to write beyond the maximum word count dictated by most newspapers and magazines.

Patchett’s generous new collection of essays, nearly all of which were previously published in periodicals, offers a burst of warm positivity.

... intimate, elegant essays.

The essays in These Precious Days have a definite interest in death. Loss and the conciliatory power of memory suffuse the volume.

Radiant.

... a grace-filled, insightful compilation of narrative essays of her literary life. They are deeply personal, self-revelatory articles tackling themes recognizable and relatable to readers.

In her new collection of essays, Ann Patchett dispenses wisdom on the differences between life and art with the precision and ease of an old hand.

Patchett is too forthright and ironic to gush...but she is open-hearted and fun.

... packed with warm, funny stories offamily, friends, dogs, books and writing.

Kind and generous she may be, but Patchett is capable of deploying the rapier where necessary.

... novelist Ann Patchett is, above all, marvelous company.

... possesses a careful dignity always on the edge of cracking open.

A typical Patchett piece is a eulogy, suitably warm and affectionate, respectful to those who have died, or are about to die.

The reader feels invited in, like she has been included in the circle of warmth and friendship that exudes from Patchett’s writing. It’s hard not to imagine that you know her.

Patchett’s voice is poetic and thoughtful, and her optimism leaps off the page.

Patchett’s essays are sharp and honest. She confronts her faults frequently while also remaining candid, unafraid to talk about getting a prestigious award or acknowledging that she’s a pretty big deal.

What one senses from early on is the centrality of Patchett’s moral compass and the tenacity of her approach to anything she takes on.

A writer’s life is by definition one of solitude, but Patchett, perhaps more than others, appears determined to wrest incident out of the random details of her busy life as an A-list writer and advocate for independent bookstores.

... full-hearted essays.

Coming from so illustrious a pen...we might expect these essays to be intellectually or ideologically ambitious, perhaps addressing some of the pressing social and political issues of our times. Serious enquiry, however, is not at the forefront of Patchett’s nonfiction; any engagement with controversial subject matter is, on the whole, secondary and indirect.

Ann Patchett's new essay collection, These Precious Days, reinforces what many longtime fans like best about her writing: its levelheaded appraisal of what is good in the world.

... unsurprisingly well-crafted essays. Indeed, they feel a bit like sharing coffee with an old friend on a long, rainy afternoon. It is not always clear where the conversation may go, but it will be comfortable and lead someplace interesting.

Insightful and warm.

Ann Patchett’s splendid new essay collection, These Precious Days, overflows with life—the joys of friendship, the bonds of family, the delights of bookstores and dogs, the mysteries (even to her) of writing. It’s warm and funny and smart and full of unexpected insights. What more could you ask from a book that is essentially a meditation on death?.

Patchett...is an exhilarating and provocative essayist.

Eloquent.

This book contains a mixture of occasional essays and profound ones, all previously published.