Review: Commonwealth by Ann Patchett

Commonwealth by Ann Patchett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It is killing me to give an Ann Patchett novel 3 stars. I'm a huge fan of her work. This is really the first of her novels that I didn't love. Now, let me start with the fact that this novel is beautifully written. Ann Patchett can WRITE! As I read what this was about, I was sure it was going to be a new favorite - everything about it screamed to me. It's about blended families, for goodness sake. So in my wheelhouse. And yet, the actual reading of it just didn't connect with me. The writing was fabulous and the story was right up my alley. And yet, I never connected with this one. I typically find Patchett's work to almost dance on the page - it's so engaging and compelling. But, this particular novel never popped for me ... it felt almost stagnant in some way. In addition, I felt like it flowed in a funky way and never met the promise it had in the beginning. All in all, I'm still a huge fan of Patchett but I just didn't connect with this particular one. But, I appear to be in the minority of readers ... most of my bookish friends really loved this one. So, if you're a Patchett fan, please give this one a shot. I'm hoping you'll be one of the readers who love this one!