This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage
Ann Patchett
HarperCollins
<p>The <em>New York Times</em> bestselling author of <em>State of Wonder</em>, <em>Run</em>, and <em>Bel Canto</em> creates a resonant portrait of a life in this collection of writings on love, friendship, work, and art.</p><p>&#34;The tricky thing about being a writer, or about being any kind of artist, is that in addition to making art you also have to make a living.&#34;</p><p>So begins <em>This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage</em>, an examination of the things Ann Patchett is fully committed to--the art and craft of writing, the depths of friendship, an elderly dog, and one spectacular nun. Writing nonfiction, which started off as a means of keeping her insufficiently lucrative fiction afloat, evolved over time to be its own kind of art, the art of telling the truth as opposed to the art of making things up. Bringing her narrative gifts to bear on her own life, Patchett uses insight and compassion to turn very personal experiences into stories that will resonate with every...