These Precious Days: Essays

Written by Ann Patchett

Narrated by Ann Patchett

The beloved New York Times bestselling author reflects on home, family, friendships and writing in this deeply personal collection of essays.  

""The elegance of Patchett’s prose is seductive and inviting: with Patchett as a guide, readers will really get to grips with the power of struggles, failures, and triumphs alike."" —Publisher's Weekly

“Any story that starts will also end.” As a writer, Ann Patchett knows what the outcome of her fiction will be. Life, however, often takes turns we do not see coming. Patchett ponders this truth in these wise essays that afford a fresh and intimate look into her mind and heart. 

At the center of These Precious Days is the title essay, a surprising and moving meditation on an unexpected friendship that explores “what it means to be seen, to find someone with whom you can be your best and most complete self.” When Patchett chose an early galley of actor and producer Tom Hanks’ short story collection to read one night before bed, she had no idea that this single choice would be life changing. It would introduce her to a remarkable woman—Tom’s brilliant assistant Sooki—with whom she would form a profound bond that held monumental consequences for them both. 

A literary alchemist, Patchett plumbs the depths of her experiences to create gold: engaging and moving pieces that are both self-portrait and landscape, each vibrant with emotion and rich in insight. Turning her writer’s eye on her own experiences, she transforms the private into the universal, providing us all a way to look at our own worlds anew, and reminds how fleeting and enigmatic life can be. 

From the enchantments of Kate DiCamillo’s children’s books (author of The Beatryce Prophecy) to youthful memories of Paris; the cherished life gifts given by her three fathers to the unexpected influence of Charles Schultz’s Snoopy; the expansive vision of Eudora Welty to the importance of knitting, Patchett connects life and art as she illuminates what matters most. Infused with the author’s grace, wit, and warmth, the pieces in These Precious Days resonate deep in the soul, leaving an indelible mark—and demonstrate why Ann Patchett is one of the most celebrated writers of our time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Nov 23, 2021
• ISBN: 9780063092815

Ann Patchett

ANN PATCHETT is the author of eight novels: The Patron Saint of Liars, Taft, The Magician’s Assistant, Bel Canto, Run, State of Wonder, Commonwealth, and The Dutch House as well as three books of nonfiction: Truth & Beauty, about her friendship with the writer Lucy Grealy, What Now? an expansion of her graduation address at Sarah Lawrence College, and This is the Story of a Happy Marriage, a collection of essays examining the theme of commitment.

Reviews for These Precious Days

[Jane Anderson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ann Patchett sounds like the friend we would all like to be.

[almin-70827 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I listened to the audio book (Patchett's voice is amazingly similar to Laura Linney), I enjoyed listening to most of the essays, some more than others (her year of no shopping and thoughts on being childless are my favorites) I don't know if I would have enjoyed as much if I had not listened to the audio book. A writer reading their own words can set the tone for their book and I think she did an excellent job.

[ccayne_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

How could you not love anything written by Ann Patchett. I have read her from the very beginning and recommended her to everyone who would listen. Highlights for me are the title essay and reading about her fathers. I am psychedelics curious and her experience made an impression.

[carltonc_5 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A really excellent collection of personal essays by the novelist discussing a wide variety of subjects including fathers, reading, writing, death, not having children, book covers and friends.So much love shines through, so I recommend this book, since who doesn’t want to be uplifted.

[Eunyoung · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is so comforting and giving me a sense of normalcy I wasn’t sure of. Life changing!

[Rosy Antuñano · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is such a treasure!! I love every bit of it. Oficially, one of my favorite books for life. Thank you Anne!

[Bob Spieth · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Well done collection of personal stories. Candid, funny and sad.

[terry morrison · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Perfectly precious. I remember discovering Ann from books by Pat Conroy. Pat talking of her with his best friend while at the beach. A precious day at the beach is what these stories mean to me. Thanks

[dandiercks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I had only read one of Patchett’s books, “The Dutch House” (2019) before reading “These Precious Days.” This, of course, is a book of essays while the previous book is a novel. Patchett’s essays are really well written (as was “The Dutch House”) and span many topics. Probably my favorite and the favorite, no doubt, of most readers, is the last, an essay from which the book gets its title. It is a tribute to her friend Sooki Raphael. In the words of the bard himself, “If you have tears, prepare to shed them now.” The essays are thoroughly enjoyable, even the sad ones. Patchett is a gifted writer, one who deserves to be on the pedestal of American letters where she resides.

[Anne Mowat · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ms Patchett crafts a poignant, graceful—at times joyful—meditation on family, community, and friendship—when I wasn’t reading this memoir, I was contemplating it.

[KeV ' · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The ann's experiences is so deep sad and happy, that sometimes i'm feel awful and sometimes great. I'm glad to hear it. "These precious days" hits me in every point of my life. Made me reflect of my attitudes and see the world how it is. A beautiful path with up and downs, until take each moment to fulfill blank spaces.

[Susan Gaeta · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I want to be her friend. Think I could stay in her house next trip to Nashville?

[Bethany · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fabulous writing, read by the lovely author. This book will make you sigh, giggle, nod your head, also open and break your heart a little.

[Nura Bello · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Nice audiobook to consider, I love it. Thank you scribd

[Ann Jones · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What an amazing production! Such engrossing stories-so well presented-really makes one stop and reflect on ones own life and those defining precious moments. Entertaining-inspiring-uplifting-really great! Loved it!

[Mickayla Wheeler · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Pachett’s book is an invitation to visit her life and these wonderful true stories of her life left me awe struck. Her adventures are not average or mundane. She’s a deeply thoughtful and giving person and this shows in the fictional characters she creates. I wish she was my neighbor.

[Carole Dennis Cornell · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A wonderful book by Ann Patchett, made even better by listening to her read it.

[katyefk · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved this book. Picked it up in an airport during a long layover. Started reading it and was so engaged I almost missed my flight. Ann writes with so much insight and authenticity. What a huge contribution she makes to enhancing and unfolding our humanity.

[bookconcierge · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Digital audiobook read by the author This is a series of essays about Patchett’s life and her thoughts on a variety of subjects from marriage to career, to education, to family, to grief. Most (if not all) of these essays have appeared separately in other publications. I love Patchett’s writing. Here, she is most herself – honest, funny, empathetic, confused, angry, caring, and passionate. I greatly enjoyed reading about her own journey as a reader, writer and owner of a bookstore. I added books to my tbr (or moved them higher in priority) as a result of knowing what she thought about them. I really liked hearing her talk about what lead her to write certain books, how they reflected her life, and especially how the covers came about. One of my favorite vignettes involved how she came to become friends with Tom Hanks and then asked him to narrate the audio for The Dutch House (which was wonderful, by the way). Patchett read the audiobook herself. I cannot imagine anyone else doing a better job. P.S. I don’t know if those of you with a digital copy of this book have access to both front and back covers. If not, try to get your hands on the hardcover, so you can see the “bonus” cover image on the back. It’s a great painting and I can see why she liked it, but I agree with the decision to put Sparky on the front cover.

[rayski_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This collection of essays is more autobiographical than a bunch of disjoint short stories. These are a reflection of Ms Patchett's experiences and most tie together. I enjoyed her stories on her 3 fathers; not shopping for a year; how her natural father acted as her secret editor but wasn't until his death that she felt free to write on some taboo topics; and her story of Sookie. It was interesting to get some background on her novels, where they came from, etc. I found it interesting how almost all have ties to her real life. I found Ms Patchett at times a bit boastful. Although I can understand her annoyance about being childless, having been childless myself until late in life, however, I thought the writing went a little over the top to justify her decision, I got the point. Negatives aside, I like her books I've read and overall enjoyed this one too.

[carolfoisset · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I am a fan of Ann Patchett, I love her fiction books but I think I love her non-fiction even more! Both of her essay books and Truth and Beauty are some of my all time favorites. Highly recommend this book!

[castlelass · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Collection of twenty-four essays on such diverse topics as Patchett’s three fathers, literature, travel, disease, friendship, art, marriage, death, hobbies, and more. She weaves in observations about daily activities. I particularly enjoyed the piece on her decision to not have children, and the various responses and unsolicited advice she receives. The primary set piece of this collection is the title essay, where she tells of picking up Tom Hanks’s book (the short story collection Uncommon Type), and how that one decision led to a deep friendship with his assistant, Sooki, who ended up staying at her house during the pandemic while she obtained cancer treatments. She wrote these pieces during the pandemic, saying “death has no interest in essays.” They are not just random writings. They are connected through themes of life, death, and love. She writes of death without being morbid. Patchett comes across as observant, sincere, and interested in others. This collection is worth reading.

[valerieandbooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ann Patchett is nearly the same age as I am, so I often was able to relate to her thoughts and musings about being a child in the 1970s and a young adult in the 1980s. Not all essays in this volume are about those times, though. I enjoyed the entire collection. Patchett reminds us that our days are precious indeed.I picked up an autographed copy of this from Parnassus Books (which Patchett co-owns) during a visit in Nashville.

[annbury_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Anne Padgett's novels have been favorites of mine for years, and this book extends my appreciation into her essays. She writes about her own past and about writing, but her most striking essays are about life and death. Sometimes, she is almost shockingly forthright and honest -- in discussing, for example, her own decision to remain childless. Even more resonant for me was her description of her reaction to her father's death. He died of a neurological disease called progressive supranuclear palsy or PSP, after an illness of several years during which one after another of his abilities was leached away. My husband died of the same illness, after almost 10 years of gradual and then accelerating decline. Ms. Padgett had the courage to say what I did not -- that her loved one's death was an occasion of joy. That was because he was finally released from his suffering, and because those who cared for him were freed from a demanding and hopeless task. I felt the same, but could never say so. This alone would make the book very meaningful to me, but there is much more in it that is wise, generous, and beautifully expressed.

[elkiedee · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is really a memoir of a writer's life in essay collection form - a number of the pieces have been previously published online or in periodicals etc. The arrangement isn't chronological but they follow on very well from one subject to the next, as Patchett writes about her life, writing, books, relationships with family, her husband and friends etc. Patchett has written an earlier memoirI really enjoyed everything in this book - as it is a library eBook and my loan has expired, I can't check back in the book to refresh my memory.I particularly liked the opening essay, My Three Fathers. Patchett's mum has been married three times and this is about Patchett's father and stepfathers, all of whom have been important in her life. I really identify with this as I have a number of step parents who have been quite special and valued figures for me. This piece is illustrated by a picture of the three men posed together at Patchett's sister's wedding, at Patchett's request. This is full of love, warmth and humour and wonderful portraits of these men as characters in Patchett's life and the roles they played. At some point I'd like to look at a hardback copy to see better the photograph that illustrates the piece, of Patchett's 3 fathers posed together at a wedding - one of them remarked that Patchett wanted a picture because she clearly planned to write about them.As I read and enjoyed her most recent novel The Dutch House I was also interested to read about her writing process and the developments and changes in the story in another essay here.Towards the end of the book Patchett two of the last 3 essays tell the story of a woman who became a very dear and beloved friend, and I found these very moving.

[lauralkeet · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I’m an Ann Patchett fan, having read most of her work over the years, so I didn’t think twice about reading her latest essay collection. Patchett writes with self-awareness and candor, comfortable both exploring emotions and standing up for her beliefs. Every reader will be affected by this collection, with some essays having greater impact than others. The first essay, Three Fathers, is a lovely tribute to the three men her mother married. First Thanksgiving was a delightful look back at Patchett’s first year of college, in which she was one of only a few students spending the Thanksgiving holiday at school. Eudora Welty, an Introduction inspired me to immediately buy Welty’s Collected Stories for my Kindle. Patchett also writes about how knitting helped her through difficult times, and reluctance to preserve her body of work. Some essays provide a behind-the-scenes look at her career and her craft.But the most powerful essay by far is the title piece, which explores Patchett’s friendship with Sooki Raphael. The two met when Sooki worked for Tom Hanks, and began a correspondence that blossomed into friendship. When Sooki came to Nashville for medical treatment, there was no question she would stay with Ann and her husband, Karl. This was early 2020, and lockdown measures suddenly meant Sooki would be staying with them indefinitely. For some people this would be very stressful, but in this case the time spent together had a profound impact on both women. The book’s epilogue is a moving denouement to their story, and is a fitting way to conclude this outstanding collection.

[tangledthread · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a collection of essays, some of which were published elsewhere. Many of the topics in the essay are at least tangentially related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Other's relate to her family, friends, and her education. As always with Patchett, her use of language is stunning. Although many of the essays touch on the subject of mortality, the book is not morbid. In fact it is a reminder that indeed, these days are precious.

[muddyboy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A series of great essays by an author who is at the top of her game. She covers a wde variety f topics that include her family, her education and writing career. The must important essay and titled the same as the book itself is about her close friendship with a woman who when she met her was Tom Hanks' personal assistant. (Sooki) This essay deals with Sooki's terminal illness and their joint journey navigating "These Precious Days).A worthy homage.

[niaomiya · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This lovely collection of essays was like having a conversation with a friend. Ann Patchett has lived such an interesting life, and all the people close to her have also lived interesting lives. The intersections produce stories that are humorous, touching, thought-provoking, and always deeply personal. The way Patchett describes something as simple as knitting or cleaning out the house makes me want to -- well, learn to knit and go clean out my house. LOL I truly enjoyed this gem of a book.

[hemlokgang · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have come to enjoy Ann Patchett's essays more than her fiction. Simply written, these read like individual vignettes from her life, filtered through her lovely mind & spirit. A very nice read!