Commonwealth

By: Ann Patchett

Narrated by: Hope Davis

Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

The acclaimed best-selling author - winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize - tells the enthralling story of how an unexpected romantic encounter irrevocably changes two families' lives.

One Sunday afternoon in Southern California, Bert Cousins shows up at Franny Keating's christening party uninvited. Before evening falls, he has kissed Franny's mother, Beverly - thus setting in motion the dissolution of their marriages and the joining of two families.

Spanning five decades, Commonwealth explores how this chance encounter reverberates through the lives of the four parents and six children involved. Spending summers together in Virginia, the Keating and Cousins children forge a lasting bond that is based on a shared disillusionment with their parents and the strange and genuine affection that grows up between them.

When, in her 20s, Franny begins an affair with the legendary author Leon Posen and tells him about her family, the story of her siblings is no longer hers to control. Their childhood becomes the basis for his wildly successful book, ultimately forcing them to come to terms with their losses, their guilt, and the deeply loyal connection they feel for one another.

Told with equal measures of humor and heartbreak, Commonwealth is a meditation on inspiration, interpretation, and the ownership of stories. It is a brilliant and tender tale of the far-reaching ties of love and responsibility that bind us together.

©2016 Ann Patchett (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers

Patchett masters the modern family saga

Ann Patchett veers from her usual life in a far off place to weave a story of the blended family of modern America, connecting the lives of all six children whose pasts and futures become entangled when an uninvited guest finds his way to a christening party. Each character is fully developed to the point where you could recognize them at a cocktail party if you spent only a few minutes hearing about their lives. Hope Davis should be the only performer to make Patchett's words come alive - and could even play Franny if this books become a film. This book and the Audible version are Patchett's and Davis's best works yet.

Captivating

Both the story & narration were a glimpse into another life that felt strangely familiar.

Complex and real, beautiful!

Loved this audio book. The complexities of the characters and their intertwined lives. The love. The confusion. The phrasing. Thank you Ann Patchett!

One upset after another

Not a ' feel good story " . Reader will figure out conclusions well before author gets to it.

An Excellent Book Read By An Excellent Narrator

What did you love best about Commonwealth?

Ann Patchett draws us into the world of a complicated blended family. Her clear, empathetic storytelling takes us on a life journey that begins at the christening party for the youngest child. The story moves seamlessly from the past to the present and back again through divorce, remarriage, trouble, tragedy and the lives of the grownup children and their families. Flawed as they may be, you like all the characters and want to continue listening.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the characters, the story and the writing.

Have you listened to any of Hope Davis’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is the first book that I've listened to that Hope Davis narrated. She did a wonderful job and I will definitely look for other books that she narrates.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Listening to this book was like watching a good movie.

Any additional comments?

Thanks Ann Patchett. Thanks Hope Davis.

Quite a story

Love her style . She weaves a story that is rich and very assessable. Although her writing is not for everyone, I quite enjoyed it.

Painfully slow but I liked it anyway.

Since I don’t just sit and listen to books (I listen while driving, taking walks or cleaning, I was able to stay awake. It is painfully slow, I never could have read it in print

That said, it is a sweet story about broken families and broken people. It’s sad, funny at times but most of all, it’s not a sugar-coated happy family story. I think Hope Davis did a great job, it’s not a story that needs pep and variety in voices. I think she was a perfect choice for narration.

Siblings, summers, and the ties that bind

Commonwealth builds steadily over 50 years, as two families intertwine, sharing the simple moments wherein siblings and relationships are seeded and grow. Enjoyable, engaging, and lovely.

Great writing!

I love her writing style! The way she uses and doesn't use particular words. It really made the book great. I don't know if it's me but with some authors I can usually guess words that are going to come next in a sentence but not with this Author and that just made me enjoy the story even more. This is A book filled with many characters so make sure you pay attention to names or you may get confused lol I really did like the book but I felt it was missing a little something. I think it was all the mini stories... I felt like some of them could've had a little bit more detail. But all in all it's a good book and I know in the future I'll probably come back and listen again. I also feel like the name Bee should be in the title... Just kidding the title is clever. Listen to it. It's great!!

Another unforgettable novel by Ann Patchett!!

I felt like I knew the characters. Their struggles, their stories, their families... They were all so real. I want to follow their stories for years to come. Great reader of a wonderful story!