Run

By: Ann Patchett

Narrated by: Peter Francis James

""Engaging, surprising, provocative and moving...a thoroughly intelligent book, an intimate domestic drama that nonetheless deals with big issues touching us all: religion, race, class, politics and, above all else, family."" -- Washington Post

From New York Times bestselling author Ann Patchett comes an engrossing story of one family on one fateful night in Boston where secrets are unlocked and new bonds are formed.

Since their mother's death, Tip and Teddy Doyle have been raised by their loving possessive and ambitions father. As the former mayor of Boston, Bernard Doyle wants to see is sons in politics, a dream the boys have never shared. But when an argument in a blinding New England snowstorm inadvertently causes an accident that involves a stranger and her child, all Bernard Doyle cares about is his ability to keep his children--all his children--safe.

Set over a period of twenty-four hours, Run takes us from the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard to a home for retired Catholic Priests in downtown Boston. It shows us how worlds of privilege and poverty can coexist only blocks apart from each other, and how family can include people you've never even met. As an in her bestselling novel, Bel Canto, Ann Patchett illustrates the humanity that connects disparate lives, weaving several stories into one surprising and endlessly moving narrative. Suspenseful and stunningly executed, Run is ultimately a novel about secrets, duty, responsibility, and the lengths we will go to protect our children.

©2007 Ann Patchett; (P)2007 HarperCollins Publishers

Loose Ends

The story raised many political and humanitarian issues: racism and all of its negative effects on people of color - medical attention paid to Tennessee, allowing Kenya to remain behind at the scene of the accident and allowing Doyle to take Kenya home. All of these situations show how race “colors” our compassion. The book raises the questions. It is the readers’ job to strive for solutions.
I would have liked to know more about Sullivans - priest and son. Good book for discussion.

Great story—but music? Gak

Loved the story, but the performance was so wooden and the musical button between each chapter served only to jar me out of the story. It added NOTHING. I hated it. Please don’t ever do this again.

Story that is intriguing and humanizing

Read this one for a book club I am in. It's not typically part of my reading fodder. Having said that, I did enjoy the book. It was a bit convoluted, true. But it still retained a story line I was willing to go along with. The coincidental nature of some happenings was a bit beyond my scope of suspending disbelief but not enough that I quit reading or hated the read like some.

I liked the characters. I could appreciate both their self centeredness as well as their desire to support the family unit. The author did a great job of keeping the story to a flow that was both forward steps and look backs that explained the relevant information. I did not have a personal paradigm for much of the story but that didn't bother me.

In my opinion, the weakest point of the book involved the statue but I get the allegory that was at play. I just didn't feel like it forwarded the story as much as the author probably thought it did. I felt it was a bit of the author attempting to display how clever they were

Having said that, I'd say this book will probably do best with those who like angsty story lines where there are clashes of class and privilege.

Great story but why throw in the political slant

I enjoyed the characters so much and light that you never knew where the story would go. I was annoyed at the end when the author through in her political views and insinuated racism and sexism being the reason for the death of one of the characters. If you're going to make a political book call it that.

Not my favorite by this author

I had higher expectations for the author of Bel Canto and Truth and Beauty. I hesitated to buy her latest novel, but after listening to the Audible interview, I was intrigued. It was an ok story, but not my favorite. It was a bit slow, and I never really got attached to any of the characters. Patchett's gift for description was less apparent in this novel. It was a decent read, but not of the quality I expected from Ann Patchett.