Taft (edition 2007)

John Nickel is a decent kind of guy who runs a bar in Memphis called Muddy's. After John hires a teen girl to work in his bar, he finds himself unexpectedly caught up in the drama of her life and that of her drug-addicted brother, who brings trouble into the bar. When John's ex-girlfriend and son return to Memphis and John begins to think that he might once again be able to be a full-time father, his involvement with the two teens leads him into dangerous circumstances. This story is a novel about fathers: the teen's father (Taft) who tried to steer them out of trouble and down the right path, and John, a man whose involvement in the teens' lives crosses employer boundaries, while trying to get his own son back.

I am a big fan of Ann Patchett but this was not my favorite of her stories. The story plods along at times and it was slow to develop to the climax. While the characters were fairly well developed, I didn't particularly liked the two teens and couldn't understand why John went out of his way to help them. The ending was more exciting than most of the novel, though even it seemed rather unreasonable. ( )

A story about fatherhood and an exercise in how to weave together unrelated stories and persons into one short narrative. Patchett is a master of this and an excellent writer. ( )

I really enjoyed this novel, partly because it is set in Memphis and it is always neat (for me, at least) to read something that takes place somewhere that you have lived. Mostly, though, I enjoyed it because of the strong character at the center. Patchett has such a deft touch, and it was pretty gutsy for her to decide to write a novel from the perspective of this man, whose name we don't even hear until page 90. I read this in about 3 days because it is not too long and keeps you so invested in what is about to happen. No one is let completely off the hook, but no one is punished as harshly as they might be. I really appreciate Patchett's technical strength as a writer, and want to read the rest of her works almost more as study than as leisure. Which is not to say that I don't enjoy her style, because I do very much. ( )

nice easy read, I enjoy ms patchett's writing and in this book she showed great range. i think it has to challeging for a writer to write outside of their experience. for a man to write from a woman's view or the other way around. in this novel ms patchett wrote not only from the man's view point but also a black man. reading the book she makes all the characters real and beliveable ( )

A well told story with intense characters - didn't like the imaginative bits interspersed into the narrative. It was good to read on the train. ( )