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Loading... Taft (1994)by Ann Patchett
   None No current Talk conversations about this book.  Castlelass | Oct 30, 2022 |    ) msf59 | Jun 14, 2022 |  ) nivramkoorb | Oct 23, 2021 | There were times when I wondered where Ann Patchett was going with this and why I should be interested in any of this. I was confused in the parts involving Fay and Carl's late father, unsure whether this was what happened or whether this was what Nickel imagined their life before coming to Memphis was like. I still hadn't reached any conclusion by the end of the book, but it did feel much more cohesive and I wanted to know what happened next to Nickel, his son, the Woodmore sisters, and Fay. (  ) Robertgreaves | Jul 16, 2021 |  ) Ed_Schneider | Jun 10, 2021 | no reviews | add a review
Awards
Fiction.
Literature.
HTML: An ex-jazz drummer wants nothing more than to be a good father in this moving family novel by the New York Times–bestselling author of The Dutch House. When his lover takes away his son, he's left only with his Beale Street, Memphis bar. He hires a young waitress named Fay Taft who brings with her a desperate, dangerous brother, Carl, and the possibility of new intimacy. Nickel finds himself consumed with Fay and Carl's dead father—Taft—obsessing over and reconstructing the life of a man he never met. A stunning artistic achievement, Taft confirms Ann Pathcett's standing as one of the most gifted writers of her generation and reminds us of our deepest instincts to protect the people we love. "What could be merely a literary parlor trick—keeping three stories in the air at once—becomes...as resonant as a blues song, each story harmonizing with and answering others.... Expect miracles when you read Ann Patchett's fiction."—New York Times "A moving emblem of fatherhood's rarely explored passion."—Los Angeles Times "Patchett writes with remarkable conviction and attention to telling detail.... [She] is excellent at portraying the steady love and interest that holds the family members together, even though that love and interest isn't always successful in preserving the members from danger."—Jane Smiley, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Golden Age "Strikingly original."—Kirkus Reviews.No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.35)
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Wikipedia in English (1)
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Nickel is an interesting character. He is an ex-drummer. He is estranged from his ex-girlfriend and mother of his son, who has moved to Miami. He made some mistakes earlier in life, which he acknowledges, but very much wants a relationship with his son. I think we are supposed to admire him but his actions make this difficult.
For me, the structure of this story does not work very well. It mixes up what is real (Nickel’s life) with what is imagined (Taft’s life with his kids). I am not sure I understood the point of the imagined storyline. Perhaps Nickel is dreaming a fatherhood he would like to have with his own son? If so, it was a weak link. I think it would have been much more effective if the storyline had focused on Nickel. The plot takes a strange twist toward the end, which did not work for me. It was okay but not Patchett’s best in my opinion. (