Commonwealth
Book Review - Commonwealth by Ann Patchett
At the center of Commonwealth by Ann Patchett is Franny, a member of a very complicated and somewhat dysfunctional family. A man named Bert came to Franny's christening uninvited and ended up kissing her mom leading to the dissolution of both marriages and the joining of the two families. Commonwealth spans 5 decades and follows the many children of both marriages as they come together over the shared disillusionment with their parents. But when Franny meets legendary writer Leon Posen while working at the Palmer House in Chicago (yay Chicago!) and tells him about her childhood, she suddenly finds her life story in a bestselling novel.
Ashley Hasty reading Commonwealth by Ann Patchett at the Palmer House in Chicago
I started Commonwealth by Ann Patchett about a month ago (maybe two months?!) on Audible. I was having a hard time getting into it - my mind was wandering and instead of getting pulled into the story I was thinking about things I needed to get done once I got back home. This is never a good sign - I can so easily get lost in a book so when the story isn't pulling me in I know I'm going to have a hard time finishing it. Fast forward to last week - I drove 5 hours to pick up my dog from my parents' so I decided to pick it back up again and give it another try. I went back about an hour to re-listen to part of the book in hopes I could pick up the story. Again, I just couldn't get into it! I didn't care about any of the characters and since so much time had gone by since I started the book, I couldn't remember some of the plotlines and how they got to this point in the story.
Ashley Hasty reading Commonwealth by Ann Patchett at the Palmer House in Chicago
I wanted to like this book so badly - it was recommended by a friend of mine whose choice in books I can always rely on. So I think it must have been me, not the book. I just wasn't in the mood for this book or it wasn't the right time for me to read it. I'm not sure what it was. I usually love a book that takes place in Chicago. So don't write off this book just because I didn't care for it. Find another review out there - see what they say. It may actually be worth picking up!
This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive compensation if you make a purchase using this link. Thank you for supporting this blog and the books I recommend!
