Ann Patchett

"I think people become consumed with selling a book when they need to be consumed with writing it."

Ann Patchett is the author of eight novels and three works of non-fiction. Her most recent novel The Dutch House was a New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller, and longlisted for the 2020 Women's Prize. In 2002 she won the Orange Prize for Fiction with Bel Canto, a prize she has also twice been shortlisted for with The Magician’s Assistant in 1998 and State of Wonder in 2012. She is also the winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award and was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2012. Her work has been translated into more than thirty languages. She is the co-owner of Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee, where she lives with her husband, Karl.

What kinds of books does Ann Patchett write?

She is the author of novels and works of non-fiction (memoir/essays and literary prose). Her catalogue includes award-winning novels and nonfiction collections.

Which Ann Patchett book is a good place to start?

Good entry points are Bel Canto (her Orange Prize–winning novel), The Dutch House (a New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller), or Tom Lake (a recent bestseller and Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick).

Do Patchett's books need to be read in order or are they a series?

Most of her books are standalone novels and nonfiction works; there is no required reading order.

What major awards and recognitions has she received?

She won the Orange Prize for Fiction (Bel Canto), has been shortlisted for the prize with The Magician’s Assistant (1998) and State of Wonder (2012), won the PEN/Faulkner Award, and was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2012. The Dutch House was longlisted for the 2020 Women’s Prize.

Are her books available in multiple formats?

Yes — many of her titles are available in hardcover, paperback, ebook and audiobook editions; special/annotated editions (for example Bel Canto) are also published.