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Magician's Assistant

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Rather than lock herself in her own misery after her husband's death, Sabine (the Magician's Assistant) welcomes his long lost family -- first out of manners, then out of love. The characters are warm and UNIQUE -- and unique is rare in a cast of characters. This was one of those books I just couldn't put down. Its only problem was that it ended too soon. (The ending was well-written, but it left me longing for more)

This novel is beautifully executed. I'm often speechless when trying to tell someone why I loved this book so much-- I simply lend them my copy or buy them one. Rich in it's prose, told with such grace and gorgeousness, it's deserving of much public recognition. It's a study in many things: the complex but beautiful landscape of human relationships; the craft of story-telling; and grace, something that we at times forget but cannot live without. Ann Patchett certainly has a way with words and stories, and I look forward to more works from her.

"The Magician's Assistant" by Ann Patchett Unlike so many best-selling novels today which settle for bringing resolution to one character only, Patchett not only provides fitting solutions for each character, but does so in a way that shocks us while simultaneously revealing that the structure has built to this logical, (though unseen), conclusion all along. In the spirit of a weaver, the threads cast out are meticulously drawn back into the conclusion to form a tight fabric with a brilliant, complex pattern.

The Magician' Assistant is about Sabine's inner struggle to resolve not only the loss of her husband, the magician Parsifal, but her enigmatic love for this man who shared a partnership in life which was endearing and baffling. Patchett draws a portrait of Sabine, in the center of attention, a beautiful woman with all the trappings of a successful life, who remains watching the cherished scenes through a door, a door which for some reason she has not walked through quite yet ... The Magician's Assistant is about Sabine's walk through the threshold, where all people, feelings and objects go from being in color to super-rich technicolor. It is about the enlivening process of self-discovery which reminds us that just when we feel dead to know an ounce more of life, the most startling information is served up from within the recesses of our own being.

The Magician's Assistant reminded me how life is not what we think it is in the best sense; how frequently we do not choose what we learn or who our lessons come from and yet, life's lessons arrive, bigger and bolder than the safety of our imaginations. Ann Patchett has brought to life a palpably real cast of characters with her pen and in so doing, pointed to a story that lays, magically, just beyond the words on the page... ###

I found this novel to be very readable and enjoyable. I found the characters to be believable and likable ( with a few exceptions, which is where the story unfolds and becomes very interesting and sad). I was a little disappointed with the ending. It was a happy one, but a little too predictable. I would recommend this book because it has an engrossing story-line, likable characters and leaves you with a feeling of optimism and hope.

Ann Patchett, who lives in rural seclusion with her pet raccoons (at least according to the profile in Modern Tennessean), is so good I wish she wrote the morning paper. That way I could wake up and read her sentences all day long.

If you've glanced at the editorials above, you know the novel's plot. Two of the most fascinating characters are already dead when we begin reading; they occupy the heroine's dreams, refusing to rest like peaceful corpses should. Among her other talents, Patchett is masterful with adolescents-- a notoriously tough breed to write about. And she's excellent with violence, too. Not the habitual, ritual violence of genre fiction, but the quick, mean violence of unhappy men.

I don't want to tell you too much. Read the book. If you don't like it, e-mail me and complain about what an idiot I am.

I don't think I'll be hearing from you.

If you read The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve (and if you haven't you should) and enjoyed it this book is an interesting book to compare it to. Although one of the main characters is never seen in the flesh by the reader - you get a full sense of who Parsifal was.

The book is endearing and hard to put down. I could totally understand why Sabine feel in love with Parsifal and was going to miss him - I never met him (in a reader's sense of the word) and I missed him (and Phan) as well.

The book is true to the way the world works which makes it all the more enjoyable. I hope that Ms. Patchett decides to write a sequel because I am already trying to imagine where they are now and what they are doing.

To see my other reviews you can click on my name above and also click on pshkbb@aol.com in the review below.

5 people found this review helpful. 1 did not.

Sabine how could you? To follow that line any more would be to give away the ending, which is about the only part that I had a problem with. The description, love, sentimentality, joy, anguish, heartache and healing that is found within the pages of this book is at times overwhelming. The dream sequences were a terrific tool at foreshadowing and filling in the blanks. I was only too sad that we didn't get the pleasure of meeting Parsifal in person. I fell in love with his little family, with Sabine's family and with Rabbit. Highly recommend!

I am in awe of the power of Patchett's storytelling, pulled off with such delicacy of touch and understanding. Her ability to draw characters, the way these people come to reveal themselves to themselves, the perfection of the questions left unanswered.

I really enjoyed this book, it took me out of my whitebread existence and placed me into two very different families and their interaction with one another. I found this an extremely well written book and enjoyable to read with each chapter an adventure into these interesting characters.

What a great novel! Full of surprises, good will, and good writing. A really amazing read. I'm going to order her other two novels immediately! Do read THE MAGICIAN'S ASSISTANT -- the characters will live with you for a long, long time. And their company is good.