COMMONWEALTH, A Novel

by Ann Patchett
 
Upfront confession:  I think Ann Patchett consistently writes some of the best American novels of our time.  She has not let me down with this, her newest novel: it may just be her best one yet! 
 
Commonwealth cleverly lays out the story of two families that become forever bound together after an illicit kiss at a baby christening.  After two divorces, six children must spend summers together in their new blended family.  The kids’ antics and escapades are both amusing and poignant.  Over five decades, the author reveals how the parents’ divorces and remarriages forever altered the course of each of the kids’ lives.  Everything comes to an unforgettable and dramatic climax when one daughter has an affair with a famous author who proceeds to tell her story and that of her family in his next big book.
 
Don’t wait for this to come out in paperback!  It’s worth the extra expense of buying it and reading it now.  This is definitely one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. (Liz)