Lost In The Crowd Or Better Broke Than Kept A Novel

The beloved New York Times bestselling author reflects on home, family, friendships and writing in this deeply personal collection of essays. "The elegance of Patchett’s prose is seductive and inviting: with Patchett as a guide, readers will really get to grips with the power of struggles, failures, and triumphs alike." —Publisher's Weekly “Any story that starts will also end.” As a writer, Ann Patchett knows what the outcome of her fiction will be. Life, however, often takes turns we do not see coming. Patchett ponders this truth in these wise essays that afford a fresh and intimate look into her mind and heart. At the center of These Precious Days is the title essay, a surprising and moving meditation on an unexpected friendship that explores “what it means to be seen, to find someone with whom you can be your best and most complete self.” When Patchett chose an early galley of actor and producer Tom Hanks’ short story collection to read one night before bed, she had no idea that this single choice would be life changing. It would introduce her to a remarkable woman—Tom’s brilliant assistant Sooki—with whom she would form a profound bond that held monumental consequences for them both. A literary alchemist, Patchett plumbs the depths of her experiences to create gold: engaging and moving pieces that are both self-portrait and landscape, each vibrant with emotion and rich in insight. Turning her writer’s eye on her own experiences, she transforms the private into the universal, providing us all a way to look at our own worlds anew, and reminds how fleeting and enigmatic life can be. From the enchantments of Kate DiCamillo’s children’s books (author of The Beatryce Prophecy) to youthful memories of Paris; the cherished life gifts given by her three fathers to the unexpected influence of Charles Schultz’s Snoopy; the expansive vision of Eudora Welty to the importance of knitting, Patchett connects life and art as she illuminates what matters most. Infused with the author’s grace, wit, and warmth, the pieces in These Precious Days resonate deep in the soul, leaving an indelible mark—and demonstrate why Ann Patchett is one of the most celebrated writers of our time.

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1882 Excerpt: ... Contents. PAGE SERMON I. &econB &unl)a- tn Sfc&ent. THE COMING OF THE DIVINE KINGDOM. S. Luke xvii. 20. The Kingdom of God cometh not with observation... 1 SERMON II. (c)Ijt'rtJ &un-ap tn SlBbrnt. THE ATTRACTIVENESS OF THE SAINTS. S. Matt. xi. 7. What went ye out into the wilderness to seel....21 SERMON III. jFourtl) Annual) in Sfobtnt. THE LAW AND THE GOSPEL. Gal. lit. 24. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith... 41 xlvi Contents. SERMON IV. dfcadt of J&t. J?trpi)cn. THE POWER OF MARTYRDOM. Acts viii. 1. And Saul was consenting unto his death.... 63 SERMON I. C&e Coming of tht MMm Itfngtiom. "Only one way to Life: One Faith, deliver'd once for all;-One holy Band, endow'd with Heaven's high call; One earnest, endless strife;--This is the Church th' Eternal framed of old." Lyra Apostolica. SERMON I. f)e doming of tfje Bibine Kingdom. "The Kingdom of God cometh not with observation."--St. Luke xvii. 20. This was our Lord's reply to a question which the Pharisees had addressed to Him. They had asked when the Kingdom of God should come. I. In asking this question the Pharisees were the spokesmen of the great mass of their countrymen. There was a general expectation of a good time coming; of a time so good and so satisfying to man's best hopes that it would seem like a reign of God upon the earth. "The Kingdom of God " To the mind of the people at large that cherished expression often did not convey any very definite sense. The phrase had come to them, across the ages, from Psalmists and from Prophets; it had been repeated by father to son for a long series of generations; but whenever any positive meaning was now popularly attached to it, it was, on the whole, a meaning which was n.