Run by Ann Patchett

Book suggested by Barb, meeting hosted by Lucia.

This book received an assortment of reviews by our readers. Some liked it a lot and others were not as impressed, primarily because of the story line. A few readers were disappointed by the lack of connection between the opening chapter (about the statue) and the rest of the book. We thought a lot happened in 24 hours, and some found it incredulous that Tennessee's connection to the Doyle family could possibly have progressed as it did in such a short time. Some of us also thought that it was unrealistic that a Boston Irish Catholic family choose this adoption path, but others enjoy books like this that end up "happily ever after." Though the book was easy to read, some thought the story line was anti-climatic and not very memorable. Others like a book like this where apparently mismatched characters, all with their own problems, come together and help each other along.

We thought that Doyle was a good dad and his heart was in the right place, even though he so fiercely wanted his boys to go into politics and did not support their chosen occupations. When his political aspirations were quashed by the scandal surrounding Sullivan's accident, he began to live his life through his boys. Sullivan lived with the guilt of Natalie's death, and was surprisinly empathetic toward children. He dealt with the guilt by escaping in any way he could, but began to heal after he was able to talk about that tragic night with Tennessee. We thought it was sad that Father Sullivan remembered their last family gathering as Natalie's funeral, forgetting that Sullivan was still in the hospital and not with them.

Most of the discussion surrounded Tennessee and her life struggle. We were disappointed that she never told Kenya about her true parentage, but understood that she may have feared losing this daugher as she had lost her sons. We found it interesting that, through the power of suggestion, Tennessee convinced everyone that Tip, Teddy, and Kenya all shared the same mother. Some thought it inappropriate that Tennessee involved her child in the stalking of Tip and Teddy, while others didn't think of it as stalking. Tennessee was very capable and had so much potential, but chose to work in lower paying jobs in order to maintain her secret identity and reduce the risk of losing her daughter.

We found some of the proper names in the book to be interesting - Kenya for successful Kenyan runners, Tip (O'Neill), and Teddy (Kennedy). We also agreed that the book was very suitably titled. All of the characters seemed to be running from something in their past, and a few were running toward a yet-unachieved goal. We also thought the main theme of the book was effectively presented - that a sense of "family," and all its feelings and relationships, have very little to do with biology.

Website for Ann Patchett's Run: http://www.annpatchett.com/run.html