Besides being a fun read, I was most engaged by the well-defined characters and their various, mostly negative, impressions of the modern publishing industry. I would have liked to see examples of the characters’ writing styles and how they would have finished Fletch’s last book, but I enjoyed their backstories and ensemble dynamics. Fiona Hardingham was an excellent narrator, enhancing the experience.
Version 1.0.0
Like any form of criticism, literary criticism is entirely subjective, and though you’ll find hundreds of glowing reviews online, for me, Whistler was a clinker. Patchett is a prolific author. Her best novels, Bel Canto, State of Wonder, and Tom Lake, for instance, are transcendent. Others, like Run, and Patron Saint of Liars, leave me flat. Without giving anything away, the story revolves around a chance encounter that reveals some family secrets, none of which have been particularly important to the narrator for over 40 years and which only remained secrets because the narrator, Daphne, and her mother tend to live their lives in the present and don’t dwell on the past. The book is pleasant enough and well-written, but it lacks the urgency and evocative description of her best work. The Audible version is narrated by the author, a decision some reviewers have lauded. However, there were numerous sections of dialogue where I lost track of who was speaking because her voice never varied.
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