Moderator---Shellie
Ann Patchett calls this novel her autobiographical first novel. She wrote it in 2016 at age 52. She consulted her family before publishing it and claims most of the things in Commonwealth didn't happen but the feelings are close to home.
Like the author's own family, this is the story of a blended family who spends summers together in the Commonwealth of Virginia. There are six children and four of them live in California and make the annual trip to visit their father. How they ended up one big family is a far cry from the Brady Bunch. It was adultery and divorce that put them on this path. And tragedy separated them.
The book explores each child and covers 50 years in their lives and the lives of the parents. The children manage to form a bond over their mutual dislike of the parents. There are no wicked stepmother nor overbearing stepfather, just mistakes, and oversights. The 4 parents of the children end up being the very same people you meet at the beginning of the novel. The children seem to grow and change but that could be an illusion.
The book looks at the new American family and how children come together then move apart. It also gives the reader a view of the aging parent and how the child has a new role in the family.
From the kid's menu:
Selection of Tombstone pizzas and ice cream
"You can't pick your family---real or step."
Shellie 👍🏻
"The blended family has become as American
as apple pie."
Dee Dee 👍🏻
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