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A Novel
by Ann Patchett
Book Reviewed by:The acclaimed, prize-winning #1 New York Times bestselling writer returns with a moving, luminous novel that reminds us of the sweetness and impermanence of life and the power of connection to defy time.
When Daphne Fuller and her husband Jonathan visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, they notice an older, white-haired gentleman following them. The man turns out to be Eddie Triplett, her former stepfather, who had been married to her mother for a little more than year when Daphne was nine. Now fifty-three, Daphne hasn't seen Eddie for many years, not since the fateful event that changed the direction of both their lives. Meeting again, time falls away; while their relationship was brief, it had a profound impact on them both, and now that they are reunited, they have no intention of ever being separated again.
Whistler is a story about two adults looking back over the choices they made, and the choices that were made for them. It's a story about bravery, memory, the often small yet consequential moments that define our lives, and the endless stream of loss that in time comes for us all. Beautiful in its simplicity, it is ultimately about how love endures, and how the feeling of being known by one other person, even for a short period of time, can change everything.
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (6/11/2026)
Land by Maggie O'Farrell and Whistler by Ann Patchett. Audiobook format for both. Whistler was read by Ann Patchett. Both were hard to turn off…highly recommended.
-Carole_B
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (6/4/2026)
I just finished 'Whistler' by Ann Patchett today - one of the loveliest books I've read in a long time. My heart is full! Last week I read 'Good Joy, Bad Joy' by Mikki Brammer - a sweet story about friendship and growing older.
-Evonne_Benedict
It’s June, and it’s therefore Pride month. Name a book you’ve enjoyed that features an LGBTQ+ main character
When I typed up this question (just before hitting the hay last night) I briefly thought, "Gee, I wonder when the last time was that I read a book featuring an LGBTQ+ character? Have I ever?" Hahaha… obviously my brain doesn't work after 9:00 PM. Scanning my list, over the past year I've read at ...
-kim.kovacs
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (5/21/2026)
...discussion here on the Community Forum. Then I moved on to https://www.bookbrowse.com/bb_briefs/detail/index.cfm/ezine_preview_number/24097/whistler Whistler by Ann Patchett for review. It's another wonderful novel by this author about family relationships, sure to be a huge hit. I flew through it in two days. Finally, I...
-kim.kovacs
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (5/14/2026)
Last week I finished up https://www.bookbrowse.com/bb_briefs/detail/index.cfm/ezine_preview_number/25470/i-live-you-for-ever I Live You For Ever as part of our indie/self-published review program. It was a memoir about the author's life with her husband as he developed dementia. I can't say I "en...
-kim.kovacs
Upcoming Book Releases
Whistler by Ann Patchett (6/2) The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett (5/5) The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout (5/5)
-Evonne_Benedict
Whistler, Ann Patchett's tenth novel (after 2023's Tom Lake) begins with a chance encounter. 53-year-old Daphne Fuller and her husband, Jonathan, are enjoying a quiet Saturday at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art when Jonathan tells her they're being followed. He doubles back and confronts the supposed stalker, only to find that the man is actually Daphne's former stepfather Eddie Triplett, whom she hasn't seen in nearly 45 years. An older Daphne narrates the novel, reminiscing about her time with Eddie (both as a child and as an adult) and gradually revealing why he left. Along the way, she finally accepts that she wasn't responsible for his abandonment, even after carrying that belief for decades.
Patchett's last few novels have revolved around parent-child relationships as seen through the eyes of the now-adult child. Whistler continues that theme, exploring the complex bonds between family members and how those ties influence who a person ultimately becomes. Patchett excels at portraying these connections, crafting authentic characters and situations that draw readers into her world...continued
Full Review
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(Reviewed by Kim Kovacs).
In Ann Patchett's novel Whistler, a pivotal scene occurs between the primary character, Daphne Fuller, and her former stepfather, Eddie. In it, they discuss Eddie's beliefs about the afterlife, which he says he formed in part by reading The Tibetan Book of the Dead.
The Tibetan Book of the Dead is the English title for a Buddhist text knows as Bardo Thodol (also bar do thos grol), generally translated as The Great Liberation by Hearing in the Intermediate States. In Tibetan Buddhism, the Bardo Thodol is read aloud to a dying or dead individual to help guide them through the intermediary state between life and death—the bardo—to either rebirth or enlightenment. (See the Beyond the Book for George Saunders's novel ...
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If you liked Whistler, try these:
by Elizabeth Strout
Published 2025
From Pulitzer Prize–winning author Elizabeth Strout comes a hopeful, healing novel about new friendships, old loves, and the very human desire to leave a mark on the world.
by Brit Bennett
Published 2022
From the New York Times-bestselling author of The Mothers, a stunning new novel about twin sisters, inseparable as children, who ultimately choose to live in two very different worlds, one black and one white.
by Maggie O'Farrell
Published 2017
A dazzling novel from bestselling writer Maggie O'Farrell, winner of the Costa Novel Award—an irresistible love story that crisscrosses continents and time zones as it captures an extraordinary marriage, and an unforgettable family, with wit, humor, and deep affection.
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