Book Summary and Reviews of The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett

The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett

The Magician's Assistant

by Ann Patchett

  • Published:
  • Oct 1997, 368 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

From the bestselling author of The Dutch House, a secretive magician's death becomes the catalyst for his partner's journey of self-discovery in this "enchanting" book (San Francisco Chronicle) "that is something of a magic trick in itself." (Newsweek)

When Parsifal, a handsome and charming magician, dies suddenly, his widow Sabine—who was also his faithful assistant for twenty years—learns that the family he claimed to have lost in a tragic accident is very much alive and well. Sabine is left to unravel his secrets, and the journey she takes, from sunny Los Angeles to the bitter windswept plains of Nebraska, will work its own magic on her.

Sabine's extraordinary tale, "with its big dreams, vast spaces, and disparate realities lying side by side" captures the hearts of its readers and "proves to be the perfect place for miraculous transformations." (The New Yorker)

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Patchett's ability to evoke sense of place ... is near magical in itself." —Publishers Weekly

"The kindliness of The Magician's Assistant is beguiling, and Patchett is an adroit, graceful writer... she is especially practiced at the razzle-dazzle of odd juxtapositions." —The New York Times Book Review

This information about The Magician's Assistant was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

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Author Information

Ann Patchett

Ann Patchett is the author of Bel Canto, Taft, and The Patron Saint of Liars, which was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. She has written for many publications, including Elle, GQ, the Paris Review, and Vogue. She lives in Tennessee.

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