Book Reviews of The Magician's Assistant

After reading Patchett's novel "bel canto" I was hesitant to read another of her works but, the premise of this book sounded interesting so I decided to give it a try. I have to admit I liked this one. Her style brought just the right amount of weight to the depression the wife feels after her husband's death without making the mood gloomy. My only complaint is I felt let down by the ending. It felt unfinshed in some way.

I love how there are no villians in Ann Patchett's novels but the conflict is still very gripping. This novel was not as wonderful as Bel Canto, but still was a very enjoyable read.

I loved this book. The story and the characters just take you along on a crazy ride from LA to Nowhere in the midwest. You keep wondering how it will all turn out. At first, I did not like the author's ending, however, after a day, I realize that the ending is all part of the magic of the book. A great read!

Lovely and sad with a perfectly magical ending.

I really enjoyed this book. It helped me understand how a family member was married to a gay man & how she still loves him. They still seem like they would make a good couple. He however needed someone he could be more honest with. for w/o hoesty there is no real intimacy. This book was a fast read and provacitve.

I liked Bel Canto, but everything else I've read by Patchett (including this) has been disappointing. The early part of the book was pretty interesting, but as it went on, it was just weak and reminiscent of a million other family dramas. The ending was a little too neat and I found myself rolling my eyes.

Mystical but concrete at the same time. Sound impossible? Read this wonderful book to see what I mean. Stays with you long after the last page is read.

I loved this book but the ending left me wondering what happened next...maybe a sequel with be forthcoming? I hope so.

Ann Patchett has the most colorful characters, put in awkward situations with redeeming outcomes. Isn't that vague?

After knowing her husband over 20 years, Sabine finds herself alone. "Parsifal is dead. That is the end of the story." Yet it is only the beginning of Sabine's poignant journey to find who her husband truly was and what she needs to become in order to go on without him. This story isn't just about a magician's assistant, but the everyday magic that people work on each other to improve their outlook on life. The magic of everyday miracles that people become so accostumed to that they overlook--the magic of friendship and family.

I enjoyed this book, but I didn't enjoy it as much as Ann Patchett's more recent works of Bel Canto and Run. I think that she does a marvelous job of mixing some pretty heavy topics with a style that doesn't make you feel drained with dealing with those topics. I enjoy the way she mixes people's differences and choices so that you can see what it's like to be a human living amongst other humans.

As good as Bel Canto. I enjoyed this book very much.

I've read twenty pages out of this book and absolutely love it. I am really having a hard time putting it down and cannot wait to finish it. Ann Patchett is one of the foremost storytellers of our time and this book is a gem. Read it and love it.

DELIGHTFUL!

I love this author, and this book did not disappoint.

When Parsifal, a handson and charming magician, dies suddenly, his widow Sabine - who was also his faithful assistant for 20 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 adventure she embarks upon will work it's on magic on her.

Wonderful book and an easy read. The book really sucked you into the story and the characters really came alive.
From the back;
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 is alive and well. Sabine is left to unravel his secrets.....
I don't want to give away too much of the story. Great book.

"Patchett's third novel is something of a magic trick itself -- a '90s love story wrought with all the grace and classic charm of a nineteenth-century novel....We read [this] with the same pleasure and awe of an audience watching a chained Houdini escape from an underwater chamber." --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 adventure she embarks upon, from sunny Los Angeles to the bitter windswept plains of Nebraska, will work its own magic on her. Sabine's extraordinary tale will capture the heart of its readers just as Sabine herself is captured by her quest. (from back of book)

Awesome! As good as Bel Canto.

A good read.

beautiful writing. Ann Patchett has great prose style, and the redemptive story is unique and unexpected.

Excellent, engrossing, typical Ann Patchett.

Loved loved loved it - so different fromother books truly contemporary life

Captivating story of love and loss. Sabine is the widow of Parsifal, the magician. His past becomes known after his death and she goes in search of his family to try to better understand him. What follows is illuminating and surprising. I very much enjoyed this book.

Quite a page turner!

Enjoyed very much.

If you liked Bel Canto, you will love this one!

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