This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage

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by Ann Patchett

Ann Patchett, author of State of Wonder, Run, and Bel Canto, investigates her deepest commitments — to writing, family, friends, dogs, books, and her husband — in This is the Story of a Happy Marriage, which blends literature and memoir to create a riveting image of a life.

This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage immerses us in Ann Patchett's real-life environment. It spans her life from infancy to the present, from a catastrophic early marriage to a later happy one, and touches on a wide range of issues, including family and friend connections, the hard labor and delight of writing, and the unexpected excitement of starting a bookshop.

Ann Patchett puts into foreground the huge experiences and tiny moments that have influenced her as a daughter, wife, and writer as she reveals stories of the people, places, values, and art to which she has stayed irrevocably dedicated.

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Our favourite quote from This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage

Listen she said, everything ends, every single relationship you will ever have in your lifetime is going to end.... I'll die, you'll die, you'll get tired of each other. You don't always know how it's going to happen, but it is always going to happen. So stop trying to make everything permanent, it doesn't work. I want you to go out there and find some nice man you have no intention of spending the rest of your life with. You can be very, very happy with people you aren't going to marry.

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Listen she said, everything ends, every single relationship you will ever have in your lifetime is going to end.... I'll die, you'll die, you'll get tired of each other. You don't always know how it's going to happen, but it is always going to happen. So stop trying to make everything permanent, it doesn't work. I want you to go out there and find some nice man you have no intention of spending the rest of your life with. You can be very, very happy with people you aren't going to marry.

— Ann Patchett, This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage