Whistler – Ann Patchett

Published By: Bloomsbury
Pages: 320
Released On: 02/06/2026

When Daphne notices an older gentleman following her around the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, she doesn’t expect it to be Eddie – her former stepfather.

Married to her mother for a short time when Daphne was nine, she hasn’t seen Eddie for many years; not since the fateful event that changed the direction of both their lives.

Meeting again now, Daphne and Eddie feel that time has fallen away. Their earlier relationship was brief but had a profound impact on both of them. Together, they consider not only their past, but the joys of the present and their commitment to face the future together.

*****

Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.

I own a copy of Ann’s books but I haven’t read them yet so I went into this with no expectations.

The chapters were long. I love a short chapter. But in here they were very long, which isn’t a deal breaker but I didn’t enjoy them as much as I might have done if they’d been shorter.

There is barely a plot. Which sounds negative but it’s not necessarily. It’s about people, relationships, family, memories etc.

There’s a sparse cast of characters and whilst there isn’t much meat to them, I did enjoy reading about them. They were very different to each other but felt familiar.

It’s a quiet book, full of beauty but without much substance.

It’s good, don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it and I’m keen to read her other books. There’s no denying her storytelling ability to write about such mundane stuff and make it enjoyable. And I don’t mind gentle books as a whole but I wanted more. More of a plot to get my teeth into or more development of the characters or something to get me excited, because I think that was the problem. A good piece of writing but quite boring to read.

Leave a comment