Taft

 

Taft by Ann Patchett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This story fell a little flat for me. It is a story of a black man who owns a bar. Perhaps that was part of the problem--I was nervous the whole time that Patchett would misstep in her portrayal of another race, another gender. I can't be entirely sure she doesn't (being neither myself) and maybe it's unfair to not allow an author to become whomever they want. Aside from that, the main character wants things and thinks about things, but he rarely does anything of his own volition--just sort of lets things happen to him, or tries to stay out of the way. Things turn out ok in the end, but if there's a character arch, it's tiny. Not one of my favorite Patchett novels but still some great passages.

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