After listening to “My Precious Days” recently- ‘twice’ already….
and half way into my 3rd round —
I discovered the library had a copy of audiobook “Truth and Beauty”… (one-of-a-few Patchett books I hadn’t read-yet)…
so I switched books.

The Audiobook is 8 hours and 6 minutes long. Ann reads it proficiently and wonderfully as she ‘can do’ and ‘does do’.

I had not been very far into “Truth and Beauty”, when I realized … as in “Omg, of course….Ann was writing about the woman -
Lucy Grealy—who wrote a memoir called “Autobiography of a Face”….
“Of course - how could I ever forget the gripping memoir and the horrific ways society revealed itself in the face of a disfigured face, due to cancer?”
I had forgotten the name, *Lucy Grealy*, but never the story….
… a book I read years ago.

It almost feels sacrilegious to not read each of these books-[buddy-books] to each other. Ann and Lucy’s.
The reader sees many sides of the coins by reading both books.
It doesn’t matter what order…but by reading Lucy Greely’s memoir… and Ann’s non-fiction book (about their life together)
its an -ovation to both books….
…and both for very different reasons.

Adding
“My Precious Days” to the mix has another story to tell —my personal favorite…
encompassing grander to each of Ann’s book: be it fiction or non fiction.

Since I had just read “My Precious Days” -two-and-a-half times so far…
I recognized similar themes with “Truth and Beauty”, but there were also great differences. I won’t say more as to not spoil either books that Ann wrote.

I liked it … heck, I loved it!!
Ann and Lucy’s friendship haunted me … (an unhealthy relationship on many levels)..
I saw a different side of Lucy Grealy from Ann that of Lucy’s memoir.

Ann writes so beautifully…
“Truth and Beauty” — besides the story Ann tells about her Iowa roommate; Lucy Grealy, she gives us a great glimpse into the gifted and motivated writer was years ago in college and the masterful writer she is today.

"Truth and Beauty" is a memoir about the close friendship Ann Patchett shared with the writer Lucy Grealy. At the age of nine, Grealy was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma. She went through years of radiation, chemotherapy, and reconstructive surgeries of her lower jaw. But it was still difficult for her to eat, speak, and kiss. Grealy published the successful "Autobiography of a Face" in 1994 about her experiences.

Patchett and Grealy, both graduates of Sarah Lawrence College, became best friends when sharing an apartment at the Iowa Writers' Workshop. Although Grealy had a great number of friends, she longed for true love with a man. No relationship met her romantic expectations, and her overwhelming need for love. In addition to physical pain, Grealy also suffered the emotional pain of feeling unattractive and had a history of depression.

The book is a combination of Patchett's memories and Grealy's letters. Grealy comes across as creative, intelligent, and charismatic, but also extremely irresponsible with money and emotionally needy. Patchett spent twenty years as her devoted, loving, responsible friend. While the friendship brought many moments of joy to Patchett, it also seemed very demanding and suffocating. In spite of the overwhelming efforts of Patchett and others, no one could save Grealy from her demons. This memoir of a fascinating friendship kept my attention from beginning to end.

The voice of the author, Ann Patchett, reading the memoir she wrote, is soothing. At 18 'pages' in I became immersed in her story of a friendship with Lucy Grealy. They went to the same college, but did not know each other then. The friendship 'takes off' when they both enroll at the Iowa Writer's Workshop.

After listening to this book, I realize that Ann Patchett is the BEST best friend anyone ever had. Lucy had been diagnosed with a rare cancer in her jaw and endured 38 operations to rebuild it and insert some teeth. Operation after operation was unsuccessful and had to be re-done. At one point, in order to get a firm base for teeth implants, the doctors removed her femur to build up her jaw bone.

As a result of the operations and the inability to eat or close her mouth completely, Lucy became a needy person. She called Ann every day. "Do you love me?" she asked and Ann always said yes.

Lucy did write a book entitled Autobiography of a Face. Lucy died an early death at the age of 39. She might have choked; she might have overdosed.

I gave this book 4 stars but be prepared for a very sad story.

4 stars

I felt like a voyeur at times reading this beautifully written ode to Ann's friend, Lucy, but I couldn't stop reading about Lucy's wonderful, unusual, terrible life. Lucy is such a captivating character, but has to endure surgery after surgery and problem after problem as a result of cancer of the jaw as a child.

I can't decide how to rate this - it's real life, recounting events, not at first as difficult as creating a fictional masterpiece, and yet it's beautifully written and completely fascinating. There are probably a few times things that seemed a little repetitive...but then, they seemed to keep repeating to Ann too, and that repetition was an important part of life. 4.5 stars?

I want to give Ann a hug and tell her everything will be okay, but it's not true.

A justly acclaimed memoir about the friendship between the novelist Ann Patchett (Bel Canto, State Of Wonder) and the memoirist/poet Lucy Grealy (Autobiography Of A Face).

The two graduated the same year from Sarah Lawrence, but they became close only when they lived together while studying and teaching at the Iowa Writer’s Workshop. That friendship continued through their years struggling to publish, win grants and fellowships, on through successes, setbacks, publication, fame and Grealy’s untimely death, in 2002, at 39.

As Patchett points out early on in achingly beautiful prose, the two had an ant/grasshopper, turtle/hare dynamic. Patchett was the responsible one and Grealy, we soon see, was impulsive and needy, constantly requiring validation and love.

And no wonder. At 9, Grealy was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called Ewing’s sarcoma. This led to the removal of her jawbone, and over the years she had dozens of reconstructive surgeries. All of this led to childhood and adolescent taunting, chronic pain and constant difficulty eating, and a lifetime of insecurity and self-consciousness about her looks. (She would detail this in Autobiography Of A Face years later.)

What comes across clearly is a strange, mysterious alchemy – a chemistry, a blending of souls – in their friendship. We tend to think that only romantic love depends on chemistry; but friends need it too. And reading Patchett’s lines and reading between the lines, you can see the real love blossom between them.

Patchett recounts the fun, the dancing, the talking, the drinking, the work, the petty squabbles over writing, men and messes both literal and figurative (while they were both writers, they weren’t as competitive since they wrote in different genres). She also includes generous glimpses of their correspondence to add context. (Spoiler alert: these women know how to write!)

There are lots of laughs, like the time Grealy went on a blind date with George Stephanopoulos (even this episode, though, is tinged with sadness). And there are a couple of vivid descriptions of publishing parties, including one awkward one celebrating author Dennis McFarland.

As the book progresses, and Grealy begins taking drugs because of pain caused by surgeries (including one where her tibia was removed to graft onto her face), you begin to see where the narrative is headed. But it’s never predictable. Near the end there are a couple of moments that must have caused Patchett great remorse to remember and write down.

What do I take away from this book, besides wanting to read Grealy’s own memoir?

I think about the role my closest, dearest friends play in my life. How many people would pretend they’re your sibling to stay by your hospital bedside after an operation? Who would you let stay with you so they could recover from addiction? Would you ever collect months and months of a friend’s bills and forge their signature on cheques so they wouldn’t have to deal with it all?

There’s some codependency in these accounts, of which I’m sure Patchett is aware, but there’s also a fierce, unconditional love that is astonishing to behold.

Lots of truth, and so much beauty.

A riveting portraying of a profound friendship between two writers, both enormously talented, one terribly damaged.

Exquisite yet maddening... Gorgeous yet flawed... And, yes, the grasshopper and the ant, depicted (attractively) on the cover (and exploited throughout). Yes, but ... no, not always....

At this point, enough years after its publication, few readers come to this book without baggage. No doubt many pick it up because they've become enamored with Ann Patchett. She won me over with Bel Canto, satisfied me with Run, underwhelmed me with The Magician's Assistant, but recaptured my allegiance with State of Wonder. Other read this having read Autobiography of A Face (which I've not yet, read, but I probably will now) and/or Lucy Grealy's sister's letter/essay criticizing this work, its premise, and, ultimately, its ethics. For me - unfamiliar with Grealy's life or her best known book - the content was all new, and I found the story interesting and, at times, compelling, yet, ultimately, maddening. But, apparently, few readers sympathize (or, apparently, empathize) with both partners in this strange two-decade waltz.

Changing gears, I'd recommend this book (in addition to any other reason to read it) for anyone who aspires to write - but has never done so (or never done so successfully). For every success story, there are legions of talented, thoughtful, committed, artistic, creative, and highly motivated literary authors whose work will never be read. Patchett offers a glimpse into the discipline, sacrifice, patience, perseverance, dependence, philanthropy, and, frankly, luck that makes or breaks those who embark upon such a perilous quest. (And, as daunting as that quest might seem, Patchett begins her quest having already been admitted to one of the nation's most expensive colleges, which was uniquely well suited to advance her career and gain her acceptance into the community she hoped to join.)

I dog-eared three pages - which I won't mention here, because I don't like spoilers - that contained passages that were as graceful and transcendent and beautiful and ... dare I say ... perfect as anything I remember reading. I'd recommend the book for them alone. Patchett writes beautifully, although I realize not everyone agrees. But my guess is that few readers who have read more than a couple of Patchett's book would not be, first, fascinated by the autobiographical elements and, second, immensely pleased with the prose.

I remember seeing Lucy a couple of times in downtown Iowa City and am sorry I never actually met her, although I very much doubt that she would have found anything of interest in me. Anne's memoir of their friendship haunted me when I read it last spring and Lucy still does. A number of readers have quite reasonably questioned how Ann could have endured a relationship with such a clingy narcissist as Lucy. I suspect that any of us who have ever had a relationship with a very exciting but very high maintenance person know part of the answer, that other less wearing but less demanding relationships just seem a bit dull in comparison.

An interesting read and a new perspective after reading Autobiography of a Face a few months ago. Sad and sweet and made me think a lot about the concept of friendship.

I read Anatomy of a Face first, as advised, which gave me Lucy Grealy’s poetic interpretation of her life as a childhood cancer patient. This book presents the story of her life from the outside, told by her self-professed best friend.

I learned as much, if not more, about Patchett as I did about Grealy. I also understood why so many berated Patchett for publishing this work. But I get it. Of course Patchette would write about her interpretation of events - that’s what memoirs do! I’m biased that Patchett is a favorite of mine and is a kindred spirit when it comes to work ethic, guilt, friendship, and duty. I get her. I didn’t “get” Lucy. But neither did she. Anne didn’t “get” Lucy, she just loved her.

A wonderful book. Oddly, Ann is less likable given how she portrayed herself in this memoir. But after reading it, I like her even more.

I picked up this book because I read "Bel Canto" and loved it, and loved Ann Patchett's writing style. I also think that, in general, friendship does not get enough respect in our society. There's a lot of attention payed to family and lovers, but not much to friends.
This is the story of a friendship between the author and a woman she went to college with. They both end up at the University of Iowa's Writer's Workshop at the same time, and a beautiful, life-long friendship ensues. I loved the beginning because I went to the University of Iowa. I think I even know the house on Governor Street where they were roomies. I lived on Governor Street, and I worked at Great Midwestern Ice Cream Co., where another scene in the book takes place. So, there's my own nostalgia for Iowa City in there!
The friend, Lucy, suffered from a rare form of cancer affecting her jaw at an early age, and her face was deformed as a result. The book chronicles her exuberance, her depressions, her self-destructive behavior, and the author's many attempts to try to save a friend she dearly loves. It's not Lucy's face so much that is her downfall, but her utter lack of a sense of identity, and her desperate need to be loved and considered beautiful, at whatever cost. In the end, it is a beautifully written testament to friendship, and also to the lives of two writers struggling to remain true to their craft.

So this was Ann Patchett's third strike and this reader declares her banned from the game in perpetuity. Certainly better than State of Wonder and Bel Canto (I don't care how many awards that book won, it's bad!) and I've wasted enough time trying to figure out what people see in her as a writer.

Easy to see what Lucy Grealy saw in her as a friend, though - an eager co-dependent. While the fact that this is not a novel helps Patchett on the plotting front significantly (no more crazy and unbelievable endings as the facts dictated the end of this one), there are still incredible gaps in the narrative that leave the reader frustrated. Where were Lucy Grealy's parents and her relationship to her parents in this whole extraordinary mess of a life? How is it possible two such close friends would never have discussed their parents - or their siblings? How can one write a 257-page book about one of your closest friendships and never mention that one's friend has a non-identical twin?

Here's an article from Lucy Grealy's sister that raises some of these questions - and a whole lot more:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2004/...