Watch the new season of Amazon Original series Reacher now on Prime Video. Yours with Prime.
Buy new:
-11% $23.99
FREE delivery Wednesday, February 26 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon
Sold by: CAPALAK
$23.99 with 11 percent savings
List Price: $26.99
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Wednesday, February 26 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or Prime members get FREE delivery Monday, February 24. Order within 6 hrs 58 mins.
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$23.99 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$23.99
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon
Amazon
Ships from
Amazon
Sold by
Returns
30-day refund/replacement
30-day refund/replacement
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$11.01
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Wednesday, February 26 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery Tuesday, February 25. Order within 6 hrs 58 mins
Only 2 left in stock - order soon.
$$23.99 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$23.99
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Run Hardcover – September 25, 2007

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 6,476 ratings

{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$23.99","priceAmount":23.99,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"23","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"QIn1odhHM3ZZSljpH4grQ%2Busl0epbSxIwFYh0dFeSFhzMNDpxMR4q5MV9NEcKT2Ap9qQ6475a4zTnD6xQTmu19Zyn8nEnwCXPzWCpG9zch3iInX%2Blutn%2F1krfjyClMFmz%2BL02pkJfnbfIenZrhbYChsE5%2BsNzfJ2%2FIIJGSO6bIuElyQNq%2BPMP1SqKn1OaFgz","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$11.01","priceAmount":11.01,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"11","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"01","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"QIn1odhHM3ZZSljpH4grQ%2Busl0epbSxI5m%2Bb1uedOstCjv7JcDs6brcNNjD0X4oM7Mvr7CNVmjpFvFtZN8y3j%2Fn2D%2B%2Bf6uiP90r7kfQ3%2FnUCKZiiX5fS4pSYU3WjzuuUXssWdlcuFkAfC2QXY1RVvpZTLDdBlEy5Ac7hH%2BoUKvSLxaxuegJV5VESUiTmGUAH","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

"Engaging, surprising, provocative and moving...a thoroughly intelligent book, an intimate domestic drama that nonetheless deals with big issues touching us all: religion, race, class, politics and, above all else, family." -- Washington Post

From New York Times bestselling author Ann Patchett comes an engrossing story of one family on one fateful night in Boston where secrets are unlocked and new bonds are formed.

Since their mother's death, Tip and Teddy Doyle have been raised by their loving possessive and ambitions father. As the former mayor of Boston, Bernard Doyle wants to see is sons in politics, a dream the boys have never shared. But when an argument in a blinding New England snowstorm inadvertently causes an accident that involves a stranger and her child, all Bernard Doyle cares about is his ability to keep his children--all his children--safe.

Set over a period of twenty-four hours, Run takes us from the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard to a home for retired Catholic Priests in downtown Boston. It shows us how worlds of privilege and poverty can coexist only blocks apart from each other, and how family can include people you've never even met. As an in her bestselling novel, Bel Canto, Ann Patchett illustrates the humanity that connects disparate lives, weaving several stories into one surprising and endlessly moving narrative. Suspenseful and stunningly executed, Run is ultimately a novel about secrets, duty, responsibility, and the lengths we will go to protect our children.

Books with Buzz
Discover the latest buzz-worthy books, from mysteries and romance to humor and nonfiction. Explore more

Frequently bought together

This item: Run
$23.99
Get it as soon as Wednesday, Feb 26
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Sold by CAPALAK and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.
+
$14.73
Get it as soon as Wednesday, Feb 26
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
$15.68
Get it as soon as Wednesday, Feb 26
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price: $00
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
spCSRF_Treatment
Some of these items ship sooner than the others.
Choose items to buy together.
Popular Highlights in this book

From the Publisher

9780063092792 image
THESE PRECIOUS DAYS
9780062049810 image
STATE OF WONDER
9780547521893 image
TAFT
9780547520209 image
THE PATRON SAINT OF LIARS
9780060572150 image
TRUTH & BEAUTY
9780156006217 image
THE MAGICIAN’S ASSISTANT
Customer Reviews
4.7 out of 5 stars 6,625
4.4 out of 5 stars 11,660
3.9 out of 5 stars 3,179
4.3 out of 5 stars 14,242
4.3 out of 5 stars 2,123
4.1 out of 5 stars 6,364
Price $11.29 $13.96 $10.99 $11.99 $10.16 $10.49
9780062963680 image
THE DUTCH HOUSE
9780060838720 image
BEL CANTO
9780062236685 image
THIS IS THE STORY OF A HAPPY MARRIAGE
9780062491831 image
COMMONWEALTH
9780061340642 image
RUN
Customer Reviews
4.4 out of 5 stars 78,058
4.3 out of 5 stars 14,330
4.4 out of 5 stars 3,216
4.0 out of 5 stars 30,116
4.3 out of 5 stars 6,476
Price $9.99 $12.14 $9.96 $9.99 $10.69

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

SignatureReviewed by Andrew O'HaganNovelists can no longer take it as an insult when people say their novels are like good television, because the finest American television is better written than most novels. Ann Patchett's new one has the texture, the pace and the fairy tale elegance of a half dozen novels she might have read and loved growing up, but the magic and the finesse of Run is really much closer to that of Six Feet Under or ER or The Sopranos, and that is good news for everybody, not least her readers.Bernadette and Bernard Doyle were a Boston couple who wanted to have a big lively family. They had one boy, Sullivan, and then adopted two black kids, Teddy and Tip. Mr. Doyle is a former mayor of Boston and he continues his interest in politics, hoping his boys will shape up one day for elected office, though none of them seems especially keen. Bernadette dies when the adopted kids are just four, and much of the book offers a placid requiem to her memory in particular and to the force of motherhood in lives generally. An old statue from Bernadette's side of the family seems to convey miracles, and there will be more than one before this gracious book is done. One night, during a heavy snowfall, Teddy and Tip accompany their father to a lecture given by Jessie Jackson at the Kennedy Centre. Tip is preoccupied with studying fish, so he feels more than a little coerced by his father. After the lecture they get into an argument and Tip walks backwards in the road. A car appears out of nowhere and so does a woman called Tennessee, who pushes Tip out of the car's path and is herself struck. Thus, a woman is taken to hospital and her daughter, Kenya, is left in the company of the Doyles. Relationships begin both to emerge and unravel, disclosing secrets, hopes, fears. Run is a novel with timeless concerns at its heart—class and belonging, parenthood and love—and if it wears that heart on its sleeve, then it does so with confidence. And so it should: the book is lovely to read and is satisfyingly bold in its attempt to say something patient and true about family. Patchett knows how to wear big human concerns very lightly, and that is a continuing bonus for those who found a great deal to admire in her previous work, especially the ultra-lauded Bel Canto. Yet one should not mistake that lightness for anything cosmetic: Run is a book that sets out inventively to contend with the temper of our times, and by the end we feel we really know the Doyle family in all its intensity and with all its surprises.Andrew O'Hagan's novel Be Near Me has just been published by Harcourt.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Bookmarks Magazine

Ann Patchett writes about families-from The Patron Saint of Liars (1992), in which young, unwed mothers become family, to Bel Canto (2001), in which hostages and their kidnappers forms unexpected bonds. Beautifully written, Run again explores family, this time through the lenses of birth, class, and race. While mainly a domestic drama, Run also touches on larger themes-such as social exclusion, privilege, and obligation; politics; and religion and the afterlife. Critics overall lauded Patchett's thematic depth, though a couple of reviewers noted her failure to delve deeply enough. And while most characters-particularly Kenya-captivated them, a few also described them as unrealistically sympathetic. Despite these minor complaints, Run is, at best, that rare, mature work that exquisitely dissects human relationships and possibilities.

Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper; 1st edition (September 25, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0061340634
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0061340635
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.5 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.12 x 1.09 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 6,476 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Ann Patchett
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Ann Patchett is the author of six novels, including Bel Canto, which won the Orange Prize for Fiction. She writes for the New York Times Magazine, Elle, GQ, the Financial Times, the Paris Review and Vogue. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
6,476 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers

Customers say

Customers praise the story for its engaging and memorable plotline. They find the writing style easy to read and well-crafted. The family dynamics are described as complex and special. The characters are praised for their vibrant and carefully developed stories. The visual style is described as lovely and lovingly rich. Opinions differ on the interest level, with some finding the concept interesting and the book engaging from the start, while others consider it boring or unrealistic.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

202 customers mention "Story quality"175 positive27 negative

Customers enjoyed the storyline and characters. They found the book enjoyable, with an interesting premise and a message of hope, love, and acceptance.

"...Set within a time-frame of twenty-four hours, Ann Patchett's stunning new novel Run, explores the ramifications this car accident has on all their..." Read more

"I enjoyed this book, though it wasn't my favorite Ann Patchett book. I agree with other reviewers in that I wish I had skipped the last chapter." Read more

"...At its heart, "Run" is a story about love and how it transforms people--when it's important to reach out to someone and when it's important to let go..." Read more

"...It is a great story involvng a statue handed down to the lovely saintly Bernadette, who is married to Doyle the want-to-be famous politican...." Read more

70 customers mention "Writing quality"63 positive7 negative

Customers find the writing style detailed and easy to read. They appreciate the author's skill with words and find the book engaging.

"...She is a great writer and story teller!" Read more

"...same deep insight into humanity that Patchett shares with other great writers, and builds to a conclusion that left me teary-eyed on the final page,..." Read more

"...But the lessons are real and beautifully told. Highly recommended." Read more

"...Run" contains some good imagery, and Patchett is a capable writer, but there were also instances where her writing becomes too pedantic...." Read more

60 customers mention "Family dynamics"60 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's family dynamics. They find the underlying love of a complicated family special. The story explores relationships, community, politics, and the impact of traumatic events. Customers appreciate the character study and thought-provoking cultural aspects of the book.

"...Wonderful also are the glorious forays into experience that Patchett pens -- experiences like that of Kenya running. "..." Read more

"...Run" is filled with complexities, focusing on family, religion, politics, and relationships in general...." Read more

"...She established her conflict quickly, leading seamlessly into her characters' pasts through inventive technique as she nudged the plot forward ever..." Read more

"...All of these relationships fit too neatly into place. I did love the names of the characters: Sullivan, Tip, Kenya and Tennessee...." Read more

59 customers mention "Character development"50 positive9 negative

Customers appreciate the vibrant and well-developed characters. They find the story representative of the times and the conflict seamlessly leads into the characters' pasts through an inventive technique.

"...facts in her books, in addition to loving the story and caring about her characters. She is a great writer and story teller!" Read more

"...She established her conflict quickly, leading seamlessly into her characters' pasts through inventive technique as she nudged the plot forward ever..." Read more

"...I did love the names of the characters: Sullivan, Tip, Kenya and Tennessee...." Read more

"This is a novel with excellent characters, a driving plot and I enjoyed it." Read more

26 customers mention "Visual style"26 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's visual style engaging. They appreciate the lovingly rich and warm depictions that make them feel like they could have actually occurred. Readers praise the author's style, intelligence, and humanity. They describe the book as a work of art with heartfelt moments and surprises.

"...It is a great story involvng a statue handed down to the lovely saintly Bernadette, who is married to Doyle the want-to-be famous politican...." Read more

"...Run" contains some good imagery, and Patchett is a capable writer, but there were also instances where her writing becomes too pedantic...." Read more

"...It is a gift to be able to create a story so compelling and lovely, with details that paint such pictures of the people and the places where the..." Read more

"I love Ann Patchett. Bel Canto was a masterpiece and I read this book because of her, not because the description sounded interesting...." Read more

32 customers mention "Interest"20 positive12 negative

Customers have mixed reviews about the book. Some find the concept interesting, with vivid characters and a well-told story that keeps them engaged from the first page. They appreciate the complexities of the story, which focuses on family, religion, politics, and urgency. However, others feel the book is boring and dull, with unrealistic characters and uninteresting minutiae.

"...Run" is filled with complexities, focusing on family, religion, politics, and relationships in general...." Read more

"...Didn't really provide any new insights. Found myself pushing to finish." Read more

"...out the novel, which is suitable for teens with its refreshing lack of inoffensive material...." Read more

"...leave a lasting impression, giving you: heartfelt moments, visuals, surprises or wisdom that you carry forward...." Read more

25 customers mention "Pacing"13 positive12 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing. Some find it great and moving, with a wonderful story that weaves together characters in a way that makes them feel you know them. They appreciate the clear connection of themes and how everything comes together at the end. However, others feel the plot is slow-paced and dull.

"...There are many losses in this book, but it is moving rather than sad. The family becomes closer through the course of the book...." Read more

"...There are a couple of surprises but too many slow parts that made you want to skim over it. Its not a terrible book to read, just not a great one IMO" Read more

"It is about families we make in all sorts of ways, the bonds that change over time and those that hold fast throughout a lifetime...." Read more

"...This is a slow-moving and underwhelming plot compared to Bel Canto, but it can be really appreciated if you take it character by character and focus..." Read more

Ann Patchett: A Great American Writer
5 out of 5 stars
Ann Patchett: A Great American Writer
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2007
    When Bernard Doyle's beloved young wife Bernadette dies unexpectedly, he assumes the role of both nourishing mother and loving father to his three sons. He dreams of a life in politics for the two youngest, whom he and Bernadette adopted the year before she died. They are black, bright and well-loved but neither Tip nor Terry are interested in politics. They've dutifully attended every political speech and rally to which he took them but their hearts are elsewhere. Terry wants to serve his beloved Catholic Church like his revered and aging uncle Father Sullivan. Tip, a Harvard ichthyologist, prefers to study fish and keeps his heart to himself. Sullivan, Doyle's wayward natural son is another matter. Sullivan doesn't know what he wants. Having managed to inadvertently destroy his father's career in politics, he disappears for years in Africa on a medical mission to distribute anti-retroviral drugs to combat AIDs.

    One snowy night in December the Doyle's comparatively safe and comfortable lives explode. Tip, arguing with his father about his own dreams, fails to notice an approaching car and steps backwards into the street. The woman who hurls him aside to safety takes the full impact of the Chevy Tahoe bearing down on him. With her is her eleven-year-old daughter Kenya who screams in anguish and rushes to her mother's side. While the Doyle's wait with Kenya in the hospital for news of her mother Tennessee, they learn she has no other family. Learning that Tennessee is out of danger and would have surgery on the morrow, the Doyle's take Kenya home with them for the night and find Sullivan suddenly returned from Africa.

    Set within a time-frame of twenty-four hours, Ann Patchett's stunning new novel Run, explores the ramifications this car accident has on all their lives while simultaneously delving beneath the surface events. Patchett's belief that humans are basically good shines throughout Run as she reveals the inner workings of the hearts and minds of her protagonists and shows us the world -- even the terrible frightening world of conflict and tragedy -- as it can be.

    Patchett's novels also take us to places where we might never go -- to the world of opera and terrorism in Bel Canto; to the world of magic shows and architecture in The Magician's Assistant; bartending and homeless teens in Taft; Catholic homes for unwed mothers in The Patron Saint of Liars, and an Ichthyology laboratory and four story home in Boston where the Doyle's confront the past.

    Wonderful also are the glorious forays into experience that Patchett pens -- experiences like that of Kenya running. "She let herself float forward, every step a leap, her legs stretching out like scissors, opened wide. She was a swimmer, a gymnastics star, she was a superhuman force that sat outside the fundamental law of nature. Gravity did not apply to her . . ." Neither does the gravity of the densely packed 24 hours of Run weigh Patchett's characters down. In defiance of defeat, the events of that night strengthen and free them to become more than they ever were before.
    19 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2025
    I enjoyed this book, though it wasn't my favorite Ann Patchett book. I agree with other reviewers in that I wish I had skipped the last chapter.
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2024
    ‘“Listen to me, Teddy, I’m telling you.” His voice came out in nothing but a whisper. It was a strain to hear it at all over the hiss of the oxygen. “Go as fast as you can now. Run.”’ (p325)

    I badly misunderstood the publisher’s official teaser for this novel. I read “keep his children…safe…over a period of twenty-four hours” and mistakenly expected some sort of thriller. I was wary about that: “thriller” doesn’t strike me as Ann Patchett’s sweet spot.

    But I’m happy to report I was wrong – this isn’t a thriller in any sense of the word. It’s a deep, fascinating meditation on what it means to be family. The family here is admittedly unique in its own ways (as all families are), but this family is relatable because it’s more ordinary than not. An unexpected and harrowing event triggers reckonings for several characters. But even that singular event, and the reckonings that follow, are on a par with the ordinary experience of all of us.

    One big reveal comes very early. But this is Ann Patchett, so there are surprises aplenty throughout the story. There’s at least one deliciously ambiguous, significant throw-away line that dramatically colors the story, and there’s an important secret revealed to readers but withheld completely from the characters for whom it would prove life-changing. In short, this is vintage Patchett, and there’s nothing like vintage Patchett.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2010
    I wanted to read Ann Patchett's book "Run" after reading her earlier book "Bel Canto" several years ago. This book has been out for several years, so my review is not timely! Since reading this book on my recent vacation, I've given my copy away and ordered additional copies for friends.

    "Run" is filled with complexities, focusing on family, religion, politics, and relationships in general. It makes you think about how a moment--even one circumstance or event--can change the course of your life. It makes you think about what molds us--the age-old question of whether heredity or environment has the greatest influence on our lives and what part experience plays in who we become.

    At its heart, "Run" is a story about love and how it transforms people--when it's important to reach out to someone and when it's important to let go--and all the consequences of the important choices we make.

    Ann Patchett does her research, so you also learn some interesting facts in her books, in addition to loving the story and caring about her characters. She is a great writer and story teller!
    One person found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • Bibliophile52
    5.0 out of 5 stars A story full of twists and turns that doesn't disappoint
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 6, 2025
    Gosh, this was a truly brilliant read. I so loved all the characters in this novel and the twists and turns were truly surprising. Another bobby dazzler from Ann Patchett - one of my favourite writers.
  • Tia Gorman
    5.0 out of 5 stars Always a great read
    Reviewed in Canada on April 28, 2018
    As always a great author, loved the read!
  • Ana Zorrilla Torras
    5.0 out of 5 stars Run
    Reviewed in Spain on January 26, 2018
    Maravillosa. Optimista. Me he quedado con las ganas de continuar en la vida de los Doyle y de los Moser
  • NicShef❤️Reading
    5.0 out of 5 stars Love, kindness and heart...
    Reviewed in Australia on March 30, 2017
    Ann Patchett is a superb author whose story lines and characters are unique but believable. "Run" was beautifully written, it is an interesting read, but required patience to get through. An absorbing story of a family patched together by circumstances rather than blood, but a family nonetheless. Each members sorrows, weaknesses and needs contribute to the strength of the whole. "Run" is a story about love, raising kids correctly, kindness, and heart. "Run" is well worth reading. The characters stick with you long after the book is finished.
  • DK13000
    5.0 out of 5 stars Beau roman
    Reviewed in France on May 26, 2013
    Ann Patchett est un auteur que j'apprécie beaucoup. Run est l'un de ses meilleurs romans ! (mais ils sont tous bons, en fait)..