Ann Patchett Talks Romance and Shares Her Top 4 Romantic Book Recommendations in 2026 (Exclusive)

What does Ann Patchett, the reigning queen of literary fiction, really think about the popular book genre of romance? After all, her latest smash hit Whistler—about a woman reconnecting with the beloved long-lost stepfather she hasn’t seen in 44 years—is a tender twist on a second-chance romance. The family story even opens with a sweet “meet cute” scene of sorts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. “Whistler is definitely the most romantic book I’ve ever written,” Patchett tells Woman’s World. Here’s our exclusive conversation with the bestselling author, discussing all things romance. Don’t miss her four under-the-radar book recommendations if you’re looking for a good love story to enjoy in 2026!

Does Ann Patchett write romance books?

That depends on how you define romance. In the loosely autobiographical novel Whistler, Patchett set out to capture a romance of friendship, “which is something I absolutely have,” she explains. She cites her relationship with friend Jim Fox, who the book is dedicated to, and who passed away recently. How exactly does she define a friendship romance? “When you can walk down the street holding the arm of your best friend and laughing hysterically, and being so utterly yourself.” She seems to get choked up for a moment, but teases, “I’m not moved. There’s just a lot of pollen!” She continues, “You sow yourself with that person and it feels so wonderful to be seen, to be known, to be close, to make plans together.”

The difference between romantic love and friendship love, according to Patchett

Sounds beautiful. But how is romantic love different from friendship love? Patchett, who just won the 2026 Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction, says, “In romantic love, I feel like you’re always angling a little tiny bit.” She says with a laugh, “I’ve been with my husband for 32 years, but I want him to think well of me, and at the same time, I’m ticked off that he won’t do anything about dinner.” She boils it down this way: “There’s baggage with romantic love. But romantic friendship is just like, you’re all in.”

Patchett knows a thing or two about love. In addition to her husband Karl VanDevender, Patchett is also devoted to lifelong friends, loyal readers and the special dogs in her life, like Sparky, her precious pet (pictured above), who passed away in 2024.

Does Patchett read romance books?

“I am not a classic, traditional romance reader,” admits Patchett. She explains, “Part of that is in owning the bookstore. We all have our thing.” She’s referring to Parnassus Books in Nashville, where other talented staffers handle the romance book club, romance subscription boxes and romance book recommendations. Patchett quips, “Romance is covered. Literary fiction needs me.”

That said, Patchett admits that many classic stories she’s enjoyed in the past contain romantic themes. And as her motto goes: “If you haven’t read it, it’s new to you!”

Patchett’s top 4 recommendations for books about love

A voracious reader, Patchett always has good books to recommend. So we asked for her best backlist picks with romantic themes. Here are the four books she recommends if you’re looking for under-the-radar romance reads…

‘Middlemarch’ by George Eliot

“The book that I am listening to right now is Middlemarch by George Eliot, which is one of those books I’ve been meaning to read for 40 years, and I’m finally doing it,” reveals Patchett. “There are so many books like Middlemarch—like Jane Austen’s Persuasion and all of Jane Austen—so many literary classics that really function as romance if you read them with that in your heart.”

This sweeping novel from 1871, subtitled A Study of Provincial Life, explores nineteenth century Victorian culture by following the domestic lives of various people in town. Told from different points of view, “the actions of the characters revolve around love mostly,” shares one online reviewer. For example, there’s Dorothea Brooke, an idealistic young woman stuck in an unhappy marriage. And there’s Tertius Lydgate, the town’s new doctor who tries to bring healing to the area but suffers from unrequited love himself.

Another online reviewer raved, “Wow. At 75, married to the same woman for more than half a century, George Eliot nailed so many [profound] challenges and family relationships in Middlemarch, I had to stop reading often in order to underline text and consider what I’d just read.”

‘Family Happiness’ by Laurie Colwin

What else does Patchett recommend in the wide world of romance? “I would say go back and read old Laurie Colwin novels,” says Patchett. “All of them. They’re like popcorn. They seem just like the lightest, fluffiest, simplest romance. And boy, they’re not.” She explains, “They’re so well written and so well constructed and so much more than you bargained for.” Critics called Colwin a “domestic sensualist.” But Patchett adds that these stories are “small and they’re light and they have those kinds of romance covers.” You can probably picture the books with the slightly cartoonish covers that make them call out to you from a bookstore shelf.

Patchett suggests starting with the book Family Happiness. In the story, main character Polly looks like a perfectly happy wife and mother, but she’s struggling, feeling both neglected and always needed by her family. Then we get a peek into her secret love affair. The story explores a woman’s desire to have more, and how much is too much.

Patchett reveals, “It’s a secret underground cult: people who read Laurie Colwin.” Case in point: Elin Hilderbrand, best-selling author of The Five-Star Weekend, recommended Family Happiness to her online followers in a post saying, “Every time I sit down to write a book, I try to write this book. It’s perfect.”

‘Happy All The Time’ by Laurie Colwin

How about another Colwin winner? When asked about her favorite Colwin novel, Patchett lights up: “Happy All the Time. I know I loved Happy All the Time. That’s like everything you need to know.” And she recommends the ideal order mapped out to enjoy these books: “Read Family Happiness and then read Happy All the Time. Colwin also has a wonderful nonfiction book called Home Cooking.” Patchett says in the interview, “Save my phone number because when you read Laurie Colwin, you’re going to be like, ‘I’ve got to call her and thank her!’”

This “sophisticated romantic comedy” from 1978 follows two couples, both trying to find love, despite their own shortcomings amid the messiness of life. One online reviewer shared, “My favorite book of all time. If I were on a desert island, etc, Happy All the Time would be the book I’d take. I reread it at least once yearly. I judge all other comedies-of-manners against this novel. And, it always comes out on top.”

‘Mrs. Caliban’ by Rachel Ingalls

Deal of the Day

This Deep Conditioning Collagen Hair Mask for Has 4.9 Stars and Is 80% Off — Get It for $20! View Deal

Looking for a slightly wild behind-closed-doors romance? Patchett recommended this 1982 book on stage to a sold-out crowd at a National Writers Series event in Michigan while on book tour. She calls it “the lizard book.” It’s about a lonely woman and a sea monster. “Mrs. Caliban is a sort of 1950s-style housewife who opens her door one day, and there is a giant frogman, lizard man,” Patchett explains, “And they start a torrid affair.”

Intrigued? The book was even highlighted in the Vulture column, “The Best Sex I’ve Ever Read.” One online reviewer shared, “What did I just read… It’s been two months since I finished reading this book and it is still occupying space in my brain. I find myself thinking back on it, analyzing it and just continuing to be shocked by it. I don’t even have the words to describe it—just read it, you won’t regret it.

Bottom line: If you haven’t read these old books with romantic themes, Patchett enthusiastically says, “They’re new to you!” So dig in and enjoy. And remember what Patchett feels deep down to be true: Any book can be a romance book if you read it with love in your heart!