Wealth By Ann Patchett: Summary

Commonwealth a novel by Ann Patchett is the story of marriage, divorce, happiness, death, love, survival and the Commonwealthunconditional love of family. In an attempt to avoid his growing family on Sunday, a family day, Bert Cousins crashes Franny Keating’s christening party, telling his wife it’s a “work thing”. He brings along the only thing he had around the house that might pass as a gift, a big bottle of gin. Bert Cousin’s bottle of gin mixed with the juice from the Keating’s backyard orange tree changes the course of the two families’ lives. Franny’s mom, Beverly, the most beautiful women in any room, catches Bert’s attention and when he finds himself alone with her, he kisses her. Beverly and Bert marry and move from California to the commonwealth of Virginia where Bert grew up.
The Cousin’s children: Calvin, Holly, Jeanette and Albie stay in California with their mother Teresa. Despite Teresa’s protests, the children spend the whole summer with their father in Virginia. Bern avoids the children as much as possible and Beverly is ill equipped to take care of six children. The siblings develop bonds that spread across family lines. Their summers are spent mostly unsupervised wandering around their Grandparent’s farm and the countryside. One summer day in the commonwealth of Virginia, tragedy strikes that changes everything. The children stick together to create a cover-up of the days