Punctuation is Important
November 6, 2014 § 5 Comments
Ann Patchett, in a letter to the editor of The New York Times:
Puppy Love
I was grateful to see my book “This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage” mentioned in Paperback Row (Oct. 19). When highlighting a few of the essays in the collection, the review mentions topics ranging from “her stabilizing second marriage to her beloved dog” without benefit of comma, thus giving the impression that Sparky and I are hitched. While my love for my dog is deep, he married a dog named Maggie at Parnassus Books last summer as part of a successful fund-raiser for the Nashville Humane Association. I am married to Karl VanDevender. We are all very happy in our respective unions.
ANN PATCHETT
NASHVILLE
BREVITY's Nonfiction Blog 
Classic.
Well said!
Ann Patchett handled this with humor and class!
There would be no confusion nor need for a comma if the reviewer had inverted the two and written that the topics ranged from “her beloved dog to her stabilizing second marriage.” But then it wouldn’t have been so funny.
Reblogged this on Johnbalaya.