James Patterson is a prolific and popular author. According to Publishers’ Weekly, he sold his 100 millionth book in April 2023.^[i] “Patterson has already published 319 books. About 109 of them have been New York Times bestsellers, according to his publisher, Hachette Book Group.”^[ii] He has co-authored two books with Bill Clinton – The President is Missing (2018) and The President’s Daughter (2021). And now Run Rose Run, co-authored with Dolly Parton.

Our general response to the novel was that Dolly Parton’s voice and music-industry details were interesting, but the mystery and ending were disappointing, if not downright bad. The first responder, who generally seems to like all books, apologized because she found the story trite and a little far-fetched, but she was interested in the music Dolly Parton wrote for the book. Another member called it saccharine, a bunch of slush. Even as we discounted the likelihood of many plot points—secrets, superhuman resilience, contract negotiations without help, and more—we also recognized that people who experience trauma often find it difficult to trust, that Ruthanna seemed so much like we imagine Dolly Parton to be that many of us were willing to suspend our disbelief and just be entertained.

As usual we found personal connections. One of us grew up near Hollywood, fantasizing about becoming a star and walking into the studios there; he found he could live vicariously through the story. Another member drew our attention to the fact that the girl was still being saved by the man in the end. That member was inspired by the enthusiasm of others in previous meetings to quote directly from the book where Ruthanna is referencing her daughter: “She’d finally gotten out of her mother’s shadow, only to turn around and walk right into his.”

Although there was one member at the meeting who did not know about Dolly Parton before reading Run Rose Run, most of us knew some of her music, her movies, her philanthropy, and many looked up more because of the book. Interspersed throughout our discussion were details and questions about Dolly Parton.   One of us recommended Ken Burns’ 2019 documentary Country Music.^[iii] We discussed Dolly Parton’s relationship with Porter Wagoner and how being called “little” would be triggering. We discussed who could play the roles in the proposed movie version – if not Dolly Parton for Ruthanna, then Annie Potts! 

At the end of the meeting, we watched a short interview with Dolly Parton and James Patterson on Good Morning America.^[iv] Most of us questioned how they wrote the novel together and apparently James Patterson sent an outline of chapters and plot and Dolly fleshed the characters in a bit and sent the chapters back. We also watched Dolly Parton singing a song she wrote for Johnny Carson, to showcase the young, prolific songwriter.^[v]  And, in addition to our regular snacks, we had some Tennessee Moonpies, minus the RC Cola!

OTHER WORKS DISCUSSED:

• Run Rose Run (Music) by Dolly Parton available in CD or streaming or on Dolly Parton’s website
• Nine to Five (1980) Film starring Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin
• Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) Film starring Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds
• Country Music: a film by Ken Burns (2019) 16 hour PBS mini-series
• George and Tammy (2022-2023) Showtime original T.V. show starring Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain
• Begin Again (2013) Film starring Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo
• Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings (2019) Netflix T.V. Series creating stories based on Dolly Parton’s songs 
• • Songs:

1. “I Will Always Love You” (1973) written by Dolly Parton (made popular by Whitney Houston)
2. “Jolene” (1973) Dolly Parton
3. “He Stopped Loving Her Today” (1980) George Jones (written by  B. Braddock and C. Putman) mentioned as the saddest song ever written

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^[i] https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/people/article/92158-james-patterson-sells-his-100-millionth-book.html

^[ii] https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/james-patterson-books-sold-net-worth-celebrity-collaborations

^[iii]Available through the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District in DVD format or streaming.  This is 16 hours of film during which, according to TheLibraryDistrict.org, “Ken Burns chronicles the history of a uniquely American art form, rising from the experiences of remarkable people in distinctive regions of the nation. From its roots in ballads, hymns, and the blues to its mainstream popularity, viewers will follow the evolution of country music over the course of the twentieth century as it eventually emerged to become America’s music. Features never-before-seen footage and photographs, plus interviews with more than 80 country music artists.”

^[iv] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOLENwJCpLM

^[v] This is the entire Johnny Carson Interview. The song starts at about 11:15.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7TL0E-U4vY