The Magician's Assistant

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Sealed Good in a Can: When Shandu is trapped in the vortex, he appears in a reflection to advise Todd. Neb., where his mother and two sisters still live, though he hadn't seen them for decades. When the frumpy Dot Fetters and her daughter Bertie show up in Los Angeles to meet Guy's wife and see his grave -- right next to Phan's Rule #1: Over the course of the first act, Shandu reveals three cardinal rules of magic to Todd. Rule #1: "Never, ever touch another magician's wand unless he hands it to you." Rule #2: "Only let them see what you want them to see." Rule #3: "Never, ever get caught in your own reflection." After Todd uses the three rules to defeat Nazrak, Shandu passes his wand on to him, and just before he disappears, he reveals Rule #4: "Always leave them wanting more." Does that (somewhat clumsy) summary make this one sound odd? Don’t get too hung up on it. Patchett manages to make it all work, somehow! My Thoughts:

The Magician’s Assistant” by Ann Patchett Thoughts on “The Magician’s Assistant” by Ann Patchett

Magical Rule #3 comes up when rehearsal of a disappearing act goes badly: "Never, ever get caught in your own reflection." The real appeal of ''The Magician's Assistant'' lies in the small, accumulating ways in which Sabine and the Fetters family assist one another out of isolation and sorrow. By the end, they have all been somewhat transformed --

Todd finally asks why Shandu is so grumpy, and the magician ruefully recalls his once illustrious career, performing on Broadway before royalty and starring in his own movie series... which hasn't even been released on video.

The Magician’s Assistant by Ann Patchett | Waterstones

arsifal is dead,'' reads the startling opening of ''The Magician's Assistant,'' Ann Patchett's third novel. ''That is Lots of credit to you for giving her a third shot! If I don’t like the first and I take a chance on the second it had better be good!Stage Magician: Shandu the Magnificent had an illustrious career as a world famous conjurer. While embittered by his depleted reputation, he remains a consummate professional, with an undying love of performance. A contradiction in herself, the beautiful Sabine has rejected many admirers to devote her entire adult life to loving Parsifal, assisting his magic act and finally helping him tend his dying Vietnamese lover, Phan. Now middle-aged and alone in Phan's