Tom Lake

Listened to the audiobook narrated by Meryl Streep. The story was extraordinarily fascinating or captivating on its own, but Meryl Streep’s narration was so fantastic, it carried the entire story! This is the story of a mother recounting her teenage summer when she acted in theatre and was so close to making it as a famous movie star, and how she dated someone who later turned out to be a Hollywood superstar. The story keeps us engaged, and the author takes us between different time periods, when Lara was her teenage self, and when she has grown up and is an elderly mother of three women. It explores the relationship between all characters, friends, lovers, daughters alike. Although, I feel like the story would have had a more complete feel to it if Duke’s point of view was included as well. We can all agree Duke was a jerk, but it would have been good to hear what he thought of his actions. 5/5 stars for Meryl Streep’s narration, and 4/5 stars for the story.

Calling all theatre lovers! Where are my theatre geeks? This is our book. The intersection of Chekhov and Our Town is too much for my BFA in Theatre heart to take. Because I played the Stage Manager in Our Town in High School I was knee deep into this book on page TWO. Auditions for Our Town? I am paying attention. I really enjoyed this book. Ann Patchett coyly gives us THREE SISTERS on a CHERRY ORCHARD and theatre loving parents who quote Anton Chekhov. OKAY I am belaboring the point but all of you out there with no point of reference for any of this you will love this study of young love, parental love, sibling love and then that final deep and abiding love that comes from knowing who you are and being happy with the life you've chosen. That is the story Ann Patchett has created here. She has cleverly woven in the pandemic to a bygone story of young love lost- but boy does that story rage bright and brilliant. I've read many stories with parallel timelines. This one is different. The story told during summer stock 25+ years earlier is a wholly developed story in and of itself. These are not flashbacks. Ann Patchett truly introduces us to these young wild characters and invests her storytelling prowess in them. This book is going to stick with me. I loved it.

Just a beautiful, insightful story. I listened to the audiobook, and Meryl Streep's performance was (of course) above and beyond. For me, the book itself is 4-stars, but bumped up because of the narration. I'm so glad that I finally picked up a book by Ann Patchett, whose Friday book recommendations on TikTok I always look forward to!

As a fan of Thornton Wilder (I read a great biography of him a few years ago), I appreciated the “Our Town” thread that ran throughout TOM LAKE. Lara, the narrator, is from New Hampshire and appears in a production of the play in high school and later as a professional in summer stock at Tom Lake, an arts community in Michigan (a la Interlochen?). She falls in love (or is seduced off her feet) by the actor who plays her father, although he is only a couple of years older. The book is the story of their tortured relationship as told by her many years later to her daughters. One of the things I liked about this structure is that it is crystal clear why this narrator is telling this story and to whom it is being told. Still, I'm struggling to find depth in this story, as engaging a read as it was.

This was a gem of a book! Patchett is so good at weaving a story together. This one brings together two timelines as a mother tells her daughters about a summer when she was young. I love how Patchett's writing is simple yet evocative as she tells her tale. This didn't end up being my favorite Patchett book, but if you enjoy character-focus novels, give this one a try.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC.

Reading this book was such a relaxing, pleasant experience. The writing is so smooth and beautiful, and the storytelling is top notch. This is my first Ann Patchett read, but I feel like it will not be the last.

Lara is the book's main character who tells her three daughters the story of her summer fling with a famous actor, Peter Duke. Her family is stuck on their cherry farm during the Covid pandemic lockdown, so they spend their time picking cherries and telling stories. The daughters are obviously fascinated to learn more about their mother's acting experience and her love affair with Duke. Through her story, Lara reveals some unexpected truths that impact her daughters' opinions of her and their beloved actor.

The story unfolds at a slow, but engaging pace. Patchett takes her time describing people and places in a way that places the reader into the events, yet the story never lags. I kept wanting to continue to the next chapter because the storytelling was so good. It felt like I was one of the daughters listening to the story in the cherry orchard.

While the story Lara tells is about her past relationship with a man, the book is really about her current relationships and how she has reached this point in her life. I enjoyed the dynamic between her and her daughters as well as her relationship with her husband. There are a few moments in the present timeline that connect back to Peter Duke, but the story is not about him.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and give it 4.5 stars. The writing is so easy to read and the pace is perfect. While it does not delve into complex or provocative themes, it does tell a beautiful story. And that is enough.

I was so bored. The protagonist is a former movie star and she's telling her 3 daughters about her life when she was famous. They live and work on their orchard in Michigan? And the author tries to leave little breadcrumbs to get the reader curious but I'm just so bored, not engaged, and I just don't care about this actresses past. DNF.

Lara, her husband, and her three grown daughters stay together during the start of the pandemic, picking cherries on the family farm, and, to pass the time, Lara begins to tell her daughters the story of her relationship as a young woman with a man who has eventually become a movie star.

A gentle story of young love, of family, of the search for happiness.

3.5 - The writing in this novel is really well-done. It was a pleasant read, but I didn't find the plot particularly gripping. It's more of a cozy family drama, though not heavy on the drama. Lara, the main character, shares her past as an actress with her daughters, focusing on the summer she fell in love with someone who later became a famous actor. Reading this book was like taking a leisurely stroll through the park on a sunny day - enjoyable, but not super memorable.

Honestly, if I judged this book by its cover, I probably wouldn't have picked it up or had any clue what it was about. But I'm glad I got it as a gift because it was worth reading. Even looking at the cover now, it still doesn't seem to match the story, but somehow it captures the essence of reading the book.

I found it overall just a blah story. I especially didn’t get or engage with Duke. I didn’t get her desire for him. Her descriptions of him weren’t particularly sexy or juicy. He seemed to treat her more like an object or he was neglectful and selfish. He was a bad influence on her. Not sure what she liked about him. He wasn’t likable. She described the scenery beautifully. The family characters were boring or whiny. Joe had absolutely no personality. I’d skip it if you’re considering reading this. It’s overhyped, probably because she has other books that are great, and because Meryl Streep is narrating the audio version.

I have never been so disappointed by a book. So much praise about an author that, at least for this book, seems to give up after page 50. The primes seemed interesting but the execution was weird. Interestingly, the book seemed really nice up to 40% length. After that, it seems that the author gives up or simply doesn't know anymore what to say about this story. Also the style deteriorates after the first half of the book, reaching terribile peaks of triavilty. Not only that, but the story is never fully developed. Should I really believe that Lara's is so so happy with John , as she likes to repeat 100 times during the book, if her own world and memories seems to be completely stuck in that summer? She even called one of her daughter Emily (another stupid cliche).

This is a trad wife manifesto railing against the godless liberals that dominate the entertainment ecosystem. It's about celebrating the pure sanctity of hetero marriage prevailing over Hollywood hedonism. Let's make America great again through ambitious procreation and relying on good old fashion American born labour, instead of foreign migrant workers. This may be set North of Richmond, but it's truly a harkening to the days of cherry trees, George Washington, and “I can't tell a lie.” This book bleeds red, white, and blue.

I mean.

This is a cozy, Covid-era story filled with warmth and love. The Nelson kids have all returned home during lockdown and are passing the time as the cherry harvest comes in. Their mother Lara indulges in some sun dappled reminiscing of a summer in 1988 down at Tom Lake when she is part of a young theatre troupe putting on a production of Our Town. It is there she first meets Peter Duke who would go on to massive Hollywood fame. Over the course of several days she will share her story, if only to convince her incredulous kids that there's no place she'd rather be than right here, picking cherries on the family farm.

Think of it as bi-partisan literary fiction. I loved it either way.

This is a quietly immersive book that snuck up on me and captivated my heart. I found the framing device very effective- we are in the present with a mother, father, and their three daughters isolating themselves due to the pandemic and hearing the story (which forms the majority of the narrative) of the summer their mother spent at Tom Lake, a summer stock theatre group in Michigan putting on plays. She was the lover of Peter Drake, the confidante of best friend and fellow actress Pallace, and friend of Drake's brother and Pallace's lover Sebastian. I read this in two days and every time I picked up the book it was like slipping into a warm bath - the characters were familiar and fascinating, the setting bucolic and summer sunshine, the family in the present day interesting and unique. It felt like a visit with old friends and I never wanted the time to end. The pandemic was there in the background as the reason the family was living together but it never felt intrusive and the peek-behind-the-scenes of a theatre troupe was engaging. And I liked the Our Town motif tying it together - it's such an iconic play from my growing up years and provided the perfect backdrop for a novel that's in essence offering up the same message - we never know and appreciate what's happening in our life while it's happening - it's only when we look back that we realize that those days we lived, that time was what life is all about.

In [a:Ann Patchett 7136914 Ann Patchett https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1371838720p2/7136914.jpg]'s novel, TOM LAKE, she makes the most of the COVID pandemic shutdown. The main character and former actress, Lara, sees her three grown daughters returning to the family farm. They're trying to save the cherry harvest without the usual aid of farm laborers. This gives them many long hours working together. The daughters fill that time by asking their mother about her past and the movie star, Peter Duke, who she dated way back when.So much of this book centers around what family stories we pass on and what we keep in our hearts. Although the relationship better Lara and Peter really happened, it wasn't all wine and roses like the daughters imagined. And maybe the greatest love story, the one between Lara/Laura and Joe, the girls' parents, isn't of much interest to the daughters.It also reveals that we don't always tell the whole truth until the moment is right—if at all. Some facts are better unveiled when the listeners are ready to hear it. Mothers often have to guess when it the right time and what might actually derail their offspring if they found out the truth at the wrong time.One confusing part of the story was that Lara named her daughters after important characters in her life. Daughter #1: Emily was the name of Lara's character in OUR TOWN, the play by Thornton Wilder. Daughter #2: Maisie was also the name of Lara's mother-in-lawDaughter 33: Nell was Lara's grandmother's nameOUR TOWN plays a huge role in the TOM LAKE story. It probably helps if you have seen or read it once. Patchett did an excellent job with this story and how it unfolds will surprise the reader. Or at least it surprised this reader.

Another touching and insightful Ann Patchett book! I love the way that she captures real lives, dialog, interpersonal dynamics, choices women make, family roles.... and more. I appreciated the slow and easy story telling, the way I can picture the cherry farm in Michigan and watch the mother-daughters relationships. This is a book that I'm eager to discuss with others, as I am not sure what to make of the heartthrob movie star character. I'm also curious about Patchett's decision to include the last episode between him and our narrator, Lara. Listening to Meryl Streep read this might have been the best things about this already lovely novel. It reminds me of Tom Hanks reading Dutch House. In both cases, I didn't want to stop having them in my ears.

Look mom!! I finally read an Ann Patchett book.

This was a beautiful story of a woman who could have been famous but chose a quieter life she was immensely happy with. I loved sinking into the feeling of her story as she told it to her daughters in first person through memories. Lots of nuance and musing without sounding forced or preachy and balanced with the “showing” we cant help but hear about as writers.. I feel like that probably takes a lot of skill.