Tom Lake

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.