Tom Lake
- Downloads：1349
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-10-23 04:23:16
- Update Date：2025-09-14
- Status：finish
- Author：Ann Patchett
- ISBN：B0BPZYH97W
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
11 hours， 22 minutes
In this beautiful and moving novel about family， love， and growing up， Ann Patchett once again proves herself one of America’s finest writers。
In the spring of 2020， Lara’s three daughters return to the family's orchard in Northern Michigan。 While picking cherries， they beg their mother to tell them the story of Peter Duke， a famous actor with whom she shared both a stage and a romance years before at a theater company called Tom Lake。 As Lara recalls the past， her daughters examine their own lives and relationship with their mother， and are forced to reconsider the world and everything they thought they knew。
Tom Lake is a meditation on youthful love， married love， and the lives parents have led before their children were born。 Both hopeful and elegiac， it explores what it means to be happy even when the world is falling apart。 As in all of her novels， Ann Patchett combines compelling narrative artistry with piercing insights into family dynamics。 The result is a rich and luminous story， told with profound intelligence and emotional subtlety， that demonstrates once again why she is one of the most revered and acclaimed literary talents working today。
In this beautiful and moving novel about family， love， and growing up， Ann Patchett once again proves herself one of America’s finest writers。
In the spring of 2020， Lara’s three daughters return to the family's orchard in Northern Michigan。 While picking cherries， they beg their mother to tell them the story of Peter Duke， a famous actor with whom she shared both a stage and a romance years before at a theater company called Tom Lake。 As Lara recalls the past， her daughters examine their own lives and relationship with their mother， and are forced to reconsider the world and everything they thought they knew。
Tom Lake is a meditation on youthful love， married love， and the lives parents have led before their children were born。 Both hopeful and elegiac， it explores what it means to be happy even when the world is falling apart。 As in all of her novels， Ann Patchett combines compelling narrative artistry with piercing insights into family dynamics。 The result is a rich and luminous story， told with profound intelligence and emotional subtlety， that demonstrates once again why she is one of the most revered and acclaimed literary talents working today。
Reviews
Gael
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I was going to rate this book four stars， but then it made me sob so much I was just forced to give it five stars， haha。 A lot of characters in this I felt a connection to， either because I related to them personally or because I know someone who reminded me of them。
Simona
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Oh my gosh I couldn't wait for this book to end。 It was one of the most boring books I've ever read （or listened to）。 If it wasn't for Meryl Streep reading it， I would have dnf'ed it a long time ago， but she made it more interesting than it was。 Oh my gosh I couldn't wait for this book to end。 It was one of the most boring books I've ever read （or listened to）。 If it wasn't for Meryl Streep reading it， I would have dnf'ed it a long time ago， but she made it more interesting than it was。 。。。more
Phyllis Schwindt
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I listened to this book after I tried reading it。 I got about 50/70 pages into it and thought it was just too slow but I heard the audio was much better。 It is much better …。but it’s still a slow story。 Meryl Streeps narration helps。 Basically， the whole story is about a mother （ Lara ） telling her three grown daughters about one summer at a community theater called， Tom Lake。 She had a short term boyfriend， and he turned into being a famous actor， Peter Duke。 The relationship between the mother I listened to this book after I tried reading it。 I got about 50/70 pages into it and thought it was just too slow but I heard the audio was much better。 It is much better …。but it’s still a slow story。 Meryl Streeps narration helps。 Basically， the whole story is about a mother （ Lara ） telling her three grown daughters about one summer at a community theater called， Tom Lake。 She had a short term boyfriend， and he turned into being a famous actor， Peter Duke。 The relationship between the mother and the daughters was heartfelt。 I think I read all of Ann Patchett’s books， this one isn’t the caliber of her others。 。。。more
Ryan Tripp
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A warm float through a summer afternoon lying in the grass。 Patchett has a way of creating a little bubble， drawing the reader delightfully into this world。 Looking back on what I underlined， there's nothing that grabs you when taken out of context。 It's just the fact that you're already absorbed into this world that seemingly insignificant lines can be impactful。 Not much happens at all。 But that's the magic of her writing。 She doesn't need to rely on plot。 Her style is just captivating in and A warm float through a summer afternoon lying in the grass。 Patchett has a way of creating a little bubble， drawing the reader delightfully into this world。 Looking back on what I underlined， there's nothing that grabs you when taken out of context。 It's just the fact that you're already absorbed into this world that seemingly insignificant lines can be impactful。 Not much happens at all。 But that's the magic of her writing。 She doesn't need to rely on plot。 Her style is just captivating in and of itself。 100% a summer read （unseasonably warm october counts， but not quite as good） 。。。more
Angi James
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Loved it！
Denise D'angelo
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Ann Patchett's writing is like a perfectly fit glove for me。 The way she constructs her sentences and the English language is perfection。 I loved this story of actress， wife and mother， Lara and how her life was shaped and mirrored by the play， Our Town。 （I will revisit Our Town next） The setting is a beautiful cherry farm in Michigan， where the children of Lara come back to during the pandemic。 Lara tells her story to her three girls with the added help of her husband， Joe and the story goes ba Ann Patchett's writing is like a perfectly fit glove for me。 The way she constructs her sentences and the English language is perfection。 I loved this story of actress， wife and mother， Lara and how her life was shaped and mirrored by the play， Our Town。 （I will revisit Our Town next） The setting is a beautiful cherry farm in Michigan， where the children of Lara come back to during the pandemic。 Lara tells her story to her three girls with the added help of her husband， Joe and the story goes back and forth from the past to the present。 Poignant， and beautifully written， Tom Lake is a master class in amazing story telling and writing。 I loved it！ 。。。more
Natalie Gustin
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I liked this！ Perfectly quaint with an interesting storyline。 It dragged a bit for me at the end， but Meryl Streep reading was such a treat！
Maria
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3。75 starsNostalgic， bittersweet and hopeful。 The story was not so much about duke as it was about a tiny sliver in time in laura’s life。 Moments and experiences lived and how each event set another in motion。 A story about family and girlhood。 About paths taken and others forsaken （I unintentionally rhymed this）。 The way everything turned out just the way it was supposed to。 I loved the uncomplicated sweetness of Joe and Laura’s marriage。 Also big shoutout to Sebastian。 The relationship between 3。75 starsNostalgic， bittersweet and hopeful。 The story was not so much about duke as it was about a tiny sliver in time in laura’s life。 Moments and experiences lived and how each event set another in motion。 A story about family and girlhood。 About paths taken and others forsaken （I unintentionally rhymed this）。 The way everything turned out just the way it was supposed to。 I loved the uncomplicated sweetness of Joe and Laura’s marriage。 Also big shoutout to Sebastian。 The relationship between Laura and her daughters reminded me a little of “Little Women”。 “There is no explaining this simple truth about life: you will forget much of it。 The painful things you were certain you’d never be able to let go？ Now you’re not entirely sure when they happened， while the thrilling parts， the heart-stopping joys， splintered and scattered and became something else。 Memories are then replaced by different joys and larger sorrows， and unbelievably， those things get knocked aside as well， until one morning you’re picking cherries with your three grown daughters and your husband goes by on the Gator and you are positive that this is all you’ve ever wanted in the world。” 。。。more
Jessica
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3。5 stars rounded up because I'm a cynic and don't love slice of life stories。 Pretty sure this book was written with Meryl Streep in mind so 5/5 on audio narration！ 3。5 stars rounded up because I'm a cynic and don't love slice of life stories。 Pretty sure this book was written with Meryl Streep in mind so 5/5 on audio narration！ 。。。more
Melissa Inman
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So many characters and so slow moving。 Extra star for the Michigan backdrop。
Kris
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Loved it up to the ending。 Hated ending
Liv
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4。5， i loved this story！ and at the very end it was surprisingly set at the hospital i work at！
Naomi Barner
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The audio was well done and it was well written。 I enjoyed it overall， but I don’t think it grabbed me。 Some parts felt slow。
Laura Dalton
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More or less I give Tom Lake a 3。5。 I kept waiting for this book to just grab me， but that never happened。 However， TL is definitely an easy-to-follow story， so that made it enjoyable。
Lynn B
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More of a 4。5。
Brandy Kolling
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A sweet story of love， youth， change and family。
Rebecca
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The only interesting part of this story is that Meryl Streep narrates the audiobook; if not for her I would not have finished it。 Set in the summer of 2020 on a cherry orchard a white middle class family has to pick their own cherries because they cannot hire anyone else to do so because of covid。 This is overly romanticized and brings the family closer together as they all pick cherries together and are rivited to the story their mother tells them of her life when she was a young adult and very The only interesting part of this story is that Meryl Streep narrates the audiobook; if not for her I would not have finished it。 Set in the summer of 2020 on a cherry orchard a white middle class family has to pick their own cherries because they cannot hire anyone else to do so because of covid。 This is overly romanticized and brings the family closer together as they all pick cherries together and are rivited to the story their mother tells them of her life when she was a young adult and very briefly had a relationship with a now famous movie star。 The three adult daughters have no character depth and other than their careers aren't distinguishable at all; they basically serve as the audience for their mom's storytelling。 The daughters hang on her every word。 It's so boring， one-dimensional， overly-contrived， dripping with sentimentality， and unrealistic。 The parts of the story set in the past feel more like the 1960s than the 1980s。 The main character just goes along with everything every man has suggested that she do， from changing her name， to not piercing her ears， to not taking acting lessons， to where she goes for work， and either having or not having sex with them。 She has an acting career just fall in her lap。 Life just happens to her， and everyone says she was the most amazing actress and her daughters are all obsessed with her。I kept reading because I had heard somewhere that there was a plot twist about halfway through。As far as I can tell the plot twist was。。。that the daughters were surprised that their mom met their dad。 。。。more
lauren
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not a whole lot going on plot-wise but the writing deserves 1，000 stars。 i’m honestly sad it’s over
Alan LeBlanc
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I understand I might not be this book’s intended audience。。 but I found it painfully boring where nothing ever happens。 Just overly descriptive interactions between individuals the entire time。 Some plays here and there， and kisses。。 it is well written。 Kind of feels like a journal for an old woman。 I guess that’s what it is。 Sorry I realize this sounds very critical and patronizing。
Julia Josephson
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Wow。 The narrative style was so enjoyably natural and I really fell in love with Tom Lake and Lara’s family。 Highly recommend the audiobook version narrated by Meryl Streep。
Laura
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Beautiful story during pandemic。 But do need to read Our Town again。
faibolt
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Tom Lake was was beautifully written， but the story itself was not my favourite。 If it wasn’t for a plot twist in the middle where a certain character was revealed under “a cloak of invisibility”， I probably would have put the book down。 I am not a theatre person， so the many， many references to Our Town became really tiresome。 Maybe that’s why nothing clicked for me？
Ismay
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This mostly missed the mark for me。 Some lovely writing， as always， but something too subtle and too slight about the story。 Guess it didnt help that I am not familiar with "Our Town"， the play。。。 This mostly missed the mark for me。 Some lovely writing， as always， but something too subtle and too slight about the story。 Guess it didnt help that I am not familiar with "Our Town"， the play。。。 。。。more
Libby Riddell
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4。5/5！ I thoroughly enjoyed Tom Lake and would likely recommend it to most anyone。 The writing and storytelling are very compelling and the imagery is beautiful。 It’s a book I’m glad I read！
Erin
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Lovely and warm。 Favorite read of 2023。
Lisa Callis-Landrum
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Read Tom Lake this week as it's our Book Club choice for the month。 Tom Lake has a valid point。 Where we land is where we were meant to be。 The premise is similar to "Sliding Doors" - opportunities and choices， the carefree daring days of youth and learning from mistakes then finding your true north。 The story is told in flashback as a middle-aged mother is pressed by her young adult daughters to recall her previously "glamorous' brush with stardom。 Each daughter grapples with their own assumpti Read Tom Lake this week as it's our Book Club choice for the month。 Tom Lake has a valid point。 Where we land is where we were meant to be。 The premise is similar to "Sliding Doors" - opportunities and choices， the carefree daring days of youth and learning from mistakes then finding your true north。 The story is told in flashback as a middle-aged mother is pressed by her young adult daughters to recall her previously "glamorous' brush with stardom。 Each daughter grapples with their own assumptions of her past。 Each daughter is also aptly named for and reflects an important aspect of mother's past。 Not certain I'd have picked the book otherwise。 The writing is solid but the story is slow。 。。。more
Amy Mckinty
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Ann Patchett remains one of my favorite authors。 She is a master。 The way this story unfolds with little surprises along the way is so beautiful。
Carol
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I adored this book。 The characters were so clear。 Such a good discussion of sisters， parents， past history。 Everyone with kids， old long lost love， lovely husbands， female siblings should read this。 It’s life affirming。
Michelle
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I wish there was an option for six stars。 Or ten。Brilliantly written， inventively told， this story will stay with me for a long time。Lives up to all the hype， especially the audio version。
Carola
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When I pick up a new Ann Patchett book， I can be sure the author is not going to have relied on the plots， voices， and characters that made her previous books so successful。 That sometimes means that one of her books falls flat for me， as this one does。I thought the premise of the book was very creative: that Lara's three adult daughters are taking advantage of being quarantined as a nuclear family during the COVID pandemic to learn more about their mother's youth。 However， I struggled with actu When I pick up a new Ann Patchett book， I can be sure the author is not going to have relied on the plots， voices， and characters that made her previous books so successful。 That sometimes means that one of her books falls flat for me， as this one does。I thought the premise of the book was very creative: that Lara's three adult daughters are taking advantage of being quarantined as a nuclear family during the COVID pandemic to learn more about their mother's youth。 However， I struggled with actually believing so many aspects of the story （it would be a pile of spoilers to list them here）， that I never felt fully pulled into the narrative。 Despite feeling the book lacked cohesion， I found that it left me thinking in the way that only a good book can。 How often do we let our assumptions about people's past become fact-like in our heads？ How do we choose which parts of our history we do/don't reveal to others？ What constitutes love？ How do we know when love is present？If someone who never read a book by Ann Patchett asked me for a recommendation， I would steer them to Bel Canto or The Dutch House。 Her essays （This is the Story of a Happy Marriage， These Precious Days） are also reliably good。 。。。more
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Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Tom Lake
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Tom Lake&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Tom Lake&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0