Status
Available
Publication
Harper (2023), Edition: First Ed, 320 pages
Description
In this beautiful and moving novel about family, love, and growing up, Ann Patchett once again proves herself one of America's finest writers. "Patchett leads us to a truth that feels like life rather than literature."?The Guardian 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.… (more)
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User reviews
LibraryThing member bookworm12
Patchett is a must-buy author for me. This quiet "pandemic" novel flips between a cherry orchard during the 2020 lockdown and Lara's past. It reminded me of Lucy by the Sea. A woman shares stories from her youth with her three adult daughters. It's a mix of quiet reflections about what you think
Sometimes things come together to bring you the perfect book at just the right time. I saw Our Town performed at an outdoor Midwest theatre this summer. I reread the play because it was fresh in my mind. I had no idea it played such a huge role in Tom Lake. We also visited New Hampshire this year, which is where the novel begins, and then I visited Michigan, where the rest of the novel takes place. I can't explain how this novel just felt like it was made for me at this moment. I think this story is wonderful no matter when you read it, but it had an unexpected resonance for me because of all those factors.
“It’s not that I’m unaware of the suffering, and soon-to-be-more suffering in the world, it’s that I know the suffering exists beside wet grass and a bright blue sky recently scrubbed by rain. The beauty and the suffering are equally true.”
“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.”
“The stories that are familiar will always be our favorites.”
“I want to tell her she will never be hurt, that everything will be fair, and that I will always, always be there to protect her.”
"He lacked the hubris to believe that he should have the lead, that's what made him good."
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you want vs. what actually makes you happy and the realization that every adult has when they discover their parents had lives long before they were born. All of it is told with Patchett's skill for getting to the heart of the matter. I loved seeing Lara's vulnerability as she talked with her daughters and also her observations about the three girls' vast differences. Sometimes things come together to bring you the perfect book at just the right time. I saw Our Town performed at an outdoor Midwest theatre this summer. I reread the play because it was fresh in my mind. I had no idea it played such a huge role in Tom Lake. We also visited New Hampshire this year, which is where the novel begins, and then I visited Michigan, where the rest of the novel takes place. I can't explain how this novel just felt like it was made for me at this moment. I think this story is wonderful no matter when you read it, but it had an unexpected resonance for me because of all those factors.
“It’s not that I’m unaware of the suffering, and soon-to-be-more suffering in the world, it’s that I know the suffering exists beside wet grass and a bright blue sky recently scrubbed by rain. The beauty and the suffering are equally true.”
“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.”
“The stories that are familiar will always be our favorites.”
“I want to tell her she will never be hurt, that everything will be fair, and that I will always, always be there to protect her.”
"He lacked the hubris to believe that he should have the lead, that's what made him good."
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LibraryThing member lauralkeet
Lara Nelson and her husband raised three daughters on a cherry orchard in Michigan. While isolating due to the pandemic, the family pulls together to manage the harvest without their usual labor crew. Lara’s daughters Emily, Maisie, and Nell talk Laura into telling the story of her time doing
I loved the way Ann Patchett connected the past and present. From the very beginning I wondered how a girl from New Hampshire ended up on a Michigan cherry farm. The gradual reveal brought forth an “oooohhh!”, as did some of the details concerning Peter Duke. Patchett’s portrayal of Lara, and her relationship with each of her adult daughters, also rang true and was often moving. All in all, this was a very satisfying read from an author who has never disappointed me.
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summer stock theater with Peter Duke, an actor who later became famous. The story unfolds gradually during their working days; it’s the first time Lara has felt comfortable sharing some of the more personal details of her idyllic summer on Tom Lake. Lara’s retelling is intermingled with present-day events and the gratitude she and her husband Joe feel for their ability to be together as a family during such unprecedented times.I loved the way Ann Patchett connected the past and present. From the very beginning I wondered how a girl from New Hampshire ended up on a Michigan cherry farm. The gradual reveal brought forth an “oooohhh!”, as did some of the details concerning Peter Duke. Patchett’s portrayal of Lara, and her relationship with each of her adult daughters, also rang true and was often moving. All in all, this was a very satisfying read from an author who has never disappointed me.
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LibraryThing member chasidar
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Meryl Streep and LOVED it. I always like Ann Patchett but the narration took this to a whole new level. The description "a meditation on youthful love, married love, and the lives parents have led before their children were born" does not do this justice.
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Highly recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member silva_44
I really wanted to like this book; I waited months for it to become available on the library's audiobook app. But what a disappointment! This is my first Ann Patchett novel, and most likely my last. It was incredibly dull!! I listened to about four hours of it, but just couldn't connect to the
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characters. I skipped ahead and listened to the last chapter, and patted myself on the back for having saved seven hours of precious time not bothering with the rest. Show Less
LibraryThing member Dianekeenoy
Another wonderful book by Ann Patchett! I loved every word!
LibraryThing member reader1009
fiction - a woman remembers her brief dalliance with a future Hollywood actor thirty-some years later, as she tells her grown daughters about it and what followed (deciding to leave the theater, meeting their father in NYC and moving back to his family's upper Michigan cherry farm) as they all pass
lovely drama with lots of little twists and turns such a life sometimes throws, and sort of a generational love story, flitting easily back and forth between the late 1980s Tom Lake theater company and 2020.
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the time together as a family in isolation during the early COVID 19 pandemic.lovely drama with lots of little twists and turns such a life sometimes throws, and sort of a generational love story, flitting easily back and forth between the late 1980s Tom Lake theater company and 2020.
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LibraryThing member Narshkite
With thanks to the MTA for turning my 30 minute commute into a 90 minute commute today I have finished Tom Lake
I just loved this gentle story of the beauty of connection to people, to place, to sensation. The book celebrates connections both steadfast and fleeting, both enduringly loving and
Patchett sets this bucolic tale in one of my special favorite places. I have written in other reviews about my lifelong attachment to Traverse City, MI, and here she describes it (well, actually the Leelanau Peninsula I think) beautifully. Or maybe "describe" is the wrong word? Patchett is never an author to wax on about the blue of the sky or the red brown of the cabinets. Somehow she evokes this place and brings to the page this place I adore with its particular scent of stone fruit trees and hot sand and the sensation of the air that glides over your skin like the lightest silk without really describing it at all. Now that I think about it, how the hell does she do that? It's magic.
I do not want to rehash the plot, but I will say that these people who have brushed up against fame and wealth but find their true selves in the bucolic poverty of the provinces strongly recall the setting and characters of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard (even changing young Laura into Lara to enhance the Russia connection and naming the central romantic figure Peter -- though he is referred to most by his last name, Duke -- in honor of the Cherry Orchard's resident romantic dreamer Peter Trofimov.) It is not a spoiler to say that in Tom Lake the cherry orchard survives (unlike in Chekhov's play) but the threat of annihilation due to climate destruction is no less a presence that the shifting economic and governmental forces in turn of the (20th) century Russia that threatened the orchard in the play. The book even more aggressively references Our Town with it's focus on the beauty and the ephemerality of innocence and the message that we do not fully appreciate love and companionship until we lose them (to death or other things.) And how brilliant to base this story in Traverse City, the cherry capital of the world! (Really, the airport is called Cherry Capital Airport.) She references these stories without an ounce of pretension, just a true reverence for the way those stories lay a firm bedrock for other storytelling.
I listened to this read by the incomparable Meryl Streep who brought life to every character, but none so much as the lovely but complicated Lara. At one point there is an off-hand reference to the film The Deer Hunter, and hearing Meryl, as Lara, refer to Meryl's breakout film where she was the ingenue who stole the screen as Lara does in the book was such a complete delight. No one loves a sub-reference more than I do, except maybe Ann Patchett.
So I guess I have made my feelings clear, but in case anyone missed it, I loved this book.
Oh, one more thing, I got involved in a discussion here last week about regrets. I said I don't regret big choices because things good and bad come from every choice I make and to regret the choice is to regret all the outcomes. Some people seem to think this position makes me a sociopath, and that is cool, I really don't want to relitigate that -- their opinions are their opinions -- agree to disagree. But I can't not mention that this book is perhaps the best explication of that philosophy I have ever heard/read. Lara makes choices that in many ways make her life so much worse for spells of time, but in the end, they give her the life she is supposed to have, and she is so happy about that. Go Lara.
I just loved this gentle story of the beauty of connection to people, to place, to sensation. The book celebrates connections both steadfast and fleeting, both enduringly loving and
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sensually romantic, multifaceted and merely aesthetic. I love that Patchett who had written extensively in fiction and nonfiction about her complicated and fractured family growing up and her happy and childless by choice marriage so perfectly captured the love between parents and children and the love between adults who have chosen to build a family and keep it at the center of their lives. She described so flawlessly the guilty pleasure many of us took in having this unexpected beautiful time with our mostly grown children when Covid lockdown brought us together, and the ways in which we, parents and children, come to understand each other through stories that can only really be told once those children have entered adulthood and have experiences of their own to bring to the discussion. And also she captured the experience of keeping little bits of our stories to ourselves, sometimes to protect those we love, and sometimes because as a parent you cede what seems like every bit of yourself and it is delicious to hold on ot tiny morsels that belong only to you.Patchett sets this bucolic tale in one of my special favorite places. I have written in other reviews about my lifelong attachment to Traverse City, MI, and here she describes it (well, actually the Leelanau Peninsula I think) beautifully. Or maybe "describe" is the wrong word? Patchett is never an author to wax on about the blue of the sky or the red brown of the cabinets. Somehow she evokes this place and brings to the page this place I adore with its particular scent of stone fruit trees and hot sand and the sensation of the air that glides over your skin like the lightest silk without really describing it at all. Now that I think about it, how the hell does she do that? It's magic.
I do not want to rehash the plot, but I will say that these people who have brushed up against fame and wealth but find their true selves in the bucolic poverty of the provinces strongly recall the setting and characters of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard (even changing young Laura into Lara to enhance the Russia connection and naming the central romantic figure Peter -- though he is referred to most by his last name, Duke -- in honor of the Cherry Orchard's resident romantic dreamer Peter Trofimov.) It is not a spoiler to say that in Tom Lake the cherry orchard survives (unlike in Chekhov's play) but the threat of annihilation due to climate destruction is no less a presence that the shifting economic and governmental forces in turn of the (20th) century Russia that threatened the orchard in the play. The book even more aggressively references Our Town with it's focus on the beauty and the ephemerality of innocence and the message that we do not fully appreciate love and companionship until we lose them (to death or other things.) And how brilliant to base this story in Traverse City, the cherry capital of the world! (Really, the airport is called Cherry Capital Airport.) She references these stories without an ounce of pretension, just a true reverence for the way those stories lay a firm bedrock for other storytelling.
I listened to this read by the incomparable Meryl Streep who brought life to every character, but none so much as the lovely but complicated Lara. At one point there is an off-hand reference to the film The Deer Hunter, and hearing Meryl, as Lara, refer to Meryl's breakout film where she was the ingenue who stole the screen as Lara does in the book was such a complete delight. No one loves a sub-reference more than I do, except maybe Ann Patchett.
So I guess I have made my feelings clear, but in case anyone missed it, I loved this book.
Oh, one more thing, I got involved in a discussion here last week about regrets. I said I don't regret big choices because things good and bad come from every choice I make and to regret the choice is to regret all the outcomes. Some people seem to think this position makes me a sociopath, and that is cool, I really don't want to relitigate that -- their opinions are their opinions -- agree to disagree. But I can't not mention that this book is perhaps the best explication of that philosophy I have ever heard/read. Lara makes choices that in many ways make her life so much worse for spells of time, but in the end, they give her the life she is supposed to have, and she is so happy about that. Go Lara.
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LibraryThing member shazjhb
A movie star to be and a housewife to be meet in Michigan for a season of theater. The play is Our Town. Well written lovely people and some surprises
LibraryThing member Maydacat
It’s cherry harvest time in Michigan, and Lara’s three daughters are present for this event. To while away the time, her daughters beg her to tell them the story of when she was an aspiring actress, and starred in “Our Town” with Peter Duke, who went on to be a famous actor while their mom
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dropped out of acting entirely. Through a series of reminisces, Lara tells them of how she first acted in high school and then college, how she was discovered by an Hollywood agent, how she made her one and only movie, played in summer stock at Tom Lake, met Duke and his brother, and how she fell in and out of love with Duke, and finally, how she met - and re-met - their dad and fell in love with him. This character-driven tale is all about relationships, the bright beginnings and the disillusions that that end them. Some friendships and romances are tarnished to begin with, and wither like flowers in a vase. Others are like new and sturdy trees, surviving the worst that is thrown at them and growing more beautiful and productive with each passing year. This is a marvelous story of the love that Lara has for her family and for her friends, even when some of those friends don’t really deserve her kindness. Rich in descriptions and lovely for its prose, this story is another fine example of the story-telling genius of Ann Patchett. The audio version is superbly performed by Meryl Streep, and her rendition adds much to the enjoyment of the novel. Show Less
LibraryThing member bobbieharv
With this book I've now read 10 of Patchett's books, 8 of which are fiction. Turns out my favorite, "This is the Story of a Happy Marriage," is non-fiction. Interesting.
This felt slow to me. I got tired of the constant references to the play Our Town, and of the switches back and forth in time.
But, of course, her writing is beautiful. Just a little off in this book.
This felt slow to me. I got tired of the constant references to the play Our Town, and of the switches back and forth in time.
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And, since the contemporary sections were set during the pandemic, I wanted to read more about the pandemic effects on the family and less about how to pick cherries!But, of course, her writing is beautiful. Just a little off in this book.
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LibraryThing member rmarcin
To hear Meryl Streep narrate this book - perfection!
A mother's 3 children come home to help harvest the cherry orchard, and it is during Covid, so they stay together. When they hear about a movie star, Duke, their mother tells them the story of Tom Lake, summer stock, and her love affair with him.
It is a beautiful story of love, family, and hopes and dreams.
A mother's 3 children come home to help harvest the cherry orchard, and it is during Covid, so they stay together. When they hear about a movie star, Duke, their mother tells them the story of Tom Lake, summer stock, and her love affair with him.
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Her daughter, Emily, swears she is Duke's daughter, but the mother, Lara, says she is Joe's (her husband's) daughter. She tells the story as her 3 daughters also reveal secrets and hopes for their lives and their futures.It is a beautiful story of love, family, and hopes and dreams.
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LibraryThing member Cariola
Lara Kenison is thrilled to have her three daughters come home to the family cherry farm in Traverse City, Michigan. They come every year for a while to help with the cherry harvest, but this year, due to COVID plus the lack of any temporary farm workers, they got stuck there. To help pass the
Most of the novel focuses on Lara's time at Tom Lake and her relationships with the other actors, especially the talented but vain and fickle Duke, but she also tells the story of how she met (well, re-met) the girls' father. The book is a study of youth, friendships, and love, particularly her changing relationships with her daughters Emily, who plans to take over the farm, Maisie, a veterinarian in training, and Nell, an aspiring actress. It also opens a door to the hardships of farming and the idyllic lake setting.
I've enjoyed Patchett's novels but have never been knocked out by them. The same is true of 'Tom Lake'. It's a well written novel that kept my interest, but it probably won't stay with me for long.
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time, Lara has agreed to tell them the story of her time as an actress and her affair with Peter Duke, a famous actor who has just died. In high school she was cast as Emily in Thornton Wilder's 'Our Town'. Everyone, including Lara, agreed that she was made for the part, the most perfect Emily ever. An agent sees her performance and offers her a role in a film, involving travel to NYC and LA. But the film stays in the can for quite a while, so when the agent learns there is an opening to play Emily at Tom Lake, a summer theater, she agrees to take the part.Most of the novel focuses on Lara's time at Tom Lake and her relationships with the other actors, especially the talented but vain and fickle Duke, but she also tells the story of how she met (well, re-met) the girls' father. The book is a study of youth, friendships, and love, particularly her changing relationships with her daughters Emily, who plans to take over the farm, Maisie, a veterinarian in training, and Nell, an aspiring actress. It also opens a door to the hardships of farming and the idyllic lake setting.
I've enjoyed Patchett's novels but have never been knocked out by them. The same is true of 'Tom Lake'. It's a well written novel that kept my interest, but it probably won't stay with me for long.
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LibraryThing member froxgirl
For sheer enjoyment, nothing can beat this true collaboration between author Ann Patchett and narrator Meryl Streep (don’t read, LISTEN!). Both the protagonist Lara and Streep have three daughters, which enhances the obvious empathetic reading. Lara of New Hampshire auditions for the role of
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Emily in Thornton Wilder’s beloved classic play Our Town at her high school, wins the part, and then becomes Emily, for all intents and purposes, for the remainder of her life. This is a novel of both passion and of the mundane nature of life when passion is stilled. Lara goes on to perform Emily in summer stock at Tom Lake, Michigan, and immediately falls into the arms of Duke, a glowingly handsome, magnetic, unbalanced actor. The season of summer theatre is explored in a loving glow of personal growth and lust, but with the distance of four decades. There's a surprise marriage after a disastrous ending to Lara's career and so the novel begins with a demand from by Lara's three grown girls for the unabridged tale of Tom Lake. I thought the time travel, back and forth, between what happened before Lara became Emily and everything that followed was smoothly described. This is a most memorable novel most admirably told. Show Less
LibraryThing member Hccpsk
Leave it to Ann Patchett to write a perfect little pandemic novel that is really not a pandemic novel at all — Tom Lake. Like many families, the Nelsons gathered together at home to wait out the spring and summer of 2020 when lockdowns and social distancing were the norm. The Nelson’s home
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happens to be a cherry farm, and as many of their workers are also staying home, the family must work through the end of the summer to harvest the fruit. Lara’s thrilled to have her three daughters home, but not so thrilled when they harass her for the story of her time as an actress and her relationship with a now famous actor. With Tom Lake, Patchett gives readers a beautiful story about family and love as Lara tells her daughters the details of her life. Show Less
LibraryThing member tinkerbellkk
The book is about a woman who tells the story of her early life to her daughters during the pandemic lockdown. While it was a good story it wasn't amazing. There were some feel good moments and I enjoyed the two story lines of past and present. It was an easy, light read.
LibraryThing member brianinbuffalo
[3.25] First, the kudos. Patchett’s wonderfully written book has inspired me to revisit “Our Town,” a Thornton Wilder classic that I couldn’t fully appreciate when I first read it in a high school literature class back when the Dead Sea was alive. Also, “Tom Lake” gives readers a vivid
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peek into the world of summer stock. But even with these attributes, I simply couldn’t get into the story. True, romance isn’t my genre of choice. A love story must have riveting twists to keep my interest beyond the first hundred pages. “Tom Lake,” even with some intriguing characters and a skillfully executed past-present story structure, felt like a summer stock production that dragged on a half-hour too long. Show Less
LibraryThing member cherybear
Lara recalls her relationship with the famous actor Paul Duke (before he was famous) for her daughters. Tom Lake is not a person, it is a place--the site of the summer stock theater where Lara and Duke met. Patchett is an excellent, as usual. Hard to put the book down as Lara's life story unfolds.
LibraryThing member LindaLoretz
Ann Patchett's talent is truly incredible. In her latest novel, Tom Lake, she masterfully weaves a multilayered narrative that unfolds with depth and nuance. Patchett's story, set against the backdrop of the tumultuous year 2020, revolves around Lara, the first-person narrator. As the pandemic
Interwoven within the pages of this concise yet profound novel is the resonance of Thornton Wilder's timeless play, "Our Town." Lara's intimate connection with the character Emily Gibbs, whom she portrayed numerous times on stage, runs deep. This connection is so deep that she named her daughter Emily. During a summer stock production of "Our Town," Lara's life took an unexpected turn with her passionate involvement with Peter Duke. Throughout that transformative summer, Lara's world became entwined with Peter and acting. As her narrative unfolds, she imparts invaluable life lessons etched into her consciousness through Thornton Wilder's wisdom and her experiences. She has rude awakenings, including recognizing genuine people and meeting her eventual husband, the girls' father.
Ann Patchett's "Tom Lake" is a tapestry of emotions, a tale that delves into the intricacies of love, identity, and the profound impact of the past on shaping the present. Through the artful weaving of personal narratives and poignant life lessons, Patchett creates literature that resonates deeply with the human experience.
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leads her young adult daughters back to the family cherry orchard, Lara seizes the opportunity to recount long-withheld details of her poignant and painful love affair with a renowned movie star, Peter Duke. Her daughters become a captive audience, finally at an age where they can fully grasp the complexities of their mother's past. What emerges is a tale that exemplifies the intricate layers of relationships, emotions, and growth.Interwoven within the pages of this concise yet profound novel is the resonance of Thornton Wilder's timeless play, "Our Town." Lara's intimate connection with the character Emily Gibbs, whom she portrayed numerous times on stage, runs deep. This connection is so deep that she named her daughter Emily. During a summer stock production of "Our Town," Lara's life took an unexpected turn with her passionate involvement with Peter Duke. Throughout that transformative summer, Lara's world became entwined with Peter and acting. As her narrative unfolds, she imparts invaluable life lessons etched into her consciousness through Thornton Wilder's wisdom and her experiences. She has rude awakenings, including recognizing genuine people and meeting her eventual husband, the girls' father.
Ann Patchett's "Tom Lake" is a tapestry of emotions, a tale that delves into the intricacies of love, identity, and the profound impact of the past on shaping the present. Through the artful weaving of personal narratives and poignant life lessons, Patchett creates literature that resonates deeply with the human experience.
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LibraryThing member FormerEnglishTeacher
I’ve enjoyed all of the Ann Patchett books I’ve read and none as much as this one. The writing is beautiful and the story is touching. Few novelists these days would have the nerve to simply tell a nice story. It seems that there has to be some sort of unrealistic catastrophe to move the story
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along. Not so with Ann Patchett. She is confident enough in her story telling skills to simply present a nice story about people who are much like the people her readers know. I appreciate that. Show Less
LibraryThing member sblock
Kind of a cozy book but sometimes that's just what I want, especially after a spell of very dark reads.
LibraryThing member Iudita
This was probably more of a 3.5 stars for me but I rounded it up to 4 because Ann Patchett is such a reliable author for me. I always enjoy her characters and the lovely flow of her stories. And it was a pleasant change to read a book that doesn't center around abused or oppressed characters.
LibraryThing member nivramkoorb
This is my favorite Patchett book and I have read all but one of her novels. The background is a story about Lara and her summer of 1988 when as a young actress she did summer stock at Tom Lake in Northern Michigan where she became involved with the famous actor Peter Duke. She retells the story of
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that summer to her 3 adult daughters(22,24,226) who come to her and her husband's Joes cherry farm to do the harvest. Due the 2020 pandemic they are short crews to do the harvest so the girls are helping(Emily the oldest lives on the farm).Patchett weaves between the present and past as Lara relates details of that past to her adult daughters. I enjoyed the characters and the concepts that we as children sometimes don't imagine the lives that our parents lived before we came along. It made me think about my father and all he experienced before I was born(world war 1, the Russian revolution, coming to America in the 20's, the depression, meeting and marrying my mother, world war 2, the holocaust and the aftermath). This book allows the daughters to see both of their parents as whole people. If you have already read Patchett then this is a worthwhile addition. If you have never read her then I encourage you because you get to read one of our best authors. Show Less
LibraryThing member evatkaplan
I DID NOT LIKE IT. in 2020, husband and wife with 3 daughters on a farm. as they pick their vegetables the mother tells the girls that she had a boyfriend who today is a famous star...
LibraryThing member elkiedee
In summer 2020, normal lives have been suspended by COVID. The pandemic is not the subject of the story, but it is the setting for telling a story of the past. Lara's grown up daughters have returned to the family cherry farm, and have long wanted to know more about Lara's younger days, when she
The tale includes a story of acting the part of Emily in Thornton Wilder's play Our Town, a work I'm not familiar with but would be quite interested in reading now. I didn't find not having read/seen it an obstacle to enjoying the novel though.
This is a beautifully layered story of the differences between the story as Lara's daughters have imagined it and the reality of her memories, of truths and myths, of shifts of how the characters in the story see each other, of romance, betrayal, disappointment and different kinds of love. The story shifts between being sad and thoughtful to offering the teller and her audiences, perhaps, very different views of the past.
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was in a film and dated a now very famous actor. She finally tells them her stories of acting and of Peter Duke and others, or most, in layers.The tale includes a story of acting the part of Emily in Thornton Wilder's play Our Town, a work I'm not familiar with but would be quite interested in reading now. I didn't find not having read/seen it an obstacle to enjoying the novel though.
This is a beautifully layered story of the differences between the story as Lara's daughters have imagined it and the reality of her memories, of truths and myths, of shifts of how the characters in the story see each other, of romance, betrayal, disappointment and different kinds of love. The story shifts between being sad and thoughtful to offering the teller and her audiences, perhaps, very different views of the past.
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LibraryThing member kayanelson
An utterly charming book. I really enjoyed the story of Lara and her acting years interspersed with her cherry farm, family years. I wanted the book to go on and on. I was a little disappointed in some of the revelations in the last few chapters. I suppose they were the plot twist but I would have
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been perfectly happy with no twists. Show Less
Awards
Audie Award (Finalist — Fiction — 2024)
Southern Book Prize (Winner — Fiction — 2024)
BookTube Prize (Octofinalist — Fiction — 2024)
Waterstones Book of the Year (Shortlist — 2023)
Libby Book Award (Finalist — 2023)
NPR: Books We Love (2023)
The New York Times Notable Books of the Year (Fiction — 2023)
Reese's Book Club (2023-08 — 2023)
Globe and Mail Top 100 Book (2023)
Michigan Notable Books (2024)
LibraryReads (Monthly Pick — Hall of Fame — August 2023)
Lariat Adult Fiction Reading List (Selection — 2024)
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Adults (Selection — 2023)
AudioFile's Best Audiobooks of the Year (Fiction — 2023)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2023
Physical description
320 p.; 9 inches
ISBN
006332752X / 9780063327528