Sujoya - theoverbookedbibliophile's Reviews > Tom Lake
Tom Lake
by
by
4.5⭐
Set in Spring 2020 amid the COVID-19 lockdown, Tom Lake by Ann Patchett revolves around former actress Lara Kenison who lives and works with her husband in their family cherry orchard in Michigan. The pandemic has brought her whole family together as they shelter in place and help in the day-to-day operations of the orchard, making up for the shortfall in seasonal staff. Emily, the oldest of her three daughters, all of whom are in their twenties, is the only one who plans to take up running the farm in the future. Lara’s youngest daughter, Nell, aspires to become an actress, and her middle daughter Maisie is studying to become a veterinarian.
Her daughters press their mother for details of her short-lived romance with famous actor Peter Duke when she was in her twenties, while they were both part of the summer theater production of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town in Tom Lake, Michigan. Peter wasn’t a famous actor back then and though their romance was short-lived, Lara’s experiences in Tom Lake played a significant role in the trajectory of her life.
The narrative follows Lara as she shares significant episodes from her past, her brief career as an actress – her childhood and foray into acting in Community Theater and the years that followed. The narrative is shared from Lara’s first-person perspective and we are privy to her innermost thoughts - her personal reflections on the important people, the significant events and the difficult choices that shaped her life- as she deliberates over what and how much to share with her family and the memories that she holds close to her heart. Their reactions to their mother’s revelations range from awe to humor to indignation on her behalf, enabling them to see and understand their mother as the young women she once was, not too different from themselves. Lara’s stories are spaced between present-day events, her family life on the family orchard with her husband and her interactions with her daughters wherein we get to know more about their dreams and aspirations, motivated to share significant memories and confidences inspired by their mother’s stories. This is a character-driven, quiet and relatively slower-paced novel with well-thought-out characters. Ann Patchett’s writing is beautiful and past and present timelines are woven seamlessly into a cohesive narrative that revolves around themes of family, love, ambition, choices, motherhood and mental health. The writing is sparse with minimal melodrama yet emotionally impactful with an ending that brings all the threads of the story together in the most satisfying way. I enjoyed every moment of this beautiful story.
I won a copy of Tom Lake in a Goodreads Giveaway. Many thanks to the author and publisher for the gifted copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Please note: The play Our Town is of great significance in both Lara’s short-lived career as an actress and her life in general. Though it isn’t necessary to have read Our Town by Thornton Wilder to enjoy Ann Patchett’s Tom Lake, I feel having prior knowledge of the story would contribute to a rich reading experience and a greater appreciation of this novel.
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Set in Spring 2020 amid the COVID-19 lockdown, Tom Lake by Ann Patchett revolves around former actress Lara Kenison who lives and works with her husband in their family cherry orchard in Michigan. The pandemic has brought her whole family together as they shelter in place and help in the day-to-day operations of the orchard, making up for the shortfall in seasonal staff. Emily, the oldest of her three daughters, all of whom are in their twenties, is the only one who plans to take up running the farm in the future. Lara’s youngest daughter, Nell, aspires to become an actress, and her middle daughter Maisie is studying to become a veterinarian.
Her daughters press their mother for details of her short-lived romance with famous actor Peter Duke when she was in her twenties, while they were both part of the summer theater production of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town in Tom Lake, Michigan. Peter wasn’t a famous actor back then and though their romance was short-lived, Lara’s experiences in Tom Lake played a significant role in the trajectory of her life.
The narrative follows Lara as she shares significant episodes from her past, her brief career as an actress – her childhood and foray into acting in Community Theater and the years that followed. The narrative is shared from Lara’s first-person perspective and we are privy to her innermost thoughts - her personal reflections on the important people, the significant events and the difficult choices that shaped her life- as she deliberates over what and how much to share with her family and the memories that she holds close to her heart. Their reactions to their mother’s revelations range from awe to humor to indignation on her behalf, enabling them to see and understand their mother as the young women she once was, not too different from themselves. Lara’s stories are spaced between present-day events, her family life on the family orchard with her husband and her interactions with her daughters wherein we get to know more about their dreams and aspirations, motivated to share significant memories and confidences inspired by their mother’s stories. This is a character-driven, quiet and relatively slower-paced novel with well-thought-out characters. Ann Patchett’s writing is beautiful and past and present timelines are woven seamlessly into a cohesive narrative that revolves around themes of family, love, ambition, choices, motherhood and mental health. The writing is sparse with minimal melodrama yet emotionally impactful with an ending that brings all the threads of the story together in the most satisfying way. I enjoyed every moment of this beautiful story.
I won a copy of Tom Lake in a Goodreads Giveaway. Many thanks to the author and publisher for the gifted copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Please note: The play Our Town is of great significance in both Lara’s short-lived career as an actress and her life in general. Though it isn’t necessary to have read Our Town by Thornton Wilder to enjoy Ann Patchett’s Tom Lake, I feel having prior knowledge of the story would contribute to a rich reading experience and a greater appreciation of this novel.
Connect with me! ✏ Instagram ✏ My Blog ✏ The StoryGraph
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Reading Progress
April 12, 2023
– Shelved
Started Reading
August 5, 2023
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-50 of 83 (83 new)
message 1:
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Linda (Lily)
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rated it 5 stars
Aug 07, 2023 08:48PM
Great review, I can’t wait to read this one! ❤️
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Fantastic review, Sujoya💜and I wish I had enjoyed it more but I’m so glad it was a strong read for you!
Those are some lovely themes, and it seems like the author did an excellent job exploring them with well-written characters. Wonderful review, Sujoya, and congrats on the giveaway win!
message 13:
by
Sujoya - theoverbookedbibliophile
(last edited Aug 08, 2023 05:33PM)
(new)
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rated it 4 stars
Linda (Lily) wrote: "Great review, I can’t wait to read this one! ❤️"
Thank you, Linda!💗Happy Reading!
Thank you, Linda!💗Happy Reading!
Terrie wrote: "Fantastic review, Sujoya💜and I wish I had enjoyed it more but I’m so glad it was a strong read for you!"
Thank you, Terrie!🧡 I'm sorry this wasn't a better read for you! Hope you're enjoying your current read!
Thank you, Terrie!🧡 I'm sorry this wasn't a better read for you! Hope you're enjoying your current read!
Rosh (Trying to catch up!) wrote: "Lovely review, Sujoya! Thanks for the tip about reading the play first."
Thank you, Rosh!😊 Happy Reading!
Thank you, Rosh!😊 Happy Reading!
Jen CAN wrote: "A fortunate win! Great review, Sujoya...I'm waiting patiently or impatiently for a copy to come in!"
Absolutely! Thank you, Jen!😊 Hope you enjoy this one too!
Absolutely! Thank you, Jen!😊 Hope you enjoy this one too!
Lorna wrote: "A lovely review, Sujoya. I’m hoping to read this soon. Ann Patchett is one of my favorite writers."
Many thanks, Lorna! 😊 I look forward to your thoughts!
Many thanks, Lorna! 😊 I look forward to your thoughts!
A wrote: "Those are some lovely themes, and it seems like the author did an excellent job exploring them with well-written characters. Wonderful review, Sujoya, and congrats on the giveaway win!"
Thank you so much, A!😊 There isn't much of a plot but I enjoyed the setting and the dynamics between the characters.
Thank you so much, A!😊 There isn't much of a plot but I enjoyed the setting and the dynamics between the characters.
Cassie wrote: "What a beautiful review, Sujoya! This sounds like a very special book 🤍"
Thank you, Cassie! 🧡 If you enjoy quiet, character-driven fiction, you'd enjoy this one.
Thank you, Cassie! 🧡 If you enjoy quiet, character-driven fiction, you'd enjoy this one.
I've have had this one on hold for weeks. Although I'm edging nearer to getting my hands on it, I'm afraid I still have many weeks to go. Your excellent review makes the wait a little more bearable.
Barbara**catching up! wrote: "Yippee! I have this one on deck. It's my next read. So glad you enjoyed it Sujoya."
That's great! I look forward to your thoughts!😊
That's great! I look forward to your thoughts!😊
A lovely review, Sujoya, and I'm so glad that you enjoyed this one so much! I read this recently and loved how this story evolved over time!
Tara —on semi-hiatus throughout August-September due to illness wrote: "Fantastic review, Sujoya! 🩵"
Many thanks, Tara!💜
Many thanks, Tara!💜
Melissa wrote: "I haven't read "Our Town," but I'm starting this one tonight. I hope I'll still enjoy it. :)"
Happy Reading, Melissa!😊
Happy Reading, Melissa!😊
Melissa (Semi-hiatus through August) wrote: "Excellent review! I have this one coming up soon."
Many thanks, Melissa! I look forward to your thoughts!😊
Many thanks, Melissa! I look forward to your thoughts!😊