Tom Lake was perfection

[Anonymous]

I just finished reading it and I agree: perfection.

The way she weaves all the thread of a life together... the tie-ins with Our Town ... the generational storytelling and the several reveals along the way ... I was there for it! Beautifully written. I teared up many times while reading and fully cried at the end.

[Anonymous]

I don't really get it but then again, I hated Bridges of Madison County so take my opinion for what it is worth.

What a great book it would have been if the children were with their parents during a pandemic and realized they were both their own very cool people in their younger years with very cool amazing adventures.

But the "cool story" is you mom dated a married man, really? WTF

It's so sophomoric.

[Anonymous]

I liked it, but I'm not sure I'd go so far as to call it perfection. I read the first half before the audio book came off my holds list on Libby. I love Meryl Streep, but for some reason I think I enjoyed reading it better.

[Anonymous]

I haven't read it, though I've read and enjoyed a couple of Patchett's books and her essays in the New Yorker. I have to confess I'm a bit skeptical about whether Patchett, who has been adamant and outspoken about her decision not to have children, would be able to write about a good mother-child relationship without resorting to sentimentality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I haven't read it, though I've read and enjoyed a couple of Patchett's books and her essays in the New Yorker. I have to confess I'm a bit skeptical about whether Patchett, who has been adamant and outspoken about her decision not to have children, would be able to write about a good mother-child relationship without resorting to sentimentality.

I don't have kids and admittedly thought the same thing while reading Tom Lake (although I'm sure there are some writers without kids who definitely have). I've read all of Ann Patchett's books except Bel Canto (I read the first 20 pages and put it down because I couldn't get into it for whatever reason) and Tom Lake was my least favorite. I found it repetitious and dull at times. I enjoyed the 1980's and 1990's flashback sections much, much more than the 2020 story.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just finished reading it and I agree: perfection.

The way she weaves all the thread of a life together... the tie-ins with Our Town ... the generational storytelling and the several reveals along the way ... I was there for it! Beautifully written. I teared up many times while reading and fully cried at the end.

+100. Well summarized about what I loved about this book!

[Anonymous]

I really did enjoy this book too. Listening to Meryl Streep really elevated the experience. It's not "Great" but is was a very lovely story.

[Anonymous]

I loved it

[Anonymous]

I really enjoyed Tom Lake. I had just read "All's Well" by Mona Awad, which interplays a lot with Shakespeare's play All's Well That Ends Well. So reading another novel that evokes/plays on/explores a well-known play was timely for me. (I really loved All's Well, though it's definitely more spunky and fantastical than Tom Lake if you are comparing the two.)

I like Ann Patchett's writing, but sometimes her plots are too overwhelming for me (State of Wonder, Bel Canto, The Patron Saint of Liars).

[Anonymous]

Just finished it. I wasn't looking forward to it ending because I enjoyed it a lot.

I thought Meryl Streep was great and I'd definitely watch a movie version of the book with her as Lara (although she's much older so I guess that wouldn't work). I didn't love her voice Maisie but that's just me finding a nit to pick, it really was otherwise a great book/audio book (I listened to it because she narrated it).

[Anonymous]

Just finished it as well and I really enjoyed it. Of all the "covid books" that authors have been putting out, I think this one is my favorite.

[Anonymous]

I enjoyed it — more as I went along it didn’t grab me immediately.