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thalia16's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Abortion, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Cancer, Child death, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, and Pandemic/Epidemic
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Sheltering in place during the pandemic, Lara recounts for her daughters the story of her summer spent acting at Tom Lake.
Meryl Streep is one of the very best actors of our lifetimes (or ever) and she performs this audiobook with every ounce of that talent. I could truly listen to her monologue for hours on end, and so the narration made this audiobook an entertaining experience. If you’re a fan of Meryl, I can’t recommend it enough, and if you’re not, I have serious questions about your taste.
That said, this is also a book, and I…didn’t really enjoy the book. I found the plot pretty boring and never really “got” the point the novel was trying to make—it felt like nothing happened, I didn’t particularly like any of the characters, and I wasn’t remotely surprised by anything that happened in either timeline. Honestly, I cannot imagine reading this one in physical form, because the narration was the best part for me by far. In short, 3 stars for the book (being generous), an entire additional star for Meryl.
CW: Infidelity; injury; mentions of death; pandemic
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Animal death, Cancer, Infidelity, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
alyssapusateri's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Moderate: Sexual content, Alcoholism, Death, Toxic relationship, Addiction, and Alcohol
Minor: Suicide, Abortion, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Medical content, Cancer, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, and Infidelity
emilywemily6's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Death, Bullying, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Addiction, Gaslighting, Grief, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Drug use, Vomit, Sexism, Medical content, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Sexual content
Minor: Abortion and Classism
moack_5's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Moderate: Abortion and Alcoholism
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Cursing, Drug use, Pandemic/Epidemic, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, and Racism
sarahweyand's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
It's no surprise Meryl Streep knocks it out of the park when it comes to narration. On top of that, the writing was simple but impactful, and I cared about all of our characters both within the protagonist's family and the story she is telling. There are some emotional and difficult topics that are talked about, but it doesn't really bring down the energy of the story. Ann Patchett is clearly a masterful storyteller and I'm learning that I just need to trust that whatever she writes is going to be a banger.
I really can't say anything more about this book other than that it was wonderful and I couldn't recommend it highly enough. Even if the synopsis doesn't sound like something you'd enjoy, give it a go anyways if you like literary fiction.
Graphic: Alcoholism and Infidelity
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic
lshinaberry's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Infidelity and Alcoholism
Minor: Abortion
maceydowns's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Addiction, and Medical content
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Abortion, Cancer, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Rape
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Grief, Infidelity, and Racism
adelita18's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child death, and Infidelity
Minor: Abortion
This is the first book by Ann Patchett I've read and I was fully captivated by her storytelling and writing style. Lara and her family are absolutely enchanting and I thoroughly enjoyed the glimpse into their pandemic lock down world. Ann Patchett did a masterful job of weaving Lara's life story through modern conversations with her family and in doing so points out the beauty, magic, and extraordinary nature of the parts of our daily lives we take for granted. The storytelling is so layered and rich, I look forward to picking up this book again and again. I read this in audiobook format and I cannot rave enough over Meryl Streep's interpretation of the story. If you love audiobook editions, give this one a listen!katietregs's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Alcoholism, Addiction, Vomit, and Death
Moderate: Mental illness, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, and Racism
Minor: Abortion and Animal death