Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

32 reviews

snipinfool's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• 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

4.25

It was 2020 and the world as we knew it had stopped. Lara, Joe, and their three daughters were on their farm working to harvest the cherries in their orchard. To pass the time, the girls wanted to know the full story of how Lara ended up dating someone who later became a huge movie star. Growing up, they had heard bits and pieces of the story but never heard it from beginning to end. As Lara moved through the story, more about their lives as a family on the farm unfold. 

I really enjoyed reading this story. I loved how Ann Patchett wove the story together by linking the play, Our Town, with the impact playing the lead character, Emily, had on Lara throughout her life. Playing Emily in Tom Lake's summer stock performances was where she met Peter Duke, who would become a very well-known actor years later. That summer, Lara learned that she needed to pivot and take a direction that was unexpected from what she had planned. I felt much like Lara's daughters did in that I was excited to learn more of the story. The dialog between characters was natural and well written. The characters, themselves, were easy to visualize, and I could picture so many parts of the story in my mind. Overall, this was a wonderful novel about family and how big moments in life could lead to unexpected changes that end up bringing us to where we find our greatest happiness.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood

Moderate: Mental illness, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Sexual content

Minor: Abortion, Cancer, and Child death

ila_mae's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Alcoholism, and Sexual content

Minor: Self harm

shae_reads's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

This was a book club choice. It was very boring. This novel is character driven but the characters were one-dimensional, unlikeable and uninteresting. In my opinion nothing interesting happens except

when Uncle Wallace throws up all that blood on stage but still finished the show!

There is also very little romance involved in this “romance” novel. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Vomit, Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Pandemic/Epidemic, Medical content, Excrement, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, and Cursing

Minor: Death, Chronic illness, Abortion, and Cancer

hinkleh's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Medical content, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Abortion, Addiction, Death, Vomit, Cancer, and Racism

Minor: Suicide, Terminal illness, and Pregnancy

dudette's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol and Blood

Moderate: Death and Pregnancy

Minor: Abortion

jiscoo's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective relaxing

5.0

quietly heartbreaking. life is so unbearably beautiful.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, and Alcohol

Moderate: Abortion, Cancer, and Pregnancy

atamano's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol and Alcoholism

Moderate: Medical content, Abandonment, Drug use, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual content, and Blood

coffeekitaab's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I wasn't sure what I was expecting when I started reading this but it felt like a gentle stream that was taking me on a reflective journey; what happens when your kids want to learn about the summer when you, or Lara our protagonist, an aspiring actress at the time dated a famous actor, at a time when he was not yet famous. The intricacies and complications of what used to be simple relationships and the impact people have on our lives and how they can influence on our future. This felt like a warm hug in places and by the end I was in tears, such heartfelt storytelling. My first of Ann Patchett and certainly not the last. I would definitely recommend to everyone. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an unedited and honest opinion.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child death, Alcoholism, Drug use, Abortion, Blood, Alcohol, Cancer, Death, and Injury/Injury detail

deetabz's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Infidelity, Confinement, Mental illness, Blood, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Alcoholism, Sexual content, Pandemic/Epidemic, Alcohol, Medical content, Death, and Pregnancy

Minor: Abortion and Racism

aileron's review against another edition

hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Alcoholism, Vomit, Blood, Medical content, Infidelity, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death and Cancer

Minor: Racism, Abortion, Child death, and Pandemic/Epidemic