Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

46 reviews

thalia16's review

emotional slow-paced

• 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

I'm a ride or die Ann Patchett fan, but this book just didn't have the magic for me. Judging books by their cover is often misleading in a pleasantly surprising way, however this one unfortunately aligned very closely with its cover: outdated (despite taking place during an incredibly contemporary world event) and not very exciting.

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Content Warnings

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

emotional reflective slow-paced

• 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

Rating: 4/5 stars

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Animal death, Cancer, Infidelity, Death, and Injury/Injury detail

alyssapusateri's review against another edition

reflective relaxing medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

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

reflective relaxing slow-paced

• 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

I adored this book. It was such a lovely treat to listen to, I could just dwell in the audiobook for as long as it would go on. It was a slow and calming read with a lot of nostalgia and romance (in the sense that life was romanticized, past and present, because of the good that came out of it in the end). It made me want to have more children and revel in their individuality and dreams and share with them my own past and dreams. It made me want to get involved with community theatre again. It made me want to move to Michigan and work on a cherry tree farm. There are definitely hardships/traumas mentioned, but not explicitly, since Lara is telling the story after years have gone by and she has a broader perspective. She also dictates how her story is told to her grown children and keeps a couple secrets to herself, though the reader gets let in on those secrets covertly. There isn’t really a climax or big reveal, though a few small twists and turns as you follow the story. I felt like Lara’s fourth daughter listening in on this story being told and I’m in a bit of a book hangover now that that world is over for me. It felt so realistic.

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Content Warnings

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

hopeful reflective medium-paced

• 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

An interesting walk through the life of a young woman. Involving fame, career, family, and sickness. A retelling of a story of fame to a sweet family. 

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Content Warnings

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

emotional 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

4.75

My mom recommended this book to me and I can't believe I was skeptical when I grabbed the audiobook from the library. The plot didn't really speak to me, but I new Meryl Streep was the narrator so I figured she could get me through anything. But I listened to and consumed this book gladly. I think it's the perfect book for winter when you need something to remind you of warmer, brighter times. 

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.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism and Infidelity

Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic

lshinaberry's review

emotional reflective relaxing 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

5.0

this was comforting and heart breaking in so many ways, it’s hard to describe. enjoyed every second of really beautiful storytelling. I think probably the only piece of Covid-mentioning media I’ve consumed that I actually didn’t mind mention of the pandemic in. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infidelity and Alcoholism

Minor: Abortion

maceydowns's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• 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

feeling a bit like this book taught me the same lesson as everything everywhere all at once — but maybe that’s just the lesson I’m seeking right now.

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Content Warnings

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

emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

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

emotional reflective medium-paced

• 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

Quite sentimental. Not a lot of twists and turns. The writing is good, but most of the characters feel quite flat. Very pro farm. My main takeaway is that this woman loves farm. 

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Content Warnings

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