18.3k reviews for:

Tom Lake

Ann Patchett

4.06 AVERAGE

ankellogg's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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: Complicated

hayleedragon's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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: No

queue_t's review

5.0

---

‘Read’ on audio, with Meryl Streep doing such a wonderful performance. An ordinary love story in the year of the pandemic. Warmly done justice with the terrific narrative and narrator. Love in all its in’s and outs, mothers and daughters and old love stories. Times when we have our own history to tell our kids. Thanks for making me love the Nelson family- Ann Patchett

rayannjo's review

4.0

---

I didn’t expect to love a book that takes place in 2020 so much but wow, this felt like a warm hug and made me miss all the women who’ve come before me in life. Their stories always made me feel like I was in another world and this book females me feel like I’m sitting there talking to them once more.

desaevio95's review against another edition

2.0

---

I had trouble following the character relationships. They never seemed to rise above their stock castings. Meryl Streep reading the audiobook for this seems beneath her, frankly. Although I do think she makes an excellent narrator. It was much faster when I had to switch to a physical copy, read at various bookstores and the library.

prettyfaroutman's review

4.5

emotional reflective relaxing slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

tallglassowater's review against another edition

4.5

emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Loveable characters: Yes

tannercurtis's review

4.0

emotional lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

---

A warm hug of a book. The story comes as organically as breathing. You’re never all that surprised, but you are captivated.

lkoeller's review against another edition

4.5

hopeful inspiring reflective 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: No

matt2thefuture's review

4.25

emotional hopeful reflective relaxing medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

---

Tom Lake was not a book I expected to really like. Then, I began reading it and was even more surprised because large, blocky text and meandering pace are two more things that usually turn me off quickly. But Patchett is a such a wonderful writer that none of that even registered most of the time. Her way with words is remarkable, so many delightful turns of phrase, it's just enjoyable to read her.

Tom's characters are alive and memorable, the pacing is slow but inviting, and it's a book that I found myself thinking about between sittings, which is not something I'm prone to do--particularly with a book built like this. I was searching Patchett's back catalogue long before I finished. 

Recommended for literary fiction readers and also for readers who don't read these types of books. I don't--and I was quite taken with Tom Lake. Patchett is good enough to take you outside of your reading comfort zone and tell you a tale you'll enjoy. That's special.