Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

37 reviews

hellokaley's review against another edition

emotional reflective relaxing medium-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

4.5

Tom Lake is my first Ann Patchett book in recent years and it felt like a classic. The language was absolutely beautiful, painting a picturesque setting of a mother and her daughters harvesting cherries on the family orchard during the pandemic. The story is told through the mother’s perspective as she met her daughter’s pleas by telling the story of her past as a young actress. Meryl Streep’s narration and performance was absolutely brilliant and the audiobook was a delight.

The themes that resonated most with me were focused around the relationships with mothers and their adult children, the lives our parents led as young people, and the connection between the two. This one feels like a story that will be with me for a long time.

“I look at my girls, my brilliant young women. I want them to think I was better than I was, and I want to tell them the truth in case the truth will be useful. Those two desires to not neatly coexist, but this is where we are in the story.”

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Toxic relationship, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Child death

Minor: Abortion

rayreyes's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective relaxing 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

4.25

Solid book. Took me up until 50% through to get invested in the story. Really lovely and would recommend overall.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol

Moderate: Racism, Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Death, and Alcoholism

Minor: Suicide, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, and Abortion

amandabshero's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Alcoholism, Abortion, and Child death

alisonvh'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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book is about so many things I can’t put my finger on just one. It’s about young love and careers that don’t pan out and the choices we make, and learning about the people our parents were before they were parents. It’s so good!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug use, Pandemic/Epidemic, Drug abuse, and Death

Minor: Child death

kcbatts's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Child death

Minor: Abortion

TW: Covid

emilyexley's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol

Minor: Child death

prairiek's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Cancer, Pandemic/Epidemic, Child death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content

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.

---

Content Warnings

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

juliacsmith's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

I’m still deciding how I feel about this book. But Meryl Streep as audiobook narrator = perfection. Chef’s kiss. 

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Pandemic/Epidemic, Abortion, Alcohol, Grief, Medical content, Racism, Sexism, Child death, Cancer, and Vomit

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

---

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