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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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:
Complicated
Slowly unraveling a lovely story of love and loss down memory lane. I finished it in 2 days as it was an easy read. Recommend .
For me, this book ends at Chapter 20. The rest is Patchett’s way of bringing closure and some symbolism to the story and the circle of life or however the reader wants to define it. I know West Michigan very well. It’s a beautiful place and the variety along the coast is unmatched by anything else found in the US. But this story is so much more that the beauty of what’s around the characters. It really has some very deep insights that I did not expect from a modern novel. Well done Ms. Patchett.
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I enjoyed this book. It probably didn’t hurt to have Meryl Streep as its narrator but I found the story—although neither complicated nor complex—to be enjoyable. The dynamic between the mother and her three daughters was lovely.
Lara is secluded on the family farm with her husband, and their three girls, during the pandemic. The girls are fascinated by their mother’s life before them—the one where she fell in love with a movie star while darn near becoming a star herself—and want her to, yet again, tell the story of the Lara that existed before she simply became their mother.
They’re fascinated by her decision to abandon such a promising life in favor of one filled with such …simplicity.
So, Lara indulges them and tells the story and answers the questions; to her its recollections about a girl she once knew. To them, it’s a young woman they want to know. One they’re intrigued by because of her becoming their mother.
With each revelation you understand Lara is reflecting on the choices she made—both intentional and unintentional—and how each one decision her to the life she settled into later.
The story is touching and, in certain places, emotionally gripping. At its very base, it’s about time—how quickly it all goes and how easily we let so much of it slide away when we’ve no knowledge of its fleetingness.
But it’s also about love and forgiveness, chances not taken, and regret. Always there’s regret.
I enjoyed this book far more than I thought I would; perhaps because I’m also a mother, very close in age to Lara, with a daughter of my own.
Whatever the case, I’d certainly not hesitate to recommend—and I’d highly suggest the audiobook version. Streep does a beautiful job.
Lara is secluded on the family farm with her husband, and their three girls, during the pandemic. The girls are fascinated by their mother’s life before them—the one where she fell in love with a movie star while darn near becoming a star herself—and want her to, yet again, tell the story of the Lara that existed before she simply became their mother.
They’re fascinated by her decision to abandon such a promising life in favor of one filled with such …simplicity.
So, Lara indulges them and tells the story and answers the questions; to her its recollections about a girl she once knew. To them, it’s a young woman they want to know. One they’re intrigued by because of her becoming their mother.
With each revelation you understand Lara is reflecting on the choices she made—both intentional and unintentional—and how each one decision her to the life she settled into later.
The story is touching and, in certain places, emotionally gripping. At its very base, it’s about time—how quickly it all goes and how easily we let so much of it slide away when we’ve no knowledge of its fleetingness.
But it’s also about love and forgiveness, chances not taken, and regret. Always there’s regret.
I enjoyed this book far more than I thought I would; perhaps because I’m also a mother, very close in age to Lara, with a daughter of my own.
Whatever the case, I’d certainly not hesitate to recommend—and I’d highly suggest the audiobook version. Streep does a beautiful job.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer
slow-paced
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Incredible book, especially the audiobook read by Meryl Streep! The back and forth between timelines was easy to follow and I enjoyed the plot, characters, and how the book was written. Favorite book of 2025 so far!
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I enjoyed this, but it was a like an aimless ramble, but in a good way. Like summer used to make you feel like you had all the time in the world with nowhere to be. That's what reading this book feels like. I enjoyed the first 2/3rds more so than the ending, loved being at Tom Lake with everyone. I also loved the orchard, and the closeness and also sort of timelessness that you felt there, the tight family, who works incredibly hard and long hours but still seem to feel like they are just all hanging out together. For this, I find that Lara's character is richer than many. A dream to be in a place that soothes your soul and have your family at your heels all working together. The Lara of Tom's Lake was young (not super young though) and was better than Duke any day. Duke had red flags from the moment he entered and maybe, the separateness of Tom Lake and the summer theater made it feel as though it was all a bit of a fantasy, but I can't imagine that Lara thought it was anything more than that, and just let her self be swept away with it. That time, was all a fantasy, youth, excelling at something, having the freedom (but working incredibly hard) away from other detractors is a common theme of how older people recall their youth, the golden hours and the friends and freedom of it all. Had Duke not become incredibly famous I wonder if she would have thought much about him at all or just filed him away with other memories. Well, I'm rambling but so did the book ha ha You may not necessarily be glued to the pages but you may find a single string that brings you back to it, gentle and unassuming.
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