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A review by jennyfromtheburbs
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
slow-paced
2.0
Ok, I hadn’t heard much about this book before reading, but kept seeing it pop up so I thought why not?
The plot hook is a woman named Lara telling her daughters about the summer she fell in love with a man who later became a major Hollywood actor….but did she?
I think I set expectations too high based on perceived hype and the interesting hook. This story does present the reader with the opportunity to engage in conversations btwn parent and child because both roles have their own experiences and opinions worth sharing with each other.
Spoilers Section:
Based on the hook I expected a whirlwind, consuming romance, but this was one of the most underdeveloped portions of the book. Half the time I’m like “did she even like him?” We knew nothing about Duke. Also some may argue that she’s telling her daughters the story so it won’t be too steamy, but present Lara had inner dialogue so she could say “I’d never tell my daughters, but ….” Like she did with the abortion, which btw I think she should have shared with the daughters. I appreciated the lack of guilt and remorse because Lara was a woman who made a decision - end of story.
The lack of development of the characters lead to lack of payoff. My low rating might be due to expectations, but this book was boring. I felt like I learned more about cherry farms and “Our Town” instead of Lara’s experience as an actress, her relationships with Duke, Joe, Palace and Sebastian and transition to motherhood.
The plot hook is a woman named Lara telling her daughters about the summer she fell in love with a man who later became a major Hollywood actor….but did she?
I think I set expectations too high based on perceived hype and the interesting hook. This story does present the reader with the opportunity to engage in conversations btwn parent and child because both roles have their own experiences and opinions worth sharing with each other.
Spoilers Section:
Based on the hook I expected a whirlwind, consuming romance, but this was one of the most underdeveloped portions of the book. Half the time I’m like “did she even like him?” We knew nothing about Duke. Also some may argue that she’s telling her daughters the story so it won’t be too steamy, but present Lara had inner dialogue so she could say “I’d never tell my daughters, but ….” Like she did with the abortion, which btw I think she should have shared with the daughters. I appreciated the lack of guilt and remorse because Lara was a woman who made a decision - end of story.
The lack of development of the characters lead to lack of payoff. My low rating might be due to expectations, but this book was boring. I felt like I learned more about cherry farms and “Our Town” instead of Lara’s experience as an actress, her relationships with Duke, Joe, Palace and Sebastian and transition to motherhood.
Content Warnings
Minor: Abortion and Alcoholism