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A review by blessing_aj
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
emotional
reflective
relaxing
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? Yes
4.25
Don’t you just love it when a writer is gutsy enough to not only craft a good narrative out of something that you could consider mundane? Ann Patchett is that writer and she did exceptionally well with Tom Lake. The publishers’ decision to cast Meryl Streep as the narrator was the buttery icing on the cake.
For a book set in the midst of a cherry farm during the 2020 pandemic, I sure wasn’t counting on it to evoke so many uplifting thoughts about life and yet that’s exactly what it did. The close knit nature of the Nelson family was a joy to behold. The transition between the past and present timelines was so smooth, I sometimes had to do a double take to be sure where we were. I was truly fascinated.
This book is mostly about family but it is also how the power that little decisions hold over the trajectory of our lives. In the beginning, Laura says the story isn’t about Duke but rather about Tom Lake. She does make a good case because by the end of the novel, I could see how that one place altered the course of her life and set her on the path that she believes brought her the most happiness, contentment and peace.
However, the way I see it, the story is just as much about Duke as it is about Tom Lake and the fact that Laura is an unreliable narrator reinforces my perspective, especially when one consider the details of the secret she withholds from her girls but shares with the reader, at the end of the book.
Tom Lake being a metaphor for opportunity and her Duke era being one for the naïveté of youth. Both worthy co-protagonists even if I despised the latter for his horrible treatment of Laura.
How different youthful indulgences appear when reviewed against the lenses of the wisdom gained from the passage of time. And how lucky is Laura for finding the courage to have chosen well, after all was said and done.
For a book set in the midst of a cherry farm during the 2020 pandemic, I sure wasn’t counting on it to evoke so many uplifting thoughts about life and yet that’s exactly what it did. The close knit nature of the Nelson family was a joy to behold. The transition between the past and present timelines was so smooth, I sometimes had to do a double take to be sure where we were. I was truly fascinated.
This book is mostly about family but it is also how the power that little decisions hold over the trajectory of our lives. In the beginning, Laura says the story isn’t about Duke but rather about Tom Lake. She does make a good case because by the end of the novel, I could see how that one place altered the course of her life and set her on the path that she believes brought her the most happiness, contentment and peace.
However, the way I see it, the story is just as much about Duke as it is about Tom Lake and the fact that Laura is an unreliable narrator reinforces my perspective, especially when one consider the details of the secret she withholds from her girls but shares with the reader, at the end of the book.
Tom Lake being a metaphor for opportunity and her Duke era being one for the naïveté of youth. Both worthy co-protagonists even if I despised the latter for his horrible treatment of Laura.
How different youthful indulgences appear when reviewed against the lenses of the wisdom gained from the passage of time. And how lucky is Laura for finding the courage to have chosen well, after all was said and done.