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Tom Lake

The Sunday Times bestseller - a BBC Radio 2 and Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick

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Tom Lake

Written by: Ann Patchett
Narrated by: Meryl Streep
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Buy Now for ₹546.23

Buy Now for ₹546.23

Bloomsbury presents Tom Lake by Ann Patchett, read by Meryl Streep.

The breathtaking new novel from Ann Patchett – a Sunday Times and No. 1 New York Times bestseller

‘Filled with the moments I live for in a story’
BONNIE GARMUS, author of Lessons in Chemistry

‘[Tom Lake] has it all ... Young love, sibling rivalry and deep mother-daughter relationships’
REESE WITHERSPOON

‘One of the most beloved authors of her generation’
SUNDAY TIMES

There's more to every love story than what we choose to tell...

It’s spring and Lara’s three grown daughters have returned to the family orchard. While picking cherries, they beg their mother to tell them the one story they’ve always longed to hear – of the film star with whom she shared a stage, and a romance, years before.

Tom Lake is a meditation on youthful love, married love, and the lives parents lead before their children are born. Both hopeful and elegiac, it explores what it means to be happy even when the world is falling apart.

‘One of our greatest living chroniclers of love and marriage … Expect wonder; Patchett always delivers’ ELLE

* SHORTLISTED FOR WATERSTONES BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2023 *
* A REESE WITHERSPOON AND BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK *
* A 2023 BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR THE TIMES *©2023 HarperCollins Publishers Genre Fiction Literary Fiction
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Critic Reviews

A bittersweet tale of family, heartbreak and hope ... Those who want fiction to soothe, bolster and cheer will love it
A beautiful, stirring book that sneaks up on you and makes a deep impression ... The moment I finished it, I wanted to go back and start again
Tom Lake is a gentle, sun-dappled book stuffed with sage parental wisdom
Patchett is the best storyteller of family life ... the characters are so believable and she writes so beautifully
Few authors can dig into the minutiae of human emotion quite like the Women’s Prize-winning author, and Tom Lake is one of her best ... Flitting between past and present, the novel spools out like a film, and ponders timeless questions about love, family and destiny
Thoughtful and elegiac in its descriptions of first love and motherhood ... Patchett celebrates not just the smallest events of our lives, but 'small' lives themselves
Patchett is always great on family dysfunction, and these scenes prickle to life
A twinned narrative of a past young love, present day nostalgia and the complex, intertwined connections between mothers and daughters ... Enchanting and bittersweet, it is another tour de force from Patchett
A deeply American story of love, heartbreak and wistful old age ... We’re in nostalgic summer romance territory, and Tom Lake delivers the expected emotional pay-off
Completely absorbing
One of the best books I’ve read in a long time ... Everyone will enjoy this (Sarah Pascoe)
Elegant, gloriously immersive, beautifully imagined, funny and tender, this is an elegy to family love, even when the world is in a state of crisis and uncertainty. Ann Patchett leads us with the intelligence, detail, wit and nuance of the greatest chroniclers of human nature and relationships. Nothing escapes her (Rachel Joyce)
Filled with the moments I live for in a story – careful, compelling insights into human nature, the most effortless humour, and the kind of vivid descriptions that reveal exactly how something is (Bonnie Garmus, bestselling author of LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY)
One of our greatest living chroniclers of love and marriage – and its resounding impacts over generations – is back this summer ... Expect wonder; Patchett always delivers
Patchett’s intricate and subtle thematic web ... enfolds the nature of storytelling, the evolving dynamics of a family, and the complex interaction between destiny and choice ... These braided strands culminate in a denouement at once deeply sad and tenderly life-affirming. Poignant and reflective, cementing Patchett’s stature as one of our finest novelists
Masterly ... A love letter to both storytelling itself and the bonds that tie family and friends together, Patchett has once again worked her unique brand of magic with this gentle, tender story that glows with heart and humanity
Few authors can match Patchett in her skill for creating quietly profound novels that stay with readers long after the final page
All stars
Most relevant
Listening to "Tom Lake" by Ann Patchett, I was completely captivated by the tale of Lara's life. The story, set across two very different summers, felt deeply personal. It took me back to 1988, a summer of budding romance at a theater group in rural Michigan, and then brought me to the present, where an older, wiser Lara reflects on her past while on a cherry farm with her husband and three daughters. The narrative beautifully weaves together themes of love, loss, and the choices that shape our lives. It was a charming and poignant journey, and Meryl Streep's narration of the audiobook was an absolute delight, bringing Lara's story to life in the most perfect way.

The Unspoken Story of "Tom Lake"

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Not my cup of tea. Didnt like it much. Couldn't finish it. Story not bad though

Quiet Boring

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4 stars for the story but 5 stars for Meryl Streep and her narration. She just brought the whole story to life with this one. Enjoyed the story and the story telling. This would also make a very good Hollywood movie.

narration brought the story to life!

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The characters and the story are so real. The story telling, the details, and the
flow are moving and dynamic. Meryl Streep does such a good job with the voices and has the right amount of creative imagination with her take on the voices of the characters including Anne Patchett. The writing is like an ever flowing stream that glistens in the summer. The author creates the past and future of the world of Tom Lake by slowly removing our rose-tinted glasses. Her knowledge of how to lead the reader is amazing.
This book was wonderful but I didn't get the ending or the twist that I was supposed to hear. I will be reading the chapter again as I think that got skipped on my device. This book is for the journey and not for the ending alone. The end seals the story of important characters and also makes us understand that some aren't important. The narrator in this book has feelings too and is a character as well, and that's amazing. The intertextuality with
" Our town" is great but if you aren't from an American bg then you may not understand. But that's fine - just type "Our town" summary on your device and that will sure help you - there is an Emily in the play and there is an Emily we are trying to find in this book and that's not who we think it is!
An amazing read! I hope you pick this book up because there aren't going to be any spoilers from me.

A marvelous book

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I absolutely love Ann Patchett’s writing style, how she takes most mundane, most everyday moments and things and describes them in such a beautiful language. Amazed by how the protagonist’s idea of success is defined in the book, how it’s not always fame and money that defines achievement! Meryl Streep wonderful narration definitely added to the experience!

Love the book, though Dutch House is still my first fav from this author!

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