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  • Tom Lake

  • A Novel
  • Written by: Ann Patchett
  • Narrated by: Meryl Streep
  • Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (331 ratings)

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Tom Lake cover art

Tom Lake

Written by: Ann Patchett
Narrated by: Meryl Streep
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Publisher's Summary

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK • READ BY MERYL STREEP

In this beautiful and moving novel about family, love, and growing up, Ann Patchett once again proves herself one of America’s finest writers.

“Patchett leads us to a truth that feels like life rather than literature.” —The Guardian

In the spring of 2020, Lara’s three daughters return to the family's orchard in Northern Michigan. While picking cherries, they beg their mother to tell them the story of Peter Duke, a famous actor with whom she shared both a stage and a romance years before at a theater company called Tom Lake. As Lara recalls the past, her daughters examine their own lives and relationship with their mother, and are forced to reconsider the world and everything they thought they knew.

Tom Lake is a meditation on youthful love, married love, and the lives parents have led before their children were born. Both hopeful and elegiac, it explores what it means to be happy even when the world is falling apart. As in all of her novels, Ann Patchett combines compelling narrative artistry with piercing insights into family dynamics. The result is a rich and luminous story, told with profound intelligence and emotional subtlety, that demonstrates once again why she is one of the most revered and acclaimed literary talents working today.

©2023 Ann Patchett (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

What listeners say about Tom Lake

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Beautifully read, but a slow story to unravel.

Absolutely adored listening to Meryl Streep narrate with charm, wit and amusing familiarity. The story was sweet and although not complex or filled with any twists or surprises, it was entertaining. I felt like one of the daughters waiting patiently for my Mom to finish her story. It was a comfortable listen, but not life changing or provoking.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Charming and sweet with a dash of real life darkness

At first I found this book to be slow going. But it picks up and you find yourself with a few OMG moments. Ann Patchett describes a scene that puts you right inside the pages. Love this story about a story.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Terrific book!

Think this is my favourite Ann Patchett book. A narrative that weaves back and forth in time and leaves you hanging about the relationship between key characters until the end. Fully developed and intriguing characters. Wonderfully read by Meryl Streep.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Quirky, cute and relatable

This was such a great book. The narration is fantastic. This book is quirky, cute and relatable. I was laughing and smiling lots listening to it while at other times it got sentimental and was moving. I could not recommend enough!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great story and wonderful performance

Very much enjoyed both the story and the performance. The story was engaging and imaginative.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

It takes time…

The book and story eventually grew on my heartstrings. It took a while to get into it, maybe because I didn’t listen to it every day, but by the end, I loved it. Read by Meryl Streep; it was a delight.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

An absolute treasure

This novel is so descriptive and entertaining. Meryl Streep did a wonderful job as the storyteller. Captivating and so expressive. Remaining engaged with the listener through out the chapters.
I would recommend this audible novel .

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great story and delivery

Meryl Streep does a fantastic job with this story. She quietly but masterfully makes the different characters, and their different timelines come alive

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Loved this world

Really enjoyed being in this world, spending time with all the characters and flipping between timelines. Even though there weren’t any huge leaps, cliff hangers, or reveals, the story felt full.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Couldn’t finish it-so boring

I was so excited to listen especially with Meryl Streep narrating but omg this is absolutely the most boring book I’ve listened to.

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