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Tom Lake

A Novel

by Ann Patchett

Narrator Meryl Streep

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Length 11 hours 22 minutes

Language English

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Bookseller recommendation

“For anyone who loves quiet, reflective fiction that hits on essential life truths, this is a must read. During the 2020 pandemic, a mother tells her daughters about the life-changing summer when she dated an actor before he became famous. This premise leads to an exploration of family ties, a reflection on our search for purpose, and a celebration of how painfully precious life is. Yes, Meryl Streep’s narration is perfect. ”
— Colleen • Read Between The Lynes

Bookseller recommendation

“I'm pretty sure we could listen to Meryl Streep read the phone book. Lucky for us, she is reading the latest novel by the incomparable Ann Patchett. Tom Lake is both a snapshot of time suspended during the pandemic, and a coming of age tale. I couldn't bear to speed up any of it, because the listening experience was so enjoyable. ”
— Kelli • The Novel Neighbor

Bookseller recommendation

“Wonderful little slice of life about a mother sharing her youth with her three daughters. A book you can reread as you age and get something new out of it each time. ”
— Hannah • The Bookies Bookstore

Bookseller recommendation

“I was blown away by this audiobook, which had so many elements of a great story. Spectacular work by both Patchett and Streep and so rewarding to listen to during late summer. ”
— Jen • Bards Alley

Bookseller recommendation

“This is a heartwarming story, about likeable people, who figured out what was important in life and chose not glitter but substance. A lovely story.”
— Deon • Sunriver Books & Music

Bookseller recommendation

“With Ann Patchett's writing and Meryl Streep's narration, this is the perfect storm of awesomeness! I loved every second of this book! ”
— Kimberly • Volumes Bookcafe

Bookseller recommendation

“Sad to have this story end. I enjoyed it on Libro.fm, with narration by Meryl Streep - two for the price of one in this case! Excellent story of a happy mother and wife recalling her younger life as an actress and her relationship with an actor. I could envision all that occurred while listening to this beautiful story! ”
— Nona • CoffeeTree Books

Bookseller recommendation

“I finished listening to Tom Lake. I can see why it’s at the top of the best seller list. Ann Patchett has a way of weaving so much into a straightforward story. Set during the pandemic, Lara’s three adult daughters have returned to the family’s cherry orchard in Michigan to quarantine and harvest the fruit. Lara entertains them by sharing the story of her acting career and brief relationship with a man who went on to be a movie star. I still prefer her essays and Bel Canto, but this story is quite enjoyable. ”
— Amy • A Great Good Place for Books

Bookseller recommendation

“Remember the scene in Mama Mia where Meryl Streep is brushing Amanda Seyfried's hair as they get her ready for her wedding day? Nostalgic music plays in the background as they look through old photos and reminisce together. Watching it you feel cozy and warm and loved. Well that is EXACTLY how reading Tom Lake made me feel. Ann Patchett did a beautiful job of creating a story where you are entranced by the events of the past and engaged with the relationships of the present. In a world and time of stories filled with regrets and missed opportunities it was refreshing to read a novel where the heroine recognizes her life isn't what she thought it would be, but is so grateful it turned out the way it did. Perfect for mothers, daughters, and everyone else. ”
— Michelle • Quail Ridge Books

Bookseller recommendation

“Tom Lake by Ann Patchett is a thoughtful exploration of family, memory, and love. The novel offers a quiet reflection on how our choices shape our lives. It is an engaging novel that invites contemplation and a deeper appreciation for life's small moments.”
— Keith • Republic of Letters

Bookseller recommendation

“I just started Ann Patchett’s new book, Tom Lake, which opens at auditions for a community theater production of Our Town in a small New Hampshire town that takes the play very much to heart. I’m already in love with the book, and its nostalgic feel of young love, mothers and daughters, and the juxtaposition of past and present. Added bonus: Meryl Streep reads the audiobook! A beautiful and moving novel, Tom Lake is wonderfully set against the backdrop of Thornton Wilder’s 1938 classic American play. Ann Patchett is a one of my favorite contemporary American writers; this book doesn’t disappoint! ”
— Genevieve • A Great Good Place for Books

Bookseller recommendation

“Tom Lake was such a beautiful journey of a book! We're in the Summer of 2020 in a family farm in Michigan, where Lara tells stories of her youth to her three daughters, who desperately want to know about their mom's love affair with a famous actor. So we're also in the late 80s, travelling with Lara around New Hampshire, Los Angeles, New York, and mostly Michigan where she spends a summer acting in a play at Tom Lake. It's a summer of work, friendship, love and betrayals, during which Lara learned a lot and grew more and more into adulthood. Tom Lake is a soothing novel, where love in its various forms is beautifully depicted, and where life ends up making sense despite all the chaos it sometimes feels like. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Meryl Streep, and what a joy it has been! Thanks to Libro.fm for the ALC! ”
— Marie • Emma's Bookshop

Summary
About the author
About the narrator

#12 in Bestselling Audiobooks #5 in Bestselling Fiction - Literary Audiobooks

#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.

Fiction Fiction - Literary

Ann Patchett is the author of novels, most recently the #1 New York Times bestselling Tom Lake, works of nonfiction, and children's books. She has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the PEN/Faulkner, the Women's Prize for Fiction in the UK, and the Book Sense Book of the Year. Her novel The Dutch House was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Her work has been translated into more than thirty languages, and Time magazine named her one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. President Biden awarded her the National Humanities Medal in recognition of her contributions to American culture. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where she is the owner of Parnassus Books.

Meryl Streep has been nominated for an Academy Award^® thirteen times, winning twice. Her numerous film credits include The Deer Hunter, Kramer vs. Kramer, Sophie's Choice, Out of Africa, The Bridges of Madison County, Adaptation, and The Hours.