There is no explaining this simple truth about life: you will forget much of it. The painful things you were certain you'd never be able to let go? Now you're not entirely sure when they happened, while the thrilling parts, the heart-stopping joys, splintered and scattered and became something else.

This book is filled with nostalgia and not much else. Nostalgia isn't a bad thing, but I think relooping to the past constantly can be a dangerous trap to fall into for fictional and real people. Lara's recounts are interrupted by Joe/their three daughters, which makes sense given the COVID timestamp we're set it with the story, but the back-and-forth takes a while to get through. It's not bad, it's just not good enough for me to really like, either. Everything feels like it's either said to be reacted to or someone is leaving something unsaid to gauge a reaction. Not my speed, but your mileage may vary. "I want to tell her she will never be hurt, that everything will be fair, and that I will always, always be there to protect her. No one sees us but the swallows looming overhead."

I wanted to love this so much as I really loved the idea of it, but I found it incredibly hard to get into. i found the story boring (at least in the first 50% almost nothing happened) and some storylines, dialogs and relationships were outright weird and not believeable to me : i.g. a grown woman being traumatized and telling her parents she never forgave them for pushing out trees when she was a kid, almost made me DNF this. (I am sure there must be some metaphorical meaning, but to me it was just too much). Last 20% of the book were certainly the best part. I liked the ending and some final plottwists at least. However, all in all I am still disappointed in this.

Came for Meryl Streep, stayed for the story. Imagine someone reading you a beautiful story about love and motherhood. Now imagine Meryl Streep is the person reading to you. That is exactly what you get with "Tom Lake" by Ann Patchett. The story is told by Lara, the mother of three girls, who lives on a cherry tree farm. Now that her children are grown up, she tells them the story of her past, focusing on her time at Tom Lake where she played as Emily in 'Our Town'. She retells the story of her romance with Peter Duke, a famous actor whom her daughter is obsessed with. The book is heartwarming, showing the importance of family over the glamour of being a star. The writing and structure are beautifully crafted, making it easy to follow Lara's story without getting confused at the time changes. Should you decide to give the book a try, I highly recommend listening to the audiobook version of it.

Der detaillierte Schreibstil und die Theaterstory haben mich total eingesogen in die Geschichte und ich fühlte mich sehr in die Orte hineinversetzt. Am meisten hat mich aber Duke gestört und alles über ihn, aber die anderen Charaktere mochte ich sehr - auch wenn die Protagonistin bei Zeiten auch nervig und naiv war...

Es gibt bestimmt Leute, die dieses Buch toll finden aber für mich war es einfach extrem lang gezogen und langweilig. Ich hab viel zu lange für dieses Buch gebraucht weil es mir die gesamte Lust am Lesen geraubt hat. Ich mochte keinen der Charaktere und mir war sehr egal was mit denen passiert. Der Schreibstil war so langatmig und deskriptiv, die Story hätte auf 100 Seiten gepasst.

Die Geschichte wird aus der Sicht von Lara erzählt. Dank der Pandemie sind ihre drei Töchter wieder zu Hause auf Farm der Familie. Um sich die Tage beim Kirschenpflücken zu vertreiben, bitten sie ihre Mutter, ihnen von ihrer kurzen Schauspielerkarriere und ihrer Romanze mit dem inzwischen berühmten Schauspieler Peter Duke zu erzählen. Die Geschichte ist gleichzeitig leicht und tiefgründig. Es geht um die Familie, die erste junge Liebe, Lebensentscheidungen und die Vergangenheit & Gegenwart. Und auch darum wie wir unsere Geschichte erzählen. Es ist eine Ode an das Leben selbst und die Entscheidungen die man im Leben trifft. Es ist ein relativ ruhiger und langsamer Roman mit tollen und durchdachten Charakteren. Der Schreibstil ist wunderschön. Er wechselt nahtlos zwischen Vergangenheit und Gegenwart, was hier wirklich gut gelingt und kein bisschen stört. Ich habe wirklich jeden Moment dieser Geschichte genossen und für mich gehört es definitiv zu meinen Jahreshighlights!