Tom Lake: A Reese’s Book Club Pick

"Good marriages are never as interesting as bad affairs." A story about a story about a girl inside a woman, full of charm and nostalgia.

3.5 stars

A quiet, beautiful meditation on love, memory, and the life we choose. Tom Lake is the kind of novel that lingers—not because it shouts, but because it listens. Ann Patchett writes with the clarity and confidence of someone who understands that the most ordinary details of a life—a summer romance, a role in a play, a piece of fruit harvested from a tree—can be the most meaningful. The story moves gently between past and present as Lara recounts a pivotal chapter of her youth to her three daughters during the early days of the pandemic. The structure is simple, but the emotional depth is anything but. If you know Our Town, the echoes are profound; if you don’t, the novel still works beautifully as a reflection on how we look back at our younger selves—with tenderness, with regret, with quiet pride. The daughters—Emily’s intensity, Maisie’s pragmatism, Nell’s dreams—ground the story, each reflecting a facet of Lara’s past. One of the things I appreciated most is how Patchett resists framing Lara’s life as a binary between acting vs. marriage, youth vs. adulthood, or chaos vs. calm. Instead, we see a series of deliberate, self-aware choices that feel honest and deeply human. The Our Town motif—cherishing the everyday—bridges both phases. Lara’s youth is vibrant but chaotic; her life with Joe is steady, yet enriched by the experiences that came before. Patchett allows space for joy, heartbreak, fulfillment, and growth without forcing a winner. As someone whose own life reflects similar transitions—early time in the theater, brushes with fame, and now a life on a farm with a beloved family—I was struck by how well Patchett captured the way our chapters flow together, each one informing the next. Lara’s contentment isn’t about having no regrets—it’s about knowing she lived each part of her life fully, and ended up exactly where she was meant to be. Highly recommended for readers who appreciate lyrical writing, character-driven storytelling, and the kind of book that makes you pause mid-sentence just to take it all in.

I loved the narration by Meryl Streep. She really brought the characters to life!

Generally well received and most of us enjoyed it.