Reviews with content warning for Animal death - Tom Lake

Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

30 reviews

slefebvre95's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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thalia16's review against another edition

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emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I'm a ride or die Ann Patchett fan, but this book just didn't have the magic for me. Judging books by their cover is often misleading in a pleasantly surprising way, however this one unfortunately aligned very closely with its cover: outdated (despite taking place during an incredibly contemporary world event) and not very exciting.

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savvyrosereads's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Rating: 4/5 stars

Sheltering in place during the pandemic, Lara recounts for her daughters the story of her summer spent acting at Tom Lake.

Meryl Streep is one of the very best actors of our lifetimes (or ever) and she performs this audiobook with every ounce of that talent. I could truly listen to her monologue for hours on end, and so the narration made this audiobook an entertaining experience. If you’re a fan of Meryl, I can’t recommend it enough, and if you’re not, I have serious questions about your taste.

That said, this is also a book, and I…didn’t really enjoy the book. I found the plot pretty boring and never really “got” the point the novel was trying to make—it felt like nothing happened, I didn’t particularly like any of the characters, and I wasn’t remotely surprised by anything that happened in either timeline. Honestly, I cannot imagine reading this one in physical form, because the narration was the best part for me by far. In short, 3 stars for the book (being generous), an entire additional star for Meryl.

CW: Infidelity; injury; mentions of death; pandemic

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siebensommer's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

never had i seen a place that made the tightness in my chest relax

the magic with which nell understands overwhelms me at times

i wish there had been someone with me so i didn’t have to ask all the stupid questions myself

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iconicavocado's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

(read via book & audiobook)

Book 📖: 3.5/5 stars

Audiobook 🎙️: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I don't think I have felt as conflicted about a book rating than this one. Ultimately I just going to come to terms that though this is a sweetly, nostalgically written book with a lovely audiobook (It's Meryl Streep for God sakes!): it just didn't land for me.

I got some quams with certain choices made but mainly I'm not the target audience for this. I feel if were more of a appreciate of theatre this would be my jam. I love the dynamic with the mom, Lara, and her family and the present day story. But I couldn't believe in the love Lara has with her ex boyfriend, Peter Duke. Which is what the book is centered around and it does not work for me.

Also I found 3 spelling/writing errors while reading off some of the digital book. Two were words swaps and one was a complete misspelling of the word "say" spelled "stay". At first I thought Meryl misspoke but the third time I realized it may be a publishing error. I'm getting really annoyed I keep finding misspellings and errors in new work nowadays. Seriously is it that hard to proof your work, publishers?

If you love plays, classical literature, and stories about family this is a book for you. And I have to say the audiobook is FANTASTIC. I loved how Meryl read the book and I wouldn't have liked it as much I have without her.

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maceydowns's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

feeling a bit like this book taught me the same lesson as everything everywhere all at once — but maybe that’s just the lesson I’m seeking right now.

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katietregs's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

Quite sentimental. Not a lot of twists and turns. The writing is good, but most of the characters feel quite flat. Very pro farm. My main takeaway is that this woman loves farm.

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