On the farm in Northern Michigan that has been in her husband’s family for generations, Lara has been coaxed by her three grown daughters to tell them about her relationship with Peter Duke, a now famous movie star. There has been a triggering event for these stories, but we don’t learn about it for a long time. In any case, these stories take place between sessions of cherry picking and other hard work.
Lara becomes an actress without planning to. When she is in high school helping with auditions for Our Town, the girls trying out for Emily are so bad that she tries out herself and gets the part. Later in college, she takes the part again, and it happens that Ripley, a movie producer, has been persuaded to attend to see his niece. Instead, he decides that Lara is perfect for an upcoming role.
Lara makes a movie, but there is a long delay before it comes out, so she ends up taking the part of Emily again at a summer stock theater in Michigan called Tom Lake. At Tom Lake, she is swept into an affair with Peter Duke, a young, charismatic actor, on her first day. The summer starts out magical, but Lara has a lot to learn about acting, herself, and Duke.
The present-time novel is set during the pandemic, but even though the story has some heart-wrenching parts, its overall atmosphere is so cozy, so happy in its setting, that it feels like the family has its own little nest. You want to go and live with this fictional family. I was born and grew up in Michigan, and although I never lived on a cherry farm, this book made me nostalgic.
Patchett is also a terrific storyteller. This novel is paced brilliantly. The sections where she tells her story seem just about right in length while the rest portrays a warm family life and hard work on the farm. I loved this book.
What? Me Read? 
I thought this book was excellent. I loved it. Just before it came out I had read her essays These Precious Days in which she made a reference to this book in one of the essays. I think I have enjoyed all I’ve read of her. Good review!
Yes, she’s one of my favorites. I loved it, too. If you haven’t read The Dutch House, you should! Thanks!
I’d decided this one wasn’t for me – the whole Covid thing – but your enthusiasm is making me reconsider… hmm!
The Covid isn’t very present except that they are doing the work mostly by themselves and not going out. It’s just the background for spending so much time together.
It’s really one of the best books I’ve read all year.
That does it then – added to the wishlist! 😀
Yay!
Oh, I just popped over to Amazon to add it and discovered Meryl Streep has narrated the audiobook! I love her!
That’s great!
I have heard so much about Ann Patchett, and am eager to read one of her books. I have also seen good reviews of this one, which sounds like a good read. The mother/daughters relationships should be interesting. We probably always think that our parents did not have a romantic life, and it would be great to hear this was the case.
I’ve just finished reading this and I didn’t love it as much as you did, but I do like Ann Patchett’s writing. I preferred The Dutch House, which is the only other book I’ve read by her so far.
I think those are her two best, but if you just started reading her, you have a lot of pleasure before you. A lot of people like Bel Canto. I did, too, but I read it so long ago that I don’t remember much about it. I really loved The Dutch House, but I don’t think I can compare the two books. I really loved this one, too.