Ann Patchett's latest novel is a lovely and deeply satisfying read in which a mother tells her adult daughters the story of the summer in which she dated the man who would become the world's most famous movie star.

The novel's framing narrative unfolds in summer 2020 on Lara and her husband Joe's cherry farm in Northern Michigan; because of the Covid pandemic, their three daughters are back home with them and they are all spending their days in the orchards picking fruit because of a shortage of other seasonal workers. As they work, the girls ask their mother to tell the story of what really happened back in the 1980s when she was briefly an actress and became involved with the soon-to-be-famous Peter Duke over a summer working at Tom Lake theatre company.

The story Lara tells is engaging in its own right, with some unexpected twists. At times it feels like a Cinderella story in which an ordinary girl is catapulted first into a major Hollywood movie and then into the leading role at a 'summer stock' theatre, but Patchett explores how the stuff of dreams may turn out to be less than one has hoped. Lara particularly identifies with the role of Emily in Thornton Wilder's 'Our Town' but comes to realise the difference between being a great Emily and a great actress and the ephemerality of this life.

However, what makes this such an enjoyable and moving read is the way that it is framed by Lara's telling of the story in the present day. This allows Patchett to interrogate not just Lara's relationship with her own past but also her husband and daughters' reactions. The novel shows an insightful understanding of family stories and secrets, how memories of the same event can differ and how versions of events can be accepted as fact even when they are not the truth. Above all, this felt like a novel about the lives Lara and Joe could have had and the life they have chosen for themselves, the sacrifices this has entailed and their acceptance of these. Patchett's descriptions of acting and theatre are vivid and compelling, but it is Lara's deep love for her family and life on the farm that radiates from the pages of this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC to review.

I'm new to Ann Patchett and didn't know what to expect at all. I must admit that for about the first half of the book I was wondering whether to continue as I just didn't find myself immersed in the story or interested in the characters either in the past or the present.

Thankfully it became more interesting at that point and I found myself engaging much more with the narrative, if not with most of the characters. Joe was the one who stood out for me as a genuinely good person who really held the story together, despite being on the sidelines most of the time. I did like the fact that the novel is set in the pandemic, throwing the family together, working to get the fruit harvest in with no outside help and learning much about each other in their enforced close proximity.

I'm glad I stuck with it as the author's writing style and character insight is beautiful. Just one star lost for the slow slow start!

Tom Lake is the beautiful story of Lara, Joe and their three daughters. One day Lara tells her daughters the story of the summer she spent at Tom Lake working as an actress. I loved the mix of past and present and seeing everyone's lived progress, with secrets love and loss. The dual timelines were so engaging and I couldn't put this down, overall this was an incredibly fun heart-warming read perfect for summer.

A new Ann Pachett is always a real treat and this might be my favourite yet. Once I’d entered the world of cherry farms and Tom Lake, I didn’t want to leave. Patchett’s books always have such warmth, connection between characters and beautiful prose - this was no different. Definitely one of my books of the year so far.

Tom Lake - a where, not a who - is the story of Lara, Joe and their three daughters set in Michigan one summer during the pandemic, as they rush to harvest the cherries from the orchard which they own. Working without the assistance of the temporary pickers they would usually rely on, time is against them to get the harvest in before it ruins. At the request of her daughters, to pass the time Lara tells the story of the summer she spent in Tom Lake, working as an actress. At the time Lara got the job, her star was on the rise and she was working before the release of her latest film. During the run of the show, Lara meets - and falls in love with - Duke a fellow actor who goes on to become a superstar. Some of these are well known family stories and some are new. Alongside these flashbacks, the family battle to harvest the cherries as the season starts to turn. A story of new love, lost love and enduring love, of mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, siblings, lovers and friends. Of secrets shared and secrets kept. Patchett masterfully weaves the dual storylines together, never allowing one to dominate and both are completely absorbing. An incredible new novel from a highly accomplished author.

As superb as we’ve come to expect from Ann Patchett. The story of a mother recalling her love affair with a famous actor 30 years earlier. We switch between the story of Lara as a teenager taking part in a small town production of “our town” that leads her to carting stardom of her own…. Where she meets Peter Duke before he was famous. Now married to a fruit farmer, with 3 grown up daughters I found this a wonderful story of a woman reminiscing the past, and the discovery by her daughter that yes, we had a life of our own before children! Loved this.