I haven’t loved a book so much in a long time. Just thinking about it gives me all of the warm and fuzzy feelings. It is the spring of 2020, and Lara + her husband Joe own a cherry orchard in Northern Michigan. Their three adult (early twenties) daughters return to the farm. While picking cherries, the daughters beg her to tell them about Peter Duke, a now extremely famous actor. Before Duke was every famous, Lara had shared a stage with him (in the performance of Our Town at a theater company called Tom Lake. They had also been romantically involved. The girls are fascinated by their mother’s romance and want every detail. The beauty of Patchett’s writing is that this very simple plot is so much more. The way that she crafted this family’s relationships, and the little bits of truth about young love, married love, and family are just so accurate and wonderful. I feel like I may be a little bit biased as I am one of three girls, so at times I pictured Lara as my own mother. But at other times, I pictured myself as Lara. It’s a beautiful, intelligent novel. I may actually also listen to it. While I opted to read this one, Meryl Streep narrates, which sounds absolutely wonderful.
Author: Ann Patchett
