Book Notes | ‘Tom Lake’
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett is set in the early summer of 2020 at a cherry orchard on the shores of Lake Michigan. The three daughters of the main character, Lara, have returned home during the COVID-19 pandemic to help harvest the cherry crop. The young women ask their mother to tell them the story of her relationship with a famous movie star, Peter Duke, with whom she shared a stage and a romance.
Over the course of a few weeks, Lara tells the story a bit each day. She begins with her first role, when she was a teenager, as Emily in Our Town by Thornton Wilder. She moved on to a small part in a Hollywood movie, and eventually came to star once again as Emily in Our Town in summer theater in Michigan with Duke. During her time in Michigan, Lara suffered a broken foot and was replaced in both the play and Duke’s affections with her understudy.
After that summer, Lara gave up acting and returned home to care for an aging grandmother. After her grandmother died, Lara became a seamstress for theater productions in New York. She reconnects with her former director from the Michigan Our Town production, marries him, and moves to his family’s cherry farm, where her daughters were born and raised.
The book has a surprise ending because there is a part of the story about Duke that Lara fails to share with her daughters.
The members of the UMRA Book Club all liked the book for its setting (cherry orchard) and story framing (telling a tale during a pandemic lock down). The “action” starts slowly and builds, which was a mild criticism that some had with the overall telling of the story. Some members listened to the book read by Meryl Streep, who brought the characters to life with her rendering of the novel.
—Kathryn Sedo, UMRA Book Club I
Book Club I in January
Fri, Jan 17, 2025, 2pm
Upcoming Events
The theme for December is historical family photos. Join us for photography and fun.
There are a few fun events coming up at the Campus Club that are open to everyone. See these events on the Campus Club Facebook and Instagram.
Meeting to plan books for next year.
There has been a lot in the news recently about the University of Minnesota Medical School, University of Minnesota Physicians, and Fairview Health Services. Please join us at breakfast on January 8 for a respectful and engaging discussion of their relationship.
The theme for January is great MN views.
Developing a sense of identity is a central psychological task of the lifespan. Memories and stories from our personal past, as well as cultural memories and stories in society play key roles in how we develop our identities. This presentation will discuss psychological theory and research on how memories and stories make us who we are.
When you are of Icelandic descent you can trace your ancestors back to around 1200 and sometimes further.
Bleak House by Charles Dickens.
Here’s another great opportunity to buy discounted tickets and join your UMRA friends to cheer for the Gophers when the Women’s Basketball team hosts the Purdue Boilermakers at Williams Arena in Minneapolis on February 1.
UMRA’s special event for this winter will again be a celebration of brighter days and the approaching end of winter. We’ll have food, fellowship, and music provided by Urban Sound, one of the University’s premier student a cappella ensembles.
Family history with Jim Kurle. A tale of Swedish emigration to Dunn County, North Dakota, including my grandfather whose unusual relationship to several churches and religion in general was one of the reasons for his emigrating.
Growing Up by Russell Baker.