After her grown daughters return to the family farm during the pandemic, Lara recalls her previous life before becoming a wife and mother. Much of her formative years are intertwined with Thorton Wilder’s play, Our Town. Lara is once cast as the lead in summer stock in a Michigan town. The other lead, Duke is her boyfriend at the time and later becomes a famous movie star. Her daughters are swept up in the storytelling. It prompts them to consider their own lives, relationships and everything they thought they knew about their parents. This novel is a sweet and nostalgic look back at youth and those we call family, how destiny and choices collide. Ann Patchett, one of my favorite writers, continues to spin the most beautiful stories.

In my opinion this was a mediocre book about a woman having a few bad days.

I could not wait for this book to be over. It is an autobiographical novel about the author’s experience growing up gay into young adulthood. The trouble is that it reads like a list of her sexual exploits beginning when she was 9 years old. And what little story there is revolves entirely around the fat that she is gay, as if that is the determining factor in every event that happens.

I started this as an audio book on a day that was challenging, and I found it was just want I needed. What fun!! This is done as an old-time radio production complete with authentic and amazing sound effects. Guy, the detective and central character, is brought such exciting cases as the theft of a four year old goldfish. If you are looking for something really fun, you will not be dissatisfied with this!

This is a simple and heart-warming story.

This is a wonderful tale that everyone can relate to; the anxiety and anticipation surrounding a high school reunion, and Smith tells a wonderful tale here. And as the old classmates gather, grudges come to the surface, and secrets behind them are revealed.

If you have heard stories about Captain Kidd, this non-fiction book will set you straight. I found it an interesting read.

Yes, this was written by that Steve Martin and I did this as an audio book which was read by the author. Martin’s writing is crisp and to the point and has no difficulty evoking the emotion he wants you to feel. The story starts off a bit like Pretty Woman but then grows and matures and goes in a completely different direction. I did enjoy the book but was sad it was not a happier ending.

This is the story of a woman and her ex-lover who wind up running for governor at the same time. It’s wonderfully done, mixing the story with present day natation and that of the past. It also tells the story from both protagonists’ point of view. And there is so much more to this story than first appears, and even when you think you have the whole story a whole other layer appears. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

Really enjoyed it! Didn’t expect the twist at the end