Ann Patchett | Book Chatter

Whistler
By Ann Patchett
Harper, June 2026, 304pp.

The Short of It:

Reflective and intimate.

The Rest of It:

Daphne Fuller and her husband, Jonathan, are visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art when she notices a familiar face: an older, white-haired gentleman silently following them. Could it be? Eddie Triplett, her former stepfather, who was married to her mother for a little over a year, is suddenly standing there, in the flesh, after all these years.

What follows is an intimate look at love and what makes a family. Sometimes it’s not a perfect package wrapped in a bow. Sometimes love can exist outside of what’s traditional. Sometimes an accident can bring people together. Whistler is filled with beautiful, poignant moments and memories of loving relationships, even in the face of hardship.

Readers might ask, “Well, what’s it about? What’s with the horse on the cover?” Well, it’s not about a horse. It’s about love and connections that don’t always fit perfectly together but are meaningful nonetheless. It’s about the strength of memories and how you can lean on them when needed. It’s about beautiful interactions between the people you love.

Patchett always writes with such passion, and her stories always hit home for me. Open up Whistler and you’ll find comfort. Reading it was like snuggling up with your favorite blanket on a rainy day. It just hits that sweet spot.

Highly recommend.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

Tom Lake
By Ann Patchett
Published by Harper,9780063327528, August 2023, 320pp

The Short of It:

Tom Lake will capture your heart.

The Rest of It:

In the spring of 2020, Lara’s three daughters return to the family’s orchard in Northern Michigan. While picking cherries, they beg their mother to tell them the story of Peter Duke, a famous actor with whom she shared both a stage and a romance years before at a theater company called Tom Lake. As Lara recalls the past, her daughters examine their own lives and relationship with their mother, and are forced to reconsider the world and everything they thought they knew. ~ Indiebound

Oh, how I loved this one. It starts off a little slow but once you get into it, it’s very hard to put down. The family dynamic has a very strong pull. These sisters, sharing their stories, their hopes and dreams while working in the orchard will absolutely capture your heart. And their mother, Lara and how she chooses to share snippets of her wildly exciting times as an actress will satisfy any theater kid at heart.

I won’t lie though. It’s not all fun and games. As glamorous as being a lead in a show is, in this case a summer production of Our Town, it has its drawbacks as well. For one, Lara’s infatuation with Peter Duke has her throwing all caution to the wind. A young girl, so in love, is bound to find heartache. No?

As Lara shares bits of that summer with her girls, they begin to put things together and although they thought they knew their mother quite well, they realize that she is her own person and perhaps not everything is to be shared.

I was a theater kid in high school and of course, both my kids went down that same path so it was no surprise how much I enjoyed Tom Lake. You don’t have to be a die hard theater kid to love this story though. It’s about love, the importance of family, the friends we cherished as young adults, and how a life comes to be. Sometimes not exactly as we imagined it but sweet, nonetheless.

Do yourself a favor and find a copy of this book.

Source: Purchased
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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