3.5 stars — I ended up liking the book overall, but it was a very slow read. The author had an interesting approach intertwining the story with productions of Thornton Wilder’s play Our Town. There was one flashback scene toward the end that felt unnecessary and just tossed in for some shock value. But I liked the characters! This author is kind of hit-and-miss for me. Good writing, but a few plot issues.
Good to know. My book club will be reading it soon.
I’ve now finished TOM LAKE. I really liked it. It was a little slow in parts, but I liked most of the characters. This might be my favorite Ann Patchett book — it was much better than DUTCH HOUSE.
I agree!