Play Book Tag discussion

This is a superb audio read by Meryl Streep. As an actress, she's the perfect reader to be telling the story of Lara who, when in High School, starred as Emily in a production of Our Town in her New Hampshire town. From there she is discovered and discovers her path, which leads her to Summer Theater at Tom Lake, Michigan. That is only part of this terrific story - the first part.

What could be considered the second part takes place in 2020, during the height of the Covid pandemic and Lara's three daughters are home on the Michigan cherry farm with their Mom and Dad, Lara and Joe. One daughter has been studying Veterinary Science, one wants to be an actress, and the other wants to stay on the farm and marry her childhood friend. The other thing they all want is to hear the story of their mother and Duke whom they knew their mother had dated back in her theater days. He went on to become a famous actor. So Lara tells them the story through the cherry-picking time on the farm. In this story, we also have the benefit of learning quite a bit about cherry farming in Michigan!

This story that outlines Lara's life is interesting and has plenty of twists. I loved the way Steep laughs at just the right time as she tells her daughters the story. Sometimes, I wasn't sure whether some parts of her narrative were just her inner dialog, for our ears, or if that was actually included in her daughters' story.

All the characters, even the minor ones, are memorable. Loved it, something good to come out of the pandemic. And now I'm feeling the need to see Our Town by Thornton Wilder!