Enjoy the summer with a book in hand

A few summers ago, the Peterborough Players in Peterborough performed “Our Town” outdoors in downtown Peterborough. It was a memorable evening as Thornton Wilder, who wrote the play, had spent time in Peterborough as a fellow at the MacDowell Colony (1924-53) when he was writing “Our Town.” It is clear, it seems to me and most others, that the play’s setting of Grover’s Corners represents a small New Hampshire town modeled on Peterborough.

“Our Town” premiered at a theater in Princeton, New Jersey, in January 1938, and then moved to the Wilbur Theater in Boston, before making it to Broadway in New York. “Our Town” received the Pulitzer Prize for drama and is now recognized as perhaps one of, if not the, greatest American play.

I began thinking about that summer evening in Peterborough, sitting on the lawn and watching the performance, because I am reading Ann Patchett’s “Tom Lake” (Harper Collins, 2023.) The story is wrapped around three plays, “Our Town” by Thornton Wilder, “The Cherry Orchard” by Anton Chekhov, and “Fool for Love” by Sam Shepard.

The novel opens in New Hampshire where, “Citizens of New Hampshire could not get enough of ‘Our Town.’ We felt about the play the way other Americans felt about the Constitution or the ‘Star-Spangled Banner.’” It is a cold Saturday morning in April when tryouts are being held for a production of “Our Town.” The novel follows Lara who plays Emily. And, like Thornton Wilder, Ann Patchett is a MacDowell Fellow and was there in 1996, working on her third novel, “The Magician’s Assistant.”

When I ask friends and colleagues what they are reading or a book they have enjoyed, “Tom Lake” is often mentioned. It’s one of those books that is a natural story about an American family. While it is contemporary fiction, there are no references to technology, social media or politics tucked in here and there as reminders of where we are. This narrative keeps us around lakes in the summer and engaged with relationships around family.

I have been reading short stories recently, ideal for summer reading, and am always looking for books that can be read lying in a hammock overlooking a New Hampshire lake. when you can hear the water swishing up against the shore.

I haven’t made my reservations at the Winnipesauke Playhouse but hope to see “Richard III” and “In the Heights.” Guess that means I should reread the original Shakespeare. The music and the energy of “In the Heights” is wonderful. Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote the concept, music and lyrics. The book was written by Quiara Alegria Hudes. Lin-Manuel Miranda created the musical “Hamilton,” which completely changed musical theater.

If you are still thinking about books to add to your summer reading, I recommend “Tom Lake.” And, if you are looking for something a little different, try finding the short stories or a novel written by the British writer Angela Carter (1940-92). She is not well known in the United States, yet in 2008 the London Times ranked Carter tenth in their list of “The 50 greatest British writers since 1945” and her book “Nights at the Circus” was selected as the best ever winner of the James Tait Black Memorial Prize.

Find a cool, lovely place to read and enjoy these few precious weeks of summer.

•••

Elizabeth Howard is the host of the Short Fuse Podcast, found on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or through the Arts Fuse. Her career intersects journalism, marketing, and communications. “Ned O’Gorman: A Glance Back,” a book she edited, was published in May 2016. She is the author of “A Day with Bonefish Joe,” a children’s book, published by David R. Godine. You can send her a note at: eh@elizabethhoward.com.