Episode: Ep854: Ann Patchett, plus Magical Historical Fiction with S. J. Parris and Laura Shepherd-Robinson

Octavia Bright talks to Ann Patchett about her captivating new novel. Tom Lake is the story of a young actor Lara under the spell of a future Hollywood star, but it is also about how she retells that story in later life to her adult daughters, and the power of storytelling itself. Two masters of historical fiction, Laura Shepherd-Robinson and S. J. Parris (aka Stephanie Merritt) discuss the allure of magic and mysticism in their latest books set either side of the Enlightenment. Plus Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah recalls the enchanting tale behind the book he'd never lend. Producer: Ciaran Bermingham