lizthelizard's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
5hawna's review against another edition
5.0
"When your cup is empty, you do not mourn what is gone.
Because if you do, you will miss the opportunity to fill it up again." From Lost Lake, by Sarah Addison Allen.
Because if you do, you will miss the opportunity to fill it up again." From Lost Lake, by Sarah Addison Allen.
aphelia88's review against another edition
3.0
"That was something his mother always made sure he knew. The world was not like him and was not going to change for him. The trick to getting through life, she'd told him, is not to resent it when it isn't exactly how you think it should be." (84)
After falling in love with the Waverley duology - [b:Garden Spells|1158967|Garden Spells (Waverley Family, #1)|Sarah Addison Allen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347309330l/1158967._SY75_.jpg|2689445] and [b:First Frost|21853633|First Frost (Waverley Family, #2)|Sarah Addison Allen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1410962794l/21853633._SX50_.jpg|41125528] - I had high expectations for this book and really wanted to love it! Unfortunately, a plot twist late in the story lost me.
Centered around a rundown retro motorcourt in Florida called Lost Lake, the characters just weren't as vibrant as their outsized personalities and eccentricities made them seem.
Kate lost her husband a year ago and has been sleepwalking through life ever since. When she finally wakes up, she realizes her freewheeling 8 year old daughter Devin is being manipulated by her controlling mother-in-law and that she has allowed this woman to take over her life.
In a fit of defiance, she takes Devin to the last place she remembers being happy, a resort owned by a distant relative. But when they arrive, Lost Lake is a lot different than she remembers, and is in the process of closing down, in preparation for being sold to a developer.
Some season regulars turn up despite being told the resort is closing, and they all have a part to play in remembering the past and fighting for a future for Lost Lake.
Unfortunately, I had a major issue:
Also, the whole storyline about the dead brother magically turning into the alligator he always wanted to be, one that was leaving clues for Devin, in order to right a past wrong, was something I found more creepy and pitiable than charming.
I still love Sarah Addison Allen's writing, and will look for more of her work, but this book wasn't for me and I can't recommend it.
After falling in love with the Waverley duology - [b:Garden Spells|1158967|Garden Spells (Waverley Family, #1)|Sarah Addison Allen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347309330l/1158967._SY75_.jpg|2689445] and [b:First Frost|21853633|First Frost (Waverley Family, #2)|Sarah Addison Allen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1410962794l/21853633._SX50_.jpg|41125528] - I had high expectations for this book and really wanted to love it! Unfortunately, a plot twist late in the story lost me.
Centered around a rundown retro motorcourt in Florida called Lost Lake, the characters just weren't as vibrant as their outsized personalities and eccentricities made them seem.
Kate lost her husband a year ago and has been sleepwalking through life ever since. When she finally wakes up, she realizes her freewheeling 8 year old daughter Devin is being manipulated by her controlling mother-in-law and that she has allowed this woman to take over her life.
In a fit of defiance, she takes Devin to the last place she remembers being happy, a resort owned by a distant relative. But when they arrive, Lost Lake is a lot different than she remembers, and is in the process of closing down, in preparation for being sold to a developer.
Some season regulars turn up despite being told the resort is closing, and they all have a part to play in remembering the past and fighting for a future for Lost Lake.
Unfortunately, I had a major issue:
Spoiler
This would have been a 4 star read for me if it wasn't for the shocking twist near the end, which was more suited to a murder mystery than a feel good romance. I cannot get past the fact that Kate's teenage crush, with whom she reconnects and develops feelings for, deliberately set the fire that killed his abusive father and beloved younger brother. Granted, he thought his father wasn't home and his brother ran back into the flames trying to save a few precious belongings, but still. He wanted to follow young Kate, and he thought this was the only way out? And it was so quickly forgiven?!!!Also, the whole storyline about the dead brother magically turning into the alligator he always wanted to be, one that was leaving clues for Devin, in order to right a past wrong, was something I found more creepy and pitiable than charming.
I still love Sarah Addison Allen's writing, and will look for more of her work, but this book wasn't for me and I can't recommend it.
hillarya's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this fun tale with a wonderful ending. It was just a feel good book and I look forward to reading more from Sarah Addison Allen. I really enjoyed the old southern ladies--they reminded me of the old "friends" on Steel Magnolias.
gatzby's review against another edition
5.0
oh this was SO special and magical and lovely. the quirky cast of characters was the perfect kind of quirky. i loved everything about this aaaaaaa :(
luckyliza13's review against another edition
4.0
Another one to love from Allen! Love, dreams, grief, joy, and a little bit of magic. Perfect.
nicolesnook's review against another edition
5.0
Young widow Kate finds herself drawn to Lost Lake, the home of her happiest childhood memories. It turns out to be the perfect place for her and her daughter to heal. This story is a great story about acceptance with a nice touch of romance and fantasy.
rosann's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book almost as much as I loved Garden Spells and The Sugar Queen (and I loved those books a lot)
erikoo's review against another edition
4.0
Sarah Addison Allen writes the kind of books you want to keep in your mind and your heart long after they're done, just because sometimes it's painful to let beautiful things slip away. She caught my attention with two of her earlier books, Garden Spells and The Peach Keeper, but I fell completely head over heels for The Girl Who Chase the Moon. Allen's novels are strong but tender stories of women who refuse to abandon the pursuit of magic in their lives.
Lost Lake follows Kate, a recently widowed mother who wakes up after a year of living beneath the haze of grief. Kate is the youngest in a long line of Morris women who fall apart after losing their husbands, but she refuses to let her future be defined by her past. Kate's "awakening" is utterly relatable. Who hasn't experienced the desire to be better, the craving to be more. The sudden realization that the person you have been is no longer the person you want to be.
The pages of Allen's novels are museums of wonder. You think you're reading a book when a word or phrase sneaks up on you and changes your life.
I have to admit, I looked forward to Lost Lake for a long time and some of the plot lines just weren't what I was hoping for. Allen explores the back stories of at least a handful of characters, both major and minor, and while all are carefully crafted portraits of multifaceted people, the plot sometimes gets lost in all the voices. But if you're willing to be patient, Allen is a pro at tying together seemingly unrelated story lines into something cohesive and profound.
I'd recommend Lost Lake and Sarah Addison Allen in general to anyone who turns to books for comfort. Lost Lake is like a hug, hot and sticky in the Florida heat, that you don't want to let go of when it ends.
Lost Lake follows Kate, a recently widowed mother who wakes up after a year of living beneath the haze of grief. Kate is the youngest in a long line of Morris women who fall apart after losing their husbands, but she refuses to let her future be defined by her past. Kate's "awakening" is utterly relatable. Who hasn't experienced the desire to be better, the craving to be more. The sudden realization that the person you have been is no longer the person you want to be.
The pages of Allen's novels are museums of wonder. You think you're reading a book when a word or phrase sneaks up on you and changes your life.
I have to admit, I looked forward to Lost Lake for a long time and some of the plot lines just weren't what I was hoping for. Allen explores the back stories of at least a handful of characters, both major and minor, and while all are carefully crafted portraits of multifaceted people, the plot sometimes gets lost in all the voices. But if you're willing to be patient, Allen is a pro at tying together seemingly unrelated story lines into something cohesive and profound.
I'd recommend Lost Lake and Sarah Addison Allen in general to anyone who turns to books for comfort. Lost Lake is like a hug, hot and sticky in the Florida heat, that you don't want to let go of when it ends.