Reviews

The Lake House by Kate Morton

francine__714's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

mauraneandbooks's review against another edition

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3.0

Entre 2.5 et 3. J'avais beaucoup aimé mon premier Kate Morton, La Scène des Souvenirs, et je m'étais donc empressée de me procurer un autre Morton : le Jardin du Lac. Le résumé me donnait extrêmement envie mais j'ai vite déchanté. La narration s'occupe pas mal du présent alors que c'était le passé qui m'intéressait le plus. Le livre m'a paru extrêmement long et j'avais hâte qu'il se termine, même si les révélations sont intrigantes et nous donnent envie de continuer. Peut être qu'il y avait aussi trop d'informations j'avais l'impression de m'y perdre parfois, surtout au début. La fin est assez grosse (une vraie coïncidence pour reprendre le terme détesté des protagonistes) bien que touchante.
Un peu déçue.

skynet666's review against another edition

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4.0

I just finished this book and when I finish a book I read several reviews. I never read them before other than a quick glance because most reviewers think a review is a summary of the story and whether they liked said story. I can read the summary at the top for that stuff. In any case, I found it very interesting that one reviewer said they loved the first half of the book, but starting hating it more and more as it drew to a finish. Whereas I was fine with the first part, found the middle section too filled with theories and ideas, but loved the last 1/3. In any case, it's definitely a good story and I'm hoping the author will write another DC Sparrow novel.

reaching_green's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

3.75

This was another atmospheric and well-crafted Kate Morton book. I enjoyed it (maybe especially because I listened to the audiobook, and liked the narrator). The characters are nuanced and I love the way she conjures place (in this case, rural Cornwall).

I didn't give it a higher rating because it felt like a prototype novel for her most recent book, Homecoming (the audiobook version read by Claire Foy is my favorite Morton book so far).  There were many overlaps in setting, character, and theme in the two books, and The Lakehouse was the least polished of the two. 

Overall, it was an engrossing read/listen!

cooperca's review against another edition

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5.0

Loved this mystery! Beautifully written, vividly told, characters that I loved and hated....

Ms. Morton touches on how we remember our past, sometimes not the reality, but the perception. How we can misconstrue a memory to believe one thing and then, when confronted with the facts, our memory shifts, making actions and words more important. Alice's story of her baby brothers kidnapping and Sadie's handling of a case come together to bring them both closure in the most unexpected ways.

"All her life, Alice had been interested in people. She didn't always like them, she rarely sought their company for reasons of social fulfillment, but she did find them fascinating. And there was nowhere better for seeing people than in the rabbit warrens of the Underground." (p. 69)

"That's where Ben had been wrong. Alice blinked away the sudden unexpected heat of loss. His preference for people over places was all well and good, but people had a nasty habit of changing. Or leaving. Or dying. Places were far more reliable. They prevailed. And, if damaged, could be rebuilt, even improved. People could not be trusted to stick around." (p. 245)

victoriaqhoward's review against another edition

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3.0

If you cut out all the fluff, about 200 pages, this book would have been amazing.

ecdereus's review against another edition

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4.0

Een prachtig geschreven boek met meerdere verhaallijnen in heden (2003) en verleden (1911 tot na de Tweede Wereldoorlog), die uiteindelijk op een mooie manier worden samengebracht. :r8
Het verhaal draait om de spoorloze verdwijning van de nog geen jaar oude Theo Edevane in de nacht van 23 juni 1933 terwijl in zijn ouderlijk huis, het landgoed Loeanneth in Cornwall, op indrukwekkende wijze het jaarlijkse midzomerfeest wordt gevierd.

In 2003 is de Londense politierechercheur Sadie Sparrow door haar collega/partner 'verplicht' op verlof gestuurd omdat ze te nauw persoonlijk betrokken was geraakt bij een zaak waarin een klein meisje een week alleen en onverzorgd was achtergelaten in een appartement terwijl haar (gescheiden) moeder ogenschijnlijk met de noorderzon was vertrokken. Terwijl Sadie tijdelijk bij haar opa Bertie in Cornwall logeert, stuit ze tijdens haar dagelijkse hardloopronde op het in de bossen verborgen, aan een groot meer gelegen landhuis, dat door de familie Edevane kort na de mysterieuze vermissing van hun jongste zoon in 1933 werd verlaten en sindsdien is verwaarloosd. Sadie is geïntrigeerd door deze ondertussen al 70 jaar oude, nooit opgeloste vermissingszaak en verdiept zich in de achtergronden. Ondertussen duikt ook een spook uit haar eigen verleden op...

Terugblikkend naar diverse perioden in het verleden, van 1911 - wanneer Eleanor deShiel en Anthony Edevane elkaar in Londen ontmoeten en op slag verliefd worden - tot de jaren na de Tweede Wereldoorlog, wordt stukje bij beetje een beeld geschetst van het gezin Edevane, hun dochters Deborah, Alice en Clementine en hun leven op Loeanneth samen met Elanors verbitterde moeder Constance, hun huisvriend de befaamde kinderboekenschrijver Daffyd Llewellyn en tuinman Ben Monroe, op wie Alice in 1933 heimelijk verliefd is. Het verleden wordt niet in chronologische volgorde verteld, maar wisselt steeds in tijd, waardoor je als lezer telkens een ander inzicht krijgt in wat er met Theo gebeurd zou kunnen zijn...

laurenb's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

kchisholm02's review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

bnbisch's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective relaxing sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No

3.75

I didn’t love this nearly as much as I loved the first Kate Morton book I read last year (Homecoming). It wrapped up a tiny bit too neatly for me, but the settings and storytelling were lovely, and I enjoyed listening to it on audio even though I sometimes forgot who was who for a few sentences since it involves many time jumps. Good for a nice long audiobook to get sucked into.