Reviews

Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright

blakehalsey's review against another edition

3.0

While I love Elizabeth Enright, I was not so thrilled with this book which I think had more to do with expectation than what the story actually contained. Despite that, I feel as though every little actually happened. The plot seemed built up with some sort of mystery and in the end, nothing really occurred or didn't occur. It just was.

pinkfreak7913's review

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

kricketa's review against another edition

4.0

every summer, portia goes to stay with her aunt, uncle, and cousin julian. during this particular summer, she and julian discover a ghost-town on the edge of a former lake, now swamp. the once-stately summer homes are falling to bits, but there are still two inhabitants: mrs. minnehaha cheever and her brother, mr. pindar payton. long after the community was left to the elements, they returned to live, hermit-like, in the old houses, wearing old clothes, and living off the land. fortunately they like children and julian and portia spend a happy summer exploring the abandoned homes and hearing the stories of the former lake tarrigo, now gone-away lake.

this book is a golden oldie, but i loved it as a kid and it's still so much fun...

aknas22's review against another edition

5.0

Wonderful book that my young sisters enjoyed as well as I did. I didn't read this book as a child and I'm really glad I found it this year.

compass_rose's review against another edition

4.0

4.5 stars. The 7yo loved it. I loved it too, but not more than the Melendy books (by Enright). As with Enright's other books, this one has believable NICE kids with wonderful senses of adventure and family. It also has the inter-generational friendships that I so appreciate in her books. It sparked good conversations about Newbery Medal books, and culture, fashion and social history of the 1950s and 1890s.

blueskygreentreesyellowsun's review against another edition

4.0

From the description on the back of the book I thought this was going to be a mystery, or a thriller/adventure book. It was not, but it was a very sweet tale of 1950s children discovering a 1900s vacation village. In the end my disappointment at the lack of adventure was overcome by the charm of the characters and their wonder at discovering a living time capsule.

sc104906's review against another edition

3.0

Portia and her little brother visit her aunt, uncle and cousin for the summer. While exploring the local woods, Portia and her cousin Julian come across an abandoned town. However, the town is not so abandoned. The town used to be teeming with life, when there was a lake. The lake has long since been dammed up and only the current inhabitants know the real story of Gone-Away Lake.

This was a mild adventure and mystery story. This novel was written in the 1950’s so there are a few constructs of the time, but as a whole it was a decent book.

indianajane's review against another edition

5.0

What a sweet summer time read! I read some Elizabeth Enright when I was a kid, but I missed this one. I'm glad I picked it up now.

marlo_c's review against another edition

4.0

A nostalgic, enjoyable children's read. I previewed it for my kids and was hooked!

halfcentreader's review against another edition

3.0

Pleasant junior book about visiting cousins on summer vacation who discover two elderly siblings in an abandoned community that was once a lakeside summer place for city folk, but then the lake was drained and the people all moved away and the houses were forgotten for over 50years.
The children befriend the elderly folk and learn about their childhoods in the 1890's and soon their families all become friends.