Sarah Addison Allen's Lost Lake
I have generally enjoyed all of Sarah Addison Allen's works, though they come a little too close to the border of cheesy/predictable/women's fiction for my own tastes--but they've always been tempered with a little bit of magic and a lot of likable characters, so even when the story beats were obvious, the books were satisfying. This one, about a recently widowed woman who takes her daughter to see her great-aunt at her lakeside resort, only the great-aunt is about to sell, well . . . it didn't work for me as well. And, full disclosure, my review here is tempered by the author's note at the end revealing that this was written after Allen was diagnosed with breast cancer. So I don't want to be mean. I'll just say that . . . yeah, it didn't work for me. Especially the various reveals/wrap-ups at the end. Some of the characters are really great, and the town feels really fleshed out--there just wasn't quite enough going on or enough at stake. It ultimately just wasn't as charming as some of her earlier books, all of which I still wholeheartedly recommend. B/B-.
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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book is available now.
2 comments:
I didn't like it as much either, but I do love the way she spins out a story. The alligator stuff was great. Not enough party description or food description if you ask me. ha! That is why Garden Spells remains my favorite.
I honestly do wish there were more books about magical, delicious-sounding food. I should really reread Garden Spells.
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