Lost Lake

Lost Lake is the type of novel that soothes the soul. It is neither flashy nor suspenseful, neither sexy nor snarky. It is an old-fashioned story, in which the characters are ordinary, the setting even more so, and the story as simple as it gets, It meanders much as one does while floating on a slow-moving river during a hot summer day. There is a planned trajectory to the plot, but Ms. Allen takes her time getting there. In this world of short attention spans and even shorter patience levels, Lost Lake is refreshing for ignoring the quick attention grab and focusing on telling a good story.

While the story is old-fashioned, Ms. Allen uses hints of magic to add hints of the extraordinary to her story. In fact, the hints are so subtle show more that one could easily explain them away as perfectly normal situations. It is all in the eye of the reader, and that is one of the more fascinating aspects of the story. The story may be simple but deceptively so depending on a reader’s interpretation.

There are two main themes within the story that are quite attractive given the proliferation of social media and Internet connectivity with the world. The main theme is around loneliness. While smartphones and the Internet are not mentioned at all within the novel, its modern-day setting establishes its usage. This idea of everyone being lonely raises many a question given the popularity of online interaction. Are we hiding our loneliness by connecting via the Internet? Are we using social media to compensate for our loneliness or excuse ourselves from making lasting real-life connections that could assuage our loneliness? Is it something more profound and/or more simple than that? For, the characters within Lost Lake only find happiness when they reach out and connect to each other, something almost impossible to do via an online setting.

The other main idea is the idea of being a misfit. Lost Lake is a respite for misfits, where they can go to relax, be themselves, and be accepted for their eccentricities. As with the idea of loneliness, this theme raises questions about whether anyone ever considers himself normal, or we do all consider ourselves to be misfits just trying to find a place in “normal” society. Is there really a normal anything? The profundity of these questions raised throughout the novel are surprising because the story of Lost Lake is quite basic with its story of grief, love, loss, friendship, and family.

Lost Lake is the type of novel to read when one has a little time to enjoy its slow build and slow finish, the mystical elements, and most importantly, its Southern charm. It deserves a careful read, but one will not mind because it is just so cute and more importantly, so relaxing. Devin and her unconscious lessons of individuality are perfect reminders to celebrate one’s own misfit nature, and the inevitable happy ending proves that normal is boring. Lost Lake is a charming story with adorable characters that befit its small-town setting. show less

Ah, Sarah Addison Allen. She was my first glimpse into the world of magical realism and, so far, the best I've read in the genre. Her ability to seamlessly weave real life situations with magical undertones is something beautiful! I've yet to find a book of hers that I didn't love at least a little bit. True to form, Lost Lake was perfectly gorgeous.

Allen transports the reader to a hidden gem. A place set apart from the busy day to day workings in the city. A place untouched by time and technology. Lost Lake was a haven that I was more than happy to get lost in. I loved that it was a place for misfits. I'll get to the characters themselves in a minute, but I'll assure you that this setting couldn't have been more for fitting for them. show more What better place for magic to happen than a place that already feels magical on its own? I adored Lost Lake. I actually found myself wishing it were a real place.

On to the characters, in all their misfit glory. The underlying theme here is one of loss and moving on. Eby, Kate, Devin, Wes, and all the rest of these wonderful characters, were each a puzzle piece in the overall theme. I was impressed at how well they all came to life, despite the fact that there were so many. I found myself quickly caught up in the mini background stories of each character, secretly hoping that things would work out for them. It's hard work enough to write one character who the reader can connect with. To write a large cast, and write them well enough that I loved each one of them in turn? Well, you have this reader's heart.

I can't say too much more, because then I'd be treading into spoiler territory, but trust me when I say that there's a lot to love between these pages. We chose this for our first book club pick of the year, and I'm thrilled that we did. Each chapter is a treasure trove of discussion points, and the story is brilliant. To previous fans of SAA, I think this is something you'll enjoy! To new readers, don't be afraid to start here. Lost Lake is well worth your time. show less

This book reminded me of lazy hot summers up north in Michigan. Lying on a sun warmed dock, the lake lapping against the wooden posts, feeling sweaty and lazy and relaxed. And happy. Definitely happy, with the sun on your skin and blinding you even with your eyes closed, a book laying next to you where you laid it when you got tired, wishing you had a drink nearby. The trees rustling behind you from the sporadic breezes, that wash over your skin making it possible to stay there just a little longer. I had to make reservations at a cabin near a lake after reading this book, true story.

Yes, this what Lost Lake made me think of.

The story is beautiful and whimsical and sad, a story of beginnings and endings and the stuff in between. show more Everyone is looking for something, and Lost Lake has the magic to make them dream and want and realize what they want is not always out of reach. The main characters are absolutely charming, and the villains devilishly villainous. But even they are not always how they appear. Kate Pheris finds herself at Lost Lake with her daughter Devin on a whim - an old postcard hidden away for two decades finds itself at last into the hands of its intended recipient. Eby Pim, the owner of Lost Lake, is carefree and easy and full of goodness, and is maybe one of my favorite characters in any Allen book. She can fix anything, and the town loves her. The lost and broken have found themselves at her door many times, needing her to help them out. Lisette especially. Lisette who was born without vocal cords yet has one of the loudest presences in the book, and Jack who is painfully shy but desperately in love with her.

And we can't forget Devin. Eight years old, inquisitive, who still believes in the magic of the world around her, who believes that she can see better out of her formerly lazy eye, than she can using both of her eyes. There is Selma who can make any man fall in love with her if she chooses, Buhladeen who knows that endings can change and who has one of the best background stories, and then there is Wes. Wes. Wes who carries around his old demons and hope, who will break your heart, who recognizes a good thing when he sees it and doesn't want to let it go.

There is magic around every corner in this book. It is a story of love and hope and the ghosts that haunt our daydreams. It was an amazing story, I fell thoroughly in love with its twists and turns and characters, and I hope that you do too. show less

Appreciated how atmospheric this one felt without going overboard on description, the swampy environment, the dinners outdoors and the warm small town vibes, made this an ideal match for reading outside during the muggy days of late August.

While I wasn’t a fan of the husband stealing character (aside from very brief moments of a friendship that reminded me of one of my favorite Steel Magnolias friendships), I did enjoy the other sprinklings of magic realism throughout, especially the alligator and its emotional connection to another character.

I loved that this included a wide variety of ages, and respect for each stage of life, the kid wasn’t cloying and the senior citizens weren’t doddering. Even though the size of the cast made show more it somewhat impossible to delve as deep on some of the characters as I may have wanted without turning this into a doorstopper of a novel, this still managed to do each of them justice and give me a strong sense of who they are. I was particularly fond of the section on Buhladeen’s backstory and I really liked how the little girl, Devin, is depicted, not only her whimsical fashion sense, but also how intuitive she is, I really liked that the author didn’t dumb her down because she’s a child.

The ending wasn’t quite as satisfying as maybe it could have been, I was pleased with the directions the characters went in, I just would have liked a bit more of a glimpse of each of them living out those new futures. Maybe in a sort of roundabout way that says something good about the novel though, that it left me wanting more rather than less. show less

Received from NetGalley.

Sarah Addison Allen writes books that make me want to dive in the pages and not come out ever. I'm pretty sure she can't write a bad book. I devoured this book and was sad when it was over because I wasn't ready for it to end. It had everything. A little romance, a little magic, a little mystery, a lot of eccentric and loveable characters and a lot of people figuring out who they are/want to be. So so much love for this book.

The tiny vacation resort of Lost Lake in Suley, Georgia, means different things to different people. For Eby Pim, it's a tangible reminder of her happy life with her now-deceased husband, George; but it's also an increasingly burdensome property to maintain, and Eby has decided to sell it. For Eby's longtime friend and constant companion, Lisette, Lost Lake is a refuge, and she vows she'll never leave. And for Kate Pheris, widowed one year ago and just now waking up from her grief, Lost Lake is a memory of the best summer she ever had. When Kate impulsively decides to revisit Lost Lake with her daughter, Devin, she is immediately drawn to Eby and the other colorful inhabitants of the surrounding town. Kate and Devin's arrival also show more catalyzes several important changes in Suley, including the resolution of a long-buried tragedy and the banishing of an old ghost. Eventually Kate is able to help Eby create a new future -- and maybe even find one for herself.

As a longtime fan of Sarah Addison Allen, I couldn't resist buying her newest book immediately (in hardcover, no less!) and devouring it as soon as possible. Fortunately, this book contains all of SAA's trademark elements: a community of strong women with interconnected lives, decades-old secrets that are gradually revealed, understated romance, and a hint of magic. I especially loved the flashbacks to Eby's life with George in Europe; they were so romantic and lavishly described that they made me want to hop on the next plane to Paris! I wasn't terribly fond of the storyline with the alligator...I don't want to spoil the book, so I'll just say that the magical element was a bit too prominent for me. Overall, this is not my favorite SAA novel (that would be The Sugar Queen), but it is a lovely, relaxing read that I would definitely recommend to fans of this genre. show less

I read and previously loved Sarah Addison Allen's Garden Spells, The Sugar Queen, and The Girl Who Chased the Moon: A Novel. I read The Peach Keeper: A Novel (Random House Reader's Circle) and found it to be lacking in the same magical realism that I loved about her older novels. There was a lot going on in that novel and not all of it gelled together naturally. Unfortunately when I finished with Lost Lake I had that same feeling.

The novel is about lakeside cabins called Lost Lake. Eby Pim and her deceased husband George saw a postcard with the cabins and bought and restored them. Living out there for decades Eby is starting to feel as if it may be time to move on from Lost Lake and see the world again like she was planning on doing show more when she was a newlywed. Eby's niece Kate comes to Lost Lake with her young daughter Devin to re-visit a time in Kate's life when she was happy. We have Kate dealing with the loss of her husband and finally coming back to herself after a year where she was "sleeping".

One of the best things about Sarah Addison Allen's novels is that she always interweaves a sense of magic in her books. The way her novels are written she can have a person believing that yes these things/events could happen. However, this novel is missing that feeling of wonder that I had when I read her other novels. I just felt that a lot of the writing and events that happened were flat. It felt to me like well of course this is the way that it happened and that was about it.

I ended up giving this novel just three stars because of the lack of development of the two leads, way too many plot lines, and a cliched and rushed ending.

I thought that Eby was an interesting character I wish we had delved more into her life back when she was married to George and what about him made him wonderful besides a few stories thrown out about him here and there. Also the character of Kate suddenly reversing herself about what her marriage was about I thought did not really work. There is nothing wrong with a character having been married before and finding love again. I don't like it when you read novels that somehow have the widow or widower somehow finding some random flaws in their former spouse that then allows them to move on easy peasy.

There was the plot-lines of Eby selling Lost Lake and Kate dealing with her grief over the loss of her husband. Frankly that is honestly all this novel really needed. Then we started to include so many other side plots that just did not work in this novel from other characters such as Lisette, Bulahdeen, and Selma. We also throw in the character of Wes and his issues and everything got to be too much.

The ending in my opinion was just one cliche after another. I think that since we have so many characters in this novel Ms. Allen made sure that all of the plot-lines were wrapped up though some of the wrap up felt really rushed to me while I was reading. Also certain things did not make a lot of sense (such as Kate's mother in law's complete transformation at the end). Also it was telegraphed pretty early how the novel would end so it was not a big surprise to me when everything was wrapped up in a nice neat bow. show less