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A review by lavanda4
Ladies of the Lake by Cathy Gohlke
5.0
Ladies of the Lake is an exceptional book in every way from the gorgeous prose to the achingly tender story to the well-written characters to the fascinating setting. My heart shattered and rejoiced as I became deeply immersed in this unputdownable book about sorrow, friendship, family, jealousy, forgiveness, faith and hope. It also contains elements of history and snippets of romantic love.
In the early 1900s, after Adelaide's parents tragically die, she is forced by her half brother to leave her beloved PEI to move to Connecticut. There she attends Lakeside Ladies Academy where she finds immediate connection with Dot, Susannah and Ruth, especially Dot. They call themselves the Ladies of the Lake and do everything together...but they don't share all their secrets, many of which they'd prefer kept hidden. A crack begins. festers and causes a rift which remains until eighteen years later when the girls are women and have lives of their own in a second timeline. Subplots are woven seamlessly throughout.
I really enjoyed the school antics, meeting families of the girls, the boarding school setting, learning more about the Halifax explosion in 1917, friendships, the lives of the women later and dear Mrs. Simmons. The writing is smart and thoughtful and captures the essence of what it means to be a friend and a woman of faith. To me this is the epitome of perfection in a book!
Christian Historical Fiction readers, Ladies of the Lake is absolutely unmissable. If you are new to the genre, there is no better place to start! It is more than a book...it is an experience.
My sincere thank you to Tyndale House Publishers and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this phenomenal book I enjoyed with my whole heart, one of the most memorable I have read in a long time.
In the early 1900s, after Adelaide's parents tragically die, she is forced by her half brother to leave her beloved PEI to move to Connecticut. There she attends Lakeside Ladies Academy where she finds immediate connection with Dot, Susannah and Ruth, especially Dot. They call themselves the Ladies of the Lake and do everything together...but they don't share all their secrets, many of which they'd prefer kept hidden. A crack begins. festers and causes a rift which remains until eighteen years later when the girls are women and have lives of their own in a second timeline. Subplots are woven seamlessly throughout.
I really enjoyed the school antics, meeting families of the girls, the boarding school setting, learning more about the Halifax explosion in 1917, friendships, the lives of the women later and dear Mrs. Simmons. The writing is smart and thoughtful and captures the essence of what it means to be a friend and a woman of faith. To me this is the epitome of perfection in a book!
Christian Historical Fiction readers, Ladies of the Lake is absolutely unmissable. If you are new to the genre, there is no better place to start! It is more than a book...it is an experience.
My sincere thank you to Tyndale House Publishers and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this phenomenal book I enjoyed with my whole heart, one of the most memorable I have read in a long time.