Book Club Recap: The Lake House by Kate Morton

I was really looking forward to discussing The Lake House by Kate Morton at book club. Not only did our hostess this month provide some amazing drinks and snacks, but I knew the book’s content would lead us down the path of a good discussion. We definitely talked about Eleanor the most, I think because most of us are mothers. What would you do for your children? Would you make the same decisions Eleanor made? We discussed all these things and more, and we all had different opinions. We decided we all both loved and hated Eleanor at certain times in the book.

Most of us disliked Sadie; we didn’t feel she kept our attention during time jumps, and she didn’t have enough character development. We couldn’t decide exactly what rubbed us the wrong way, but I definitely think some more character development would have helped. We also agreed that we totally would have wanted to go into the house to explore for treasures. Some of us would have waited for a search warrant, but I would have gone in without permission. I love how we think up these “What if?” scenarios.

Everyone who managed to finish the book liked it, but at 492+ pages, it was quite a read. Those of us who hadn’t finished the book or wanted to start it are more motivated to do so now that we’ve discussed it.

The Lake House
written by Kate Morton
published by Atria Books, 2015

find it here: (affiliate links) Barnes & Noble (Nook) (print), Amazon,iBooks, Book Depository, Goodreads

About the book – from Goodreads: From the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of The Secret Keeper and The Distant Hours, an intricately plotted, spellbinding new novel of heartstopping suspense and uncovered secrets.

Living on her family’s idyllic lakeside estate in Cornwall, England, Alice Edevane is a bright, inquisitive, innocent, and precociously talented sixteen-year-old who loves to write stories. But the mysteries she pens are no match for the one her family is about to endure…

One midsummer’s eve, after a beautiful party drawing hundreds of guests to the estate has ended, the Edevanes discover that their youngest child, eleven-month-old Theo, has vanished without a trace. What follows is a tragedy that tears the family apart in ways they never imagined.

Decades later, Alice is living in London, having enjoyed a long successful career as an author. Theo’s case has never been solved, though Alice still harbors a suspicion as to the culprit. Miles away, Sadie Sparrow, a young detective in the London police force, is staying at her grandfather’s house in Cornwall. While out walking one day, she stumbles upon the old estate—now crumbling and covered with vines, clearly abandoned long ago. Her curiosity is sparked, setting off a series of events that will bring her and Alice together and reveal shocking truths about a past long gone…yet more present than ever.

A lush, atmospheric tale of intertwined destinies, this latest novel from a masterful storyteller is an enthralling, thoroughly satisfying read.

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