The Lake House

Product Information

The Lake House by Kate Morton is the mysterious and enchanting fifth novel from the number one bestselling author of The House at Riverton and The Secret Keeper. I loved this book to start with and I hated this book by the end and therefore I found this such a difficult Novel to rate and review. Beneath her gaze he bent, pausing to steady the log’s weight before easing it into place atop the others. He was strong and that was good. Alice wasn’t sure why, only that it mattered to her in a deep and unexplored place. Her cheeks were hot; she was blushing. Thinking about the stories and histories in The Lake House, what themes were most interesting to you? There was no question of the old woman moving with them to London, but she couldn’t be abandoned either. Not entirely. Eleanor searched all over before she finally found Seawall. It was expensive, but worth every penny . . . ‘It’s just right,’ Eleanor had said, signing the admission forms. And it was. Just and right. The unrelenting sound of the ocean for the rest of her days had been precisely what Constance deserved.”

The Lake House: A Novel - Kate Morton - Google Books

The best way to describe this can't-put-it-down novel by Kate Morton is: multilayered. No, wait. Multi-multi-multi-layered. There is SO much going on here! And every bit of it is a literary delight. As if to lay claim to the impressive clumps, a small bird launched itself from behind the broken glass, diving in a direct line before correcting to swoop fast and close by Sadie’s ear. She flinched but stood her ground. They were everywhere, those little birds she’d glimpsed from the lake, darting in and out of the creeper’s dark spaces and calling to one another in urgent chirrups. Not just birds, either; the foliage teemed with insects of all descriptions – butterflies, bees and others she couldn’t name – giving the building an appearance of constant animation at odds with its dilapidated state.

This reading group guide for The Lake House includes an introduction, discussion questions, and ideas for enhancing your book club. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book. Hired musicians slid gilt chairs across the temporary bandstand, and as the caterers’ vans took turns stirring dust on the driveway, the half-assembled marquee ballooned in the summer breeze. The single static note amidst the swirl of activity was Grandmother deShiel, who sat small and hunched on the cast-iron garden seat outside the library, lost in her cobwebbed memories and completely oblivious to the round glass lanterns being strung up in the trees around her—

The Lake House: A Novel - Kindle edition by Morton, Kate The Lake House: A Novel - Kindle edition by Morton, Kate

Today is 2003, and D.C. Sadie Sparrow has been sent out of London to escape the unfortunate publicity about her leaking confidential information to a journalist about a case she’s frustrated with. A mother had apparently disappeared, abandoning her little girl for a week in their flat. Sadie, now unprofessionally close to the grandmother, suspects foul play and has been doggedly pursuing justice at the possible expense of her career. Alex’s narcissistic father, respected architect Simon Wyler, is hospitalized and dies. Kate finds a book of photos of Simon’s work which hasn’t been published in Alex’s time that includes a photo of Simon and Alex as a little boy at the lake house. Not wanting him to wait until it is published, she leaves it for him in the mailbox, hoping it will comfort him. The gesture convinces Alex and Kate that they should try to meet. Alex makes a reservation at a restaurant two years in advance for him, but the next day for Kate. Kate arrives, but Alex doesn’t. Heartbroken, Kate ends their relationship and stops visiting the lake house to settle for a future with Morgan. Alex places their letters in a box in the house’s attic, like what Kate described in her first letter, and moves in with his brother Henry, also an architect. He tries to move on with his life, but still thinks about Kate. Morton is the oldest of three sisters. Her family moved several times before settling on Tamborine Mountain where she attended a small country school. She enjoyed reading books from an early age, her favourites being those by Enid Blyton. [5] I was so taken with this novel that I bought the audio as well as the Kindle edition as well and I have to admit I even took this one to work as I just could not pull myself away. June 1933, and the Edevane family’s country house, Loeanneth, is polished and gleaming, ready for the much-anticipated Midsummer Eve party. Alice Edevane, sixteen years old and a budding writer, is especially excited. Not only has she worked out the perfect twist for her novel, she’s also fallen helplessly in love with someone she shouldn’t. But by the time midnight strikes and fireworks light up the night skies, the Edevane family will have suffered a loss so great that they leave Loeanneth forever.Morton gives the reader an expertly crafted mystery. At first she has the reader wondering about Alice’s role in Theo’s disappearance, then, with each new revelation, has the reader discarding one theory concerning Theo’s fate and postulating another. There are miscommunications, misunderstandings, secrets and misplaced guilt. And while the main mystery involves baby Theo, there are at least three other mysteries to distract the reader. There are twists and red herrings and surprises, and the ending holds a delicious irony. And all this is done with characters that are interesting and beautiful prose that evokes the wonderful setting. The movie possibly ends in 2008, as Henry lets Kate know that Alex died “two years ago today.” While oscillating between the past and future, the film reflects upon the timelessness of the present. Therefore, more than confusing the audience to figure out the nooks and crannies of the timeline, the film encourages us to remain in the present.

The Lake House Quotes by Kate Morton - Goodreads The Lake House Quotes by Kate Morton - Goodreads

She reached the place she’d chosen. The bag, with its box inside, was surprisingly heavy and it was a relief to put it down. On hands and knees, she pulled away the camouflage of ferns and branches. The smell of sodden soil was overwhelming, of wood mouse and mushrooms, of other mouldering things. Her father had told her once that generations had walked these woods and been buried deep beneath the heavy earth. It made him glad, she knew, to think of it that way. He found comfort in the continuity of nature, believing that the stability of the long past had the power to alleviate present troubles. And maybe in some cases it had, but not this time, not these troubles.Starred Review. Morton's plotting is impeccable, and her finely wrought characters, brought together in the end by Sparrow's investigation, are as surprised as readers will be by the astonishing conclusion." - Publishers Weekly Living on her family’s idyllic lakeside estate in Cornwall, England, Alice Edevane is a bright, inquisitive, and precociously talented sixteen-year-old who loves to write stories. Kate Morton is married to Davin Patterson, a jazz musician and composer. They have three children and live in London. [3] [7] Bibliography [ edit ] However, this is definitely not something for everyone! My mum is currently reading the book as well and she is rather annoyed and bored by how Morton takes great time to explain and describe so many little things - to her, it seems like the story isn't moving forward. In June of 1933 a favored baby child, the only son of the Edevane family went missing after an annual house party. The family adored baby Theo. Every single one of them. Their lives were forever changed as the case was never resolved.