Now a New York Times Bestseller From the author of the beloved bestseller Garden Spells comes a beautiful, haunting story of old loves and new, and the power of the connections that bind us forever The first time Eby Pim saw Lost Lake, it was on a picture postcard. Just an old photo and a few words on a small square of heavy stock, but when she saw it, she knew she was seeing her future.That was … it, she knew she was seeing her future.
That was half a life ago. Now Lost Lake is about to slip into Eby’s past. Her husband George is long passed. Most of her demanding extended family are gone. All that’s left is a once-charming collection of lakeside cabins succumbing to the Southern Georgia heat and damp, and an assortment of faithful misfits drawn back to Lost Lake year after year by their own unspoken dreams and desires.
It’s a lot, but not enough to keep Eby from relinquishing Lost Lake to a developer with cash in hand, and calling this her final summer at the lake. Until one last chance at family knocks on her door.
Lost Lake is where Kate Pheris spent her last best summer at the age of twelve, before she learned of loneliness, and heartbreak, and loss. Now she’s all too familiar with those things, but she knows about hope too, thanks to her resilient daughter Devin, and her own willingness to start moving forward. Perhaps at Lost Lake her little girl can cling to her own childhood for just a little longer and maybe Kate herself can rediscover something that slipped through her fingers so long ago.
One after another, people find their way to Lost Lake, looking for something that they weren’t sure they needed in the first place: love, closure, a second chance, peace, a mystery solved, a heart mended. Can they find what they need before it’s too late?
At once atmospheric and enchanting, Lost Lake shows Sarah Addison Allen at her finest, illuminating the secret longings and the everyday magic that wait to be discovered in the unlikeliest of places.
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Another imaginative and whimsical book by Sarah Addison Allen. In her books, the location is as much of a character as the people. And her characters are so developed, often one you want to write off at the beginning is showing their vulnerability and humanity by the end. I’m reviewing this one in particular because I consider it a “clean read.”
I love all her books and this one didn’t disappoint me. She creates amazing characters and then sets them loose in a magical environment. I highly recommend all of her books.
More than anything, I love Sarah Addison Allen’s books for the feeling they leave you with: nostalgia, hope, and just a little magic. This book is like settling into a long summer day with fireflies and BBQs and the illusive wonder of being a child at camp, exploring the woods and the lake with endless possibilities before you. It’s beautiful and touching and just as worth reading as all her others.
Loved the characters
Love this story
A great read!!!!
One of my favorite books by one of my favorite characters
Sarah Addison Allen’s books are always a win
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as I do all of Addison’s novels. This one is no exception to having dynamic, likable characters; an interesting (whimsical and sweet) storyline without being corny or fluffy; and surprises thrown in just to keep the pages turning! Addison writes in a way that makes me feel as though I’m right there with the characters experiencing exactly what they are. Definitely worth a read!
This is the book that made me a loyal fan!
I love all her books.
A writer who paints a whole gorgeous canvas with her words writes of one nostalgic summer in the south when dreams and love, old and young, regrets and redemption all come to Lost Lake.
After experiencing the wonder and magic of Garden Spells, it was only a matter of time before I dove in once again to a book world this author created. I slowly connected with this story, but once I did; I was a goner. Lost Lake is an old lake resort near a small town and is hidden away save for the people who magically find their way there. I loved the blend of old nostalgia for what used to be, the intriguing moments of magical realism, people who have been lost finding their way, and of course love- one old and one a second chance for a younger pair.
There is a large cast of colorful, quirky characters and the narration shifts between them all. Present stories are interesting and the situation of the last summer before the lake resort being sold- or not- is enough to keep me reading, but it was digging into each person’s pasts that brought to the surface the real gems of the story.
The pacing and tone of the story reflect the writing style with its drowsy, slower-paced meandering in the moist summer heat.
And if the story were not already a fabulous experience, I had the audio edition with the talented Janet Metzger bringing each of those fascinating characters to life. I will definitely pick up more of her work now that I’ve discovered it.
All in all, I got lost in the lush beauty and color of the story and I would encourage those who enjoy contemporary fiction with a strong dose of magical realism and romance to pick this one up.
This was utterly delightful! I read it in one sitting. Whimsical and fun …. a lovely read!
Loved this one! I thought the themes of loss, love, forgiveness, and finding peace were beautiful. I learned about the pull of a place and what makes a family. I loved the whimsy and beauty of this book! It was packed full of heavy topics but was somehow light and fanciful at the same time. You can tell that the author has been through pain and grief because she captures life so well. She’s become one of my favorite authors!
I’ve been a huge fan of Sarah Addison Allen since reading her debut, Garden Spells. Lost Lake is a little darker, I think. There’s a lot of sadness, a heart aching past for some characters, but there is magic, and hope and joy, too and a happy future for them all. An afternoon well spent!
I love Sarah’s books and they way she intersperses the mystical with every day life. She develops wonderful characters that you hate to say good-bye to at the end of the story. Her characters are always strong women with loving hearts and personal challenges that make they real.
Sarah Addison Allen is an amazing author, and anything she rights is clever, well written and a joy to read.
Lost Lake makes me want to go back to my childhood and find that world of innocence and wonder I left behind when I grew up. Sarah Addison Allen has the gift for weaving reality with magic in a way that the magic seems real, and she’s done it once again in Lost Lake. We have Kate finding her way after suddenly losing her husband, Devin just wanting to be a kid, Eby searching for answers to the next stage of life, Lisette struggling with a tragedy that’s weighed her down since her youth, and a host of charming minor characters. This isn’t a story about separate people but a marvelous tapestry with multi-colored threads that wind together to form a whole. Each life touches upon many others and each joy, grief, love, and hope affects those around them. Come to Lost Lake and recapture those long lost dreams. I dare say some magic awaits you.
I have loved every one of her books.
I really enjoyed this book. I knew nothing about this author before reading this, and I’m very impressed! I’m ordering more! In looking more up, each synopsis sounds interesting and intriguing. Recommend!
I love all of Sarah Addison Allen books. Her characters jump off the page and touch my heart,