Monday, January 24, 2011

Lake of [Failed] Dreams

At a crossroads in her life, Lucy Jarrett returns home from Japan, only to find herself haunted by her father's unresolved death a decade ago. Old longings stirred up by Keegan Fall, a local glass artist who was once her passionate first love, lead her into the unexpected. Late one night, as she paces the hallways of her family's rambling lakeside house, she discovers, locked in a window seat, a collection of objects that first appear to be useless curiosities, but soon reveal a deeper and more complex family past. As Lucy discovers and explores the traces of her lineage-from an heirloom tapestry and dusty political tracts to a web of allusions depicted in stained-glass windows throughout upstate New York-the family story she has always known is shattered, Lucy's quest for the truth reconfigures her family's history, links her to a unique slice of the suffragette movement, and yields dramatic insights that embolden her to live freely.

I had to call it quits on this one.  After reading 46% of the book (yes, I actually stopped to do the math) it met my criteria for the DNF pile:  I didn't feel a connection to any of the characters, I didn't care what happened to them and - most importantly - I had to force myself to read.  It wasn't FUN!

The synopsis from the book flap talks about Lucy being haunted by her father's death, yet I didn't get that feeling from reading the story.  The premise of the story still sounds intriguing, but it just didn't develop - at least not quickly enough to keep me reading.  Coming from a big-name author, I was surprised at my reaction to this book.  I'm sure there will be many fans who love it, but it's just not for me. 

3 comments:

  1. Oh that is too funny. My eyes glazed over after the second sentence of the synopsis you posted so I skipped down directly to your review. I chuckled when I saw that you ditched this one ;0)

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  2. Love your title...(and review). Sorry it did not work for you. LOL

    I actually liked this one well enough, but preferred Memory Keeper's Daughter.

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  3. I just finished this one a couple of days ago. I enjoyed it, but didn't love it. Too bad it didn't work for you. I think it got a little better towards the end.

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