Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
141st out of 299 books
—
521 voters
Your Oasis on Flame Lake
by
Lorna Landvik (Goodreads Author)
Best friends fast approaching forty in the small Minnesota town of Flame Lake, Devera and BiDi were recently voted “Least Changed” at their twentieth high school reunion—a label neither one finds very appealing. For each craves a change in her life: Devera desires a break from her humdrum marital routine; BiDi longs to reconnect with her distant fourteen-year-old daughter...more
Paperback, 320 pages
Published
June 16th 1998
by Ballantine Books
(first published June 17th 1997)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
1,835)
3.5***
A quote from Landvik’s debut novel - Patty Jane’s House of Curl - stays with me: What a big chunk of God is to be found by looking into the face of someone you love. In her second novel (published in 1997), Landvik continues to explore this idea. I’ve been a fan of hers for a while – I loved her debut work and have read several of her books, but somehow I missed this one until now.
The novel follows two families - BiDi (pronounced B-D) and Devera have been friends since childhood; their h...more
A quote from Landvik’s debut novel - Patty Jane’s House of Curl - stays with me: What a big chunk of God is to be found by looking into the face of someone you love. In her second novel (published in 1997), Landvik continues to explore this idea. I’ve been a fan of hers for a while – I loved her debut work and have read several of her books, but somehow I missed this one until now.
The novel follows two families - BiDi (pronounced B-D) and Devera have been friends since childhood; their h...more
After reading some pretty dark and serious books lately, I needed a quick, light read and Lorna Landvik is perfect for that. Enjoyed her "Patty Jane's House of Curl" a few years ago and this book is similar. Told from the viewpoints of five people...two married couples and the daughter of one of the couples...the title refers to a little club Dick built in his basement for the enjoyment of his friends. Some teen angst, a couple of affairs, a beating, a serious accident, doesn't make it sound lik...more
Narrated by each of the main characters, this is the story of 2 high school best friends 20 years later. Devera is married with 2 girls, and BiDi is a single mom. Dev's husband establishes a karaoke/restaurant place. When BiDi's teen daughter is beaten up by two young men after scoring a winning hockey goal and is teased as a "dyke", BiDi's new husband Sergio and all the others notice how traumatized she is. Will there be a way to solve her problem?
The book was humorous, and I loved the northern...more
The book was humorous, and I loved the northern...more
I love Lorna Landvik, but this just didn't pull me in like Angry Housewives and House of Curl did. But she never fails to disappoint her MN fans by weaving in an authentic relationship to the state--my favorite part here is when she acknowledges her "fellow ECFE mothers for all the fun we had at the big round tables," a sentiment I share in my own ECFE experiences. Landvik makes all her characters believable, right down to the voices (including Sergio's broken English). Little nuances like BiDi'...more
Another wonderful Landvik novel!!
From back cover:
"Best friends fast approaching forty in the small Minnesota town of Flame Lake, Devera and BiDi were recently voted 'Least Changed' at their twentieth high school reunion-a label neither one finds very appealing. For each craves a change in her life: Devera desires a break from her humdrum marital routine; BiDi longs to reconnect with her distant fourteen-year-old daughter (the only girl on the high school hockey team), not to mention jump-start a...more
From back cover:
"Best friends fast approaching forty in the small Minnesota town of Flame Lake, Devera and BiDi were recently voted 'Least Changed' at their twentieth high school reunion-a label neither one finds very appealing. For each craves a change in her life: Devera desires a break from her humdrum marital routine; BiDi longs to reconnect with her distant fourteen-year-old daughter (the only girl on the high school hockey team), not to mention jump-start a...more
another book from a young age that i read a million times. has everything a good family drama needs- cold northern winters, cheating wife, speed addict neighbors and teenagers being left to die in a ditch. All in a cute little town where everyone's of scandinavian descent. kind of along the lines of a barbara kingsolver novel.
While this is not my favorite Lorna Lanvik book, it was a good story told with humor about a group of flawed characters. I enjoy the author's writing style and her imperfect characters. This is not serious literature, but an enjoyable light read for a time when the last thing you want to do is read something serious.
Jul 29, 2011
Lee Ann
added it
Life throws curves and challenges as we get older and Lorna seems to share the concept and grasp it firmly. I loved the voice and changes in characters as you read from so many perspectives.
She has written several great books, I don't know why this is the only one that slotted up but of you are fortunate enough to find a book by her, grab it! You will be in for a treat!
Nov 06, 2011
Jeanne
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
jeanne-and-corky-s-2011-list,
minnesota
This novel is a bigger downer than Landvik’s first novel, Patty Jane’s House of Curl.
That being said, Your Oasis on Flame Lake focuses on two friends, BiDi and Devera, and their families. The women have been friends since childhood, and their closeness has spread to their respective families: their husbands are confidantes, and their daughters are pals.
But all is not well on Flame Lake: both marriages are strained. A series of events test the women and their families. Luckily, there is a happy...more
That being said, Your Oasis on Flame Lake focuses on two friends, BiDi and Devera, and their families. The women have been friends since childhood, and their closeness has spread to their respective families: their husbands are confidantes, and their daughters are pals.
But all is not well on Flame Lake: both marriages are strained. A series of events test the women and their families. Luckily, there is a happy...more
I picked this book up at the library because it is written by Lorna Landvik, author of Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons. Since I liked that book so much, I was excited to read something else by her. The book is told from the perspectives of five different people: Devra, Devra's husband, Dick, their daughter Darcy, Devra's best friend BiDi and BiDi's husband, Sergio.
I liked that this story was realistic in that sometimes people have affairs even though they still love their spouses, and sometime...more
I liked that this story was realistic in that sometimes people have affairs even though they still love their spouses, and sometime...more
Lorna Landvik's writing style reminds me of Fannie Flagg. Quirky characters and lots of humor. The characters are believable and their stories heartwarming. I loved the book.
Thoroughly enjoyed another Lorna Landvik novel (picked up 4 more at the library this afternoon). The end was one of those that left me with the impression that the author wasn't sure how to end it so she just ended it, right there. Yet, it worked.
Not exactly great literature, but this was just a fun book to read. I read it by the pool while on vacation, and thought it was perfect for that!
I've really quite loved all the other Landvik books I've read, but this one was just kind of okay for me. I teetered between 2 and 3 stars, but ultimately tipped toward "just ok". It's very much just a slice-of-life kind of story focused on two families that are friends but with a bit more drama than two families would typically face in the time frame covered in the book. I think the telling from multiple perspectives made it feel a little chaotic (although this is typically a writing style I en...more
The first few chapters of her books, it is hard to figure out who people are. I like how her characters aren't perfect but you still like them (most of them)
I love Landvik's books. This is a fun one, written in several voices, changing view point, chapter by chapter.
While not as good as "Oh My Stars", I enjoyed this book and thought the characters were well written.
Jun 07, 2012
Kathy
is currently reading it
Pretty good read - written from point of view of each character
Another good LL book. The car chase was a little weird and upsetting.
read quite a while ago, I always enjoy her stories
I really enjoy the author, so I figured I'd try another one while laying poolside. Although this wasn't my favorite of hers, I still enjoyed it!
love her style of writing. Very light and hilarious
I read this years ago and I remember loving it.
Jul 02, 2011
Pat Bridges
added it
very good
A fav author!!!
I enjoyed the story, but it took me FOREVER to get through this book.
Heartwarming family drama set in the upper Midwest.
Not my favorite Landvik book, but a decent summer read.
beach read
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Lorna Landvik is a mother of two and wife of one. She is the author of eight novels, including the best-selling ANGRY HOUSEWIVES EATING BON BONS, PATTY JANE'S HOUSE OF CURL and OH MY STARS. Also an
actor and playwright, Lorna has appeared in many stage productions. She is a new and passionate neophyte to the practice of yoga, which is a fine antidote to her long established practice of lounging.
More about Lorna Landvik...
actor and playwright, Lorna has appeared in many stage productions. She is a new and passionate neophyte to the practice of yoga, which is a fine antidote to her long established practice of lounging.
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
Apr 18, 2011 08:22pm