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321st out of 323 books
—
398 voters
An Accidental Woman (Blake Sisters #2)
by
Barbara Delinsky (Goodreads Author)
Lake Henry, New Hampshire, is buzzing over the annual maple syrup harvest ... as well as the shocking revelation that long-time resident Heather Malone has been led away by the FBI, which claims the devoted stepmother and businesswoman fled the scene of a fatal accident in California years before. Poppy Blake, her best friend, is determined to prove Heather's innocence, wh...more
Trade Paperback, 501 pages
Published
July 17th 2002
by Pocket
(first published 2002)
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I had never read Barbara Delinsky before finding this novel at the library. It had been recommended to me by one of the moms of the disabled kids I work with. I read it while home recovering from a bug- cuddled up on the couch, sipping my peppermint tea. So when a friend offered this copy to me to read and "pass on", I took her up on it to do just that, minus the read part!
There is a certain type of book that fills a niche in my life for when I want to be reading, but not working too hard at it....more
There is a certain type of book that fills a niche in my life for when I want to be reading, but not working too hard at it....more
A lovely, meaningful novel about love, community and relationships. Poppy Blake and Heather Malone are best friends, living in a small New Hampshire town. Heather was an outsider who'd arrived at Lake Henry 14 years prior to when this story begins. The townspeople, including Poppy, quickly make Heather one of their own and before long, Heather finds love in a relationship with Micah Smith, a widower with 2 small children.
As the novel opens, however, the entire town is upended when Heather is ar...more
As the novel opens, however, the entire town is upended when Heather is ar...more
Jul 23, 2010
Mollie *scoutrmom*
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
fans of contemporary romance
Recommended to Mollie *scoutrmom* by:
Mom
Shelves:
read-in-2010,
romance
This was a fairly well constructed book, but a bit too tame to be my cup of tea. We have a sweet love story of Poppy, who is a paraplegic due to an accident that left another dead, for which she had not forgiven herself. A writer fell for her, and Delinsky distracts us with a legal thriller subplot as their story unfolds.
I felt the subplot detracted from the theme of forgiveness, but I did like the description in that subplot of how maple sugar is now made. (I got the basics reading Little House...more
I felt the subplot detracted from the theme of forgiveness, but I did like the description in that subplot of how maple sugar is now made. (I got the basics reading Little House...more
Poppy was in an accident about 12 years ago that put her in a wheelchair. She runs the phone bank in Lake Henry where she has lived her entire life. Lake Henry is a beautiful town where everyone knows everyone else, well at least they thought they did. When the police show up at Micah's to arrest his live in girlfriend. They think she is someone named Lisa. No one wants to believe that Heather has been living among them for the past 14 years, lying about her past. Then on top of everything else...more
Feb 13, 2012
Mary
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone who likes contemporary mysteries
Recommended to Mary by:
Library Book Sale
Longtime resident of Lake Henry, New Hampshire, Heather Malone has been led away by the FBI, which claims that she fled the scene of a fatal accident in California years before. Poppy Blake, her best friend, is determined to clear her name, while facing past mistakes of her own: she still feels guilt over a snowmobile accident that killed her partner and left her paralyzed. Playing an unlikely role in both women's lives is investigative journalist Griffin Hughes, whose attraction to Poppy keeps...more
Feel good story, set in the safe small rural community I'd love to find.
The main plot of this story is of a seemingly ordinary good woman being arrested for a murder in another state about 15 years before. However, other people in the novel also have pasts and guilt connected with those pasts. The best friend of the arrested woman is confined to a wheel chair, but she is determined to help. The mystery of who Heather was in the past, the challenges of wheelchair living, the work of maple syrup gathering, and making up for past mistakes all fill this book. It kept me...more
Boy, this story has a "twisty" plot! Never expected this one!!
"Lake Henry, New Hampshire, is buzzing over the annual maple syrup harvest...as well as the shocking revelation that longtime resident Heather Malone has been led away by the FBI, which claims the devoted stepmother and businesswoman fled the scene of a fatal accident in California years before. Poppy Blake, her best friend, is determined to prove Heather's innocence, while facing past mistakes of her own: she has never overcome her g...more
"Lake Henry, New Hampshire, is buzzing over the annual maple syrup harvest...as well as the shocking revelation that longtime resident Heather Malone has been led away by the FBI, which claims the devoted stepmother and businesswoman fled the scene of a fatal accident in California years before. Poppy Blake, her best friend, is determined to prove Heather's innocence, while facing past mistakes of her own: she has never overcome her g...more
This is the first Delinsky book I've encountered. I listened to the abridged audio version and was pleasantly surprised. The characters were likable. It was a good story. There was nothing deep here, but it was great for a quick summer (or spring, in my case) read. I enjoyed hearing the details of the life of a wheelchair bound character. While the story ended rather abruptly (at least the abridged version did), and the plot was a little (well, actually a lot) far-fetched, this book kept my atte...more
Sweet, feel good, story set in a small town New Hampshire. Poppy is a paraplegic not feeling worthy of love. Enter a writer who is smitten about her. The main plot is supposed to be about a woman who has been living in the community for years and is arrested for the killing of a senator's son a decade before. I felt I got to know more about harvesting syrup than some of the characters. It was a nice diversion from what I had been reading but not much more. Some steamy love scenes and no offensiv...more
In the middle of the night, the FBI appear at Heather Malone's home with an arrest warrant claiming she is actually a woman named Lisa Matlock. Lisa Matlock is wanted for a 15 year old murder.
The town of Lake Henry is shocked. Nice, gentle Heather could not possibly be this woman that they are talking about. But as people begin to question the assertions of the FBI, they also begin to question themselves. Nobody really knows much about Heather's life before she appeared in Lake Henry 14 years ag...more
The town of Lake Henry is shocked. Nice, gentle Heather could not possibly be this woman that they are talking about. But as people begin to question the assertions of the FBI, they also begin to question themselves. Nobody really knows much about Heather's life before she appeared in Lake Henry 14 years ag...more
Ah, typical Barbara Delinsky! Her books are such comfort reads to me, I always know that I'm going to enjoy the story no matter what the subject matter is. It's the way that she writes the development of her characters and their relationships with each other. I didn't connect with Micah quite as much as I did Poppy and Griffin, but I think this is because I wasn't entirely convinced by the way he rejected Heather from keeping secrets from him and then accepted her back so easily. Heather didn't...more
In the middle of the night, the FBI appear at Heather Malone's home with an arrest warrant claiming she is actually a woman named Lisa Matlock. Lisa Matlock is wanted for a 15 year old murder.
The town of Lake Henry is shocked. Nice, gentle Heather could not possibly be this woman that they are talking about. But as people begin to question the assertions of the FBI, they also begin to question themselves. Nobody really knows much about Heather's life before she appeared in Lake Henry 14 years ag...more
The town of Lake Henry is shocked. Nice, gentle Heather could not possibly be this woman that they are talking about. But as people begin to question the assertions of the FBI, they also begin to question themselves. Nobody really knows much about Heather's life before she appeared in Lake Henry 14 years ag...more
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This was a good story, but it was a little too real for me. I like happily ever after fairy tale type romances where everything ties up nicely. This story dealt with physical handicaps, unpleasant pasts, secrets, people dying, guilt, regret, and blended families. I like to get away from the harshness of reality when I read. I like to be able to sit back relax and enjoy the story. This story was well written and the plot was well developed and kept a good pace, but it was not the escape that I de...more
One of the few books by Delinsky that I didn't care for too much. The characters were those from Lake News and it was too predictable and everyone ended up happy. Maybe I wasn't in the right mood for it, (as I've said before, usually that is why I read some of these, because I know things will turn out right), but this just seemed forced. The characters didn't need a second story, they were finished after the first book.
This is the first book by this writer that I have read. An interesting story line. I learned some things I never knew before--about all that's involved in tapping maple trees and the production of maple sugar, etc. Paints a nice picture of a beautiful part of the country (at a time when the weather in South Carolina was more like weather in New England). Not too deep or silly, and a pleasant way to pass some time.
I really enjoyed this story about loss, love, and forgiveness. The story seems to be about Heather who is accused of a murder committed 14 years ago. But, the reader is not taken into Heather’s mind…we’re taken through Heather’s story by everyone in Heather’s life. That leads us into side-stories that end up being even better. This book is an easy read but manages to feel right and thought provoking.
I read the first 20 pages and encountered a paralyzed character named “Poppy”, and thought “oh no, I’ve read a book before with this character and I didn’t like her”. I’d forgotten about the book Lake News, which I'd read and felt neutral about. This story took place in the same town. Sounds stupid, but I couldn’t cope with another book that included the irritating Poppy.
Out of the many books I've read 'An Accidental Woman' is my favourite. Perhaps it's because I can relate to the main character. You can still understand the book without reading 'Lake News' but I would suggest you read both. I had read that 'Looking for Peton's Place was supposed to be Barbara's best novel. I still have to read it to find out.
A woman is arrested for the murder of her boyfriend and the town realizes that they know nothing of her past. Her current lover runs a “sugar bush” operation and he and Heather’s friends work to find the truth. Chick lit fluff really but good for those times when you want a simple feel good kind of story with a happy ending.
Jul 20, 2008
Becs
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
People who have no other book at all to read
I thought the hero of the piece was nicely drawn. However, despite Ms. Delinski's avowal that she'd spent a lot of time researching life in a chair, as well as actually (gasp!) talking to wheeler women, the heroine (?) comes off as a big whiner.
It comes as no surprise that:
1) It's hard to use a wheelchair in the snow.
2) If you're a wheeler, you can bet that not even your best friends will live in a place accessible to you.
At least Delinski avoids the horrible cliche of the heroine walking again...more
It comes as no surprise that:
1) It's hard to use a wheelchair in the snow.
2) If you're a wheeler, you can bet that not even your best friends will live in a place accessible to you.
At least Delinski avoids the horrible cliche of the heroine walking again...more
At times, I find women's fiction unsatisfying. This is one of those time. It's Jodi Picoult meets romance. A little controversy, a little romance, a happy ending. It was very hard to dredge up empathy for the two dimensional characters.
Feb 17, 2012
Nicki M
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2000s,
american,
barbara-delinsky,
chicklit,
contemporary,
fiction,
library-book,
new-england,
read-in-2012,
relationships,
disabilities
I did enjoy this although I must admit I wanted more story and less information about the sugaring business. It is a slow book but gets better as it progressed, so at times I was skimming it to get to the more intense parts. I liked the characters and really wanted to find out what happened to them all in the end.
I really enjoyed this Barbara Delinsky book. The characters were well written and realistic. It was obvious she researched paraplegia, and Poppy's disability did not seem so beyond believability. Well paced and well detailed.
I have never read anything by Barbara Delinsky, so her writing was all new for me. This novel is one of my favorites now! She gets her points across clearly, and her words just flow so nicely. Definitely a must read!!!
A sweet story about sweet people in a sweet town. Even matters of life and death, love and livelihood are couched in the sweetest of terms. The lightest multi-layered read I've had in awhile and I enjoyed.
A good read but I'm not sure about the author's writing style - seemed a little dry. I'll probably read another of her books to see if I like it better.
Jul 13, 2011
Jodi
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
women
Shelves:
chick-lit
Easy read; "feel-good" book about how friends will stick by you through thick and through thin and good always wins over evil!!! Poppy sister, Rose was a total hag!!
Two and a half stars, with an upgrade because the plot was interesting.
In the end, an overdose of nice, with a light sprinkling of spunky.
In the end, an overdose of nice, with a light sprinkling of spunky.
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I was born and raised in suburban Boston. My mother’s death, when I was eight, was the defining event of a childhood that was otherwise ordinary. I took piano lessons and flute lessons. I took ballroom dancing lessons. I went to summer camp through my fifteenth year (in Maine, which explains the setting of so many of my stories), then spent my sixteenth summer learning to type and to drive (two sk...more
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