Ladies of the Lake

by Haywood Smith

Sisters Dahlia, Iris, Violet, and Rose—all with grown children of their own—have a complicated relationship, so when their grand - mother’s will requires them to spend the whole summer—without friends or family—“camping in” at her run-down lodge on re mote Lake Clare in order to inherit the valuable land, old rivalries and new understanding emerge, with plenty of laughs along the way. Desperate to save her Buckhead home from foreclosure after being left in the lurch, recent divorcee Dahlia must complete the summer and sell her share immediately. Practical, even-tempered Violet will be no problem, but Iris has been Dahlia’s nemesis since she learned to say, “no” to her big sister. And super-sweet, quirky Garage Sale Queen Rose is so “green” she’d test the patience of a saint. As tempers flare and old secrets are revealed, four grown women discover that the past is never truly buried.

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Romance, Book Club, Southern, Humor, Contemporary

372 pages, Hardcover

Published September 1, 2009

Reviews

[Tina Loves To Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a chick lit romance. I cannot tell you how much I love this book. It is a light fun book which is what I needed. The characters are southern woman (four sisters), and they all have their own problems/fears. I think the characters are well developed and easy to love. If you are looking to laugh and have fun just following some southern sisters then you should read this book. (*)

[Sandy]

listed to it on audio. being from the atlanta/n. georgia area, i absolutely loved it! the narration was excellent...reminded me a lot of the golden girls. will look for more from this author and narrator.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. Reviews were sketchy, but I do not care that these characters are 50-60 year-old women! Why is it that Nicholas Sparks can write about older women in love and get away with it, but this author cannot? Is it the spiritual aspect of these women that people really object to? I do not know, but this is a story of family, sisters, secrets, and love. To me that equals good story, especially when the characters are as unique as these four sisters!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a pure delight! Other reviewers complain about the silliness of the plot and how unrealistic it is, but that's what I love about it. 4 grown sisters who have to spend an entire summer together in the family estate in order to earn their inheritance. Of course hilarity will ensue! I found this book to be a delightful escape from my own crazy life, & I could imagine my own sister & I in some of these situations.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I lowered this to three stars because we never found out about a key event, a discovery made in the book. There was no explanation. Otherwise it was a FOUR star beach book.

The basic premise involved four fiftiesh sisters who had to live together for ninety unbroken days in their grandmother's Georgia lakehouse in order to inherit it and the surrounding property worth millions. Easier said than done given their diverse personalities, but they did persevere.

I did get a little tired of the infighting between Dahlia, the main character, and her next-younger sister Iris, but overall, the book was fun to read and had great voice and plenty of humor. When phrases such as, "Her tickle box got tumped over," appeared, I knew it was authentic. We said that about my brother all through the Fifties!

This is a book that flowed easily and read fast. If you know anything about adult siblings, you will love it and laugh.

[Jackie Wooley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Is there a rating less than one star?I would have abandoned the book, but it was our book club selection. We had good laughs at our discussion meeting.Come on, could so much happen to one person in a summer? Chiggers, rabies, bodies in the basement,and this perfect man in her life that almost gets away. Every circumstance bordered on the ridiculous.

[Jeri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Laughed, teared up and generally a good story about sisters, family, and love.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four sisters all named after flowers (a family tradition) inherit a worn-down lake house after their grandmother dies. The will stipulates they must live there together all summer in order to inherit it. The consensus is that they will clean it up and clean it out and then sell it at the end of the summer since the property is valuable. This lake was their vacation spot for many years in their youth and holds good and bad memories for each sister. Along their summer journey, they discover sometimes their sisterly bonds are not in sync and being in their 50-60’s they are very set in their ways and lifestyles so that is also an adjustment they must overcome to get through the summer.

The book had some zany situations like mummified bodies in the basement and a rabid racoon, but the story is mostly about Dahlia and Clete and a relationship from a crush he had endured for many, many years. An entertaining read about family, secrets and a close-knit community. I have read a few books by this author and enjoy her Southern living style.

[B Zimp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haywood's books are the perfect read for the retired older woman with medical problem. While not exactly my demographic, I still love reading her books. This one was filled with retired older sisters and their medical problems, but was still adorable. I have no idea, why I love these books so much.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very sweet book. A fun story of 4 sisters, with a family tradition of all girls being named after flowers. I used the audio version, and thoroughly enjoyed the book. I am terrible with giving a summary and telling too much of the details. However, I do think it was a truly good story with a few twists of surprises along the way!

[Vickie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't mind that the characters were older, but it was just beyond silly. Started skimming parts...rolling my eyes...you get the picture. Not my favorite but, hey, I started and finished it.

[Pam Borrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story - liked the characters - great holiday read

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the Hazmat cleaning debate to the sibling squabbles to the legal legacy, LADIES OF THE LAKE is an amusing poignant sisters' drama The obvious subliminal message of this novel reminds readers of the importance of making quality and quantity time for loved ones.

My first book to read from Haywood Smith and I found this book to be most entertaining, especially because the majority of characters were around my age. . The storyline is steeped in Southern tradition and idiosynchrysies that just seem somewhat unbelievable at times. Sometimes I even laughed out loud at the high jinks these ladies were up to. Sometimes I wanted to drop kick one or two for their actions. The love story is somewhat weak, but overall an enjoyable read. I have to say that this book makes me want to read more from this author. Great book for book group discussion. Easy beach read that was entertaining and quick.

[Ivy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started out really slow then picked up during the second half. Sometimes I found it to be a little rediculous and dumb. Like why was she always stripping down naked to swim only to be caught by the guy she liked. I would also like to know how someone so susceptible to sickness managed to be a professional ballarina. There were other things that bothered me but I don't want to list them all.
I also found this book to be a little preachy when it came to being green and eating organic. Wholy cow her sisters would drive me crazy.
Other than that though I did like the charactors I liked the closness of the sisters and I especially liked Clete.

[Lauren Brinegar · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want a book that will have you laughing in bed and your husband looking at you with wide eyes, this is the one. I bought this book 5-6 years ago and finally forced myself to get after it and read it. And man, I’m glad I did. This was hilarious. A great read - the kind that will be read again and again.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I've really enjoyed Haywood Smith's other books, I couldn't help but feel this one missed the mark. I'm still not sure if it was supposed to be a love story, a family story, a mystery or what. The problem is, while the book was somewhat entertaining, it never really succeeded at being anything else.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even as adults, do we ever become anything other than what we were, when surrounded by siblings? This light read takes a look at four middle-aged sisters who must spend a summer together-under one roof- in order to successfully meet the requirements stipulated in their grandmother's will. Light and humorous, without stooping to saccharine or cheesiness, this is a good "take along" book.

[Kathryn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really did not like this book. I don't have a real specific reason why I disliked it, but I just could not really enjoy the story for some reason. I did like the fact that pretty much all the characters were older retired people. Since I listened to this and it was just over 5 hours in length, I continued with to the end.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book on a whim, and turn out seriously enjoying it. Loved the charecters, loved their relationships. This book had me laughing out loud and crying.

[Lschneier · Rating 3 out of 5]

A funny and revealing look at four sisters who grow to love each other more when spending a summer at the lake house in northern Georgia.

[Angela McVay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Breathtakingly wonderful book!

[Mimi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a summer read. There were no surprises, and you pretty much figured out how it was going to end by the second chapter. However- it is a charming romp and I really enjoyed reading it.

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amusing tale of 4 southern sisters charged with the task of clearing out their grandmother's house after she passed. A giggling good read !

[Laura LeAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great quick read about four sisters, their relationships, their grandmother Cissy and the property she leaves them upon her death. The stipulation for selling the property is that they have to live in the house together for 90 days, which for these sisters is A LOT. Told from the pov of Dahlia, recently divorced with a son that dropped out and followed his father and his new girlfriend to some island in the South Pacific, this book is laugh out loud funny in parts, sentimental in parts, with a bit of romance. I enjoyed the book overall.

[Jadzia]

This book showed me my love for fiction, specifically summer/vacation books. This audiobook was read by a country woman. Her accent healed my soul. Would be frustrating to most but I loved it.

[Linda Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

Anyone with sisters can appreciate everything about this book. It's funny and sweet, maddening and inspiring. I loved every minute of it!

[Chloe (Always Booked) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started this book and set it down multiple times so when I found it on audio I decided it was time to finally read it. This book has so much going for it I feel like I should love it but I just don't. It's about 4 sisters who come together at their grandma's lakehouse to fix it up and sell it. The grandma died and left it to their mom and the girls but the mom wants no part of it. The catch is that they have to live there together for 90 days. The sisters don't get along and theres a lot of deep seated resentment because the grandma was really only kind to our main character, Dahlia. All of the women are of retirement age, so the grandma situation didn't really add up mathematically and I think stuff like that is what kept me from enjoying this book. Our main character has recently been divorced and abandoned by her adult son. She was a career ballerina, but I really feel like we were just told all that and it didn't fit with her character. They were all pretty surface level. Our main character has a chronic illness that impacts her diet greatly and I loved seeing that representation, but everything else was so ridiculous that it felt cheap where it could've been deep. She has a romance with a guy she meets at the lakehouse and thats nice to see 60+ finding love, but there was just so much about this book that didn't add up for me; I wouldn't recommend it.

SPOILERS AHEAD:
Dahlia finds corpses in the house and instead of going to the cops (they're like 100 years old) she hides the bodies because she thinks it will hinder the house from selling. There's so much drama and angst over it-- it was silly. So much crazy stuff happens to this lady. Her chronic illness wasn't very well developed (in fact I can't even really understand what it was) and everything was just meh for me. Theres a conflict with the guy when she wants to go back to ATL and she also thinks he's being sketchy, but it all works out in the end when he is instrumental in helping them. The sisters also work it out and become happy.

[Kim-Lost-In-A-Book · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the story but had issues with the book. I love the authors sense of humor. I think this book, however, was far too long. I probably would have enjoyed it more had it been broken down into at least two if not three different stories. I didn't like how a major plot point wasn't tied up until the very end of the book. When I say very end, it's literally the last four pages, and even then you'd already figured it would be handled that way and it was kind of lame, it could have been left out entirely. All that being said, the characters were relatable, I liked Clete very much and I liked something about each of the sisters.

Just had another thought: I think that while I did like Dahlia, she was a very selfish woman, thankfully that did change at the end. However, I also found her rather hypocritical. She claimed to be such a Christian woman, even remaining celibate until she married, but she really didn't hesitate on committing a felony with disposing of dead bodies on public land and begging her sisters to go along with her plan so that they could sell the house, so she could get her share of the money that would "solve all her problems." That was just a bit much for me.

[Jan · Rating 1 out of 5]

AFTER GIVING UP ON "The Last Time I Saw You," I DECIDED I SHOULD START THIS ONE AND EITHER FINISH IT. ABOUT 1/4 OF THE WAY INTO THE BOOK I FOUND THE CHARACTERS INTERESTING AND THE SITUATION - THAT THESE 4 SISTERS HAVE TO STAY FOR 90 CONSECUTIVE DAYS TOGETHER AT THEIR GRANDMOTHER’S HOUSE TO INHERIT THE ESTATE - INTERESTING IN ITSELF AND MADE MORE SO BECAUSE OF THE SETTING (SEMI-RURAL GEORGIA), AND THE PEOPLE. HOWEVER, THE BOOK WAS VERY UNEVEN - SOME OF THE SITUATIONS WERE EXTREMELY CONTRIVED AND STUPID. THE PARTS ABOUT THE SISTERS WERE VERY INTERESTING, AND EVEN THE ROMANCE THAT BLOOMED BETWEEN THE NARRATOR - DAHLIA - AND THE LOCAL “CLETE” COULD HAVE BEEN GREAT. EXCEPT THE AUTHOR MADE CLETE TOO PERFECT AND WAY TOO CAPABLE. IT WAS JUST TOO MUCH, MAKING HER LEAVING HIM EVEN MORE STUPID. AND OF COURSE SHE GETS WITH HIM IN THE END, AND THEY “HILARIOUSLY” EXPLAIN THE DEAD BODIES ON THE LAST PAGE OF THE BOOK. THE “INSPIRATIONAL” GENRE PART WAS HANDLED WELL AND FELT RIGHT FOR THE STORY. THE PARTS THAT WERE GOOD WERE GOOD, AND I DID MAKE IT THROUGH TO THE END. BUT THE PARTS THAT WERE NOT GOOD MADE THE READ TRYING MANY TIMES.

APPARENTLY HAYWOOD SMITH IS ACTUALLY A WOMAN (WHICH EXPLAINS THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE SISTERLY RELATIONSHIPS), AND ALSO WROTE “The Red Hat Club.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5.0 - Enjoyable read about four sisters - Dahlia, Iris, Violet and Rose, who must spend the summer together at their deceased grandmother's lake house, in order to inherit it. Dahlia, the primary character is recently divorced and her husband has run off with their teenage son to avoid prosecution, leaving her broke and alone. The sisters range in age from Rose, the youngest at 52 to Dahlia, the oldest at 60. I liked the fact that this was a story about mature women, and sibling interactions. There were two sets of siblings in the story. The sisters, and the Slocum siblings. The Slocums, including Clete, who is the hero of the story are tightly bound and supportive of each other. The sisters, have issues going way back to childhood, and that is part of the reason the grandmother puts this condition on the inheritance.
While I'm not sure you would classify this as Christian fiction, faith is very important to both Dahlia and Clete and although the sisters urge Dahlia to go to bed with Clete, she doesn't believe in sex outside of marriage .
AtY #33: Title Refers to People Without Naming Them
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