Lost Lake (Lost Lake, #1) in The Sarah Addison Allen Fan Group

Dec 11, 2016 Jan rated it it was amazing

Another Sarah Addison Allen novel that I completely lost myself in. I seriously just want to live in the worlds she creates.

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Oct 31, 2013 Melissa rated it it was amazing

This is a book about endings and how sometimes we can choose the endings to our own stories. As is often the case an ending leads to a beginning and so it is also a book about beginnings. It is by far one of my favorites of Sarah Addison Allen's books and it very definitely has a place on my personal list of all time favorites. I highly recommend this book! I just have to say that little Devin with her fairy wings, tutus, and bright colors is one of my favorite characters. ...more

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Aug 02, 2013 Deb rated it really liked it

Shelves: chick-lit, fiction

It's nice to have Sarah Addison Allen back after her absence, recovering from her breast cancer and it is even more wonderful that she hit her two-year remission mark. I have a soft spot in my heart for Addison Allen's books--they are like a warm and fuzzy blanket for the soul. Lost Lake is no exception. The story of Kate, a widow who has been 'sleepwalking' for the year after her husband's unexpected death and her 8-year-old (but with an old soul) daughter, Devon intertwines with the past and p It's nice to have Sarah Addison Allen back after her absence, recovering from her breast cancer and it is even more wonderful that she hit her two-year remission mark. I have a soft spot in my heart for Addison Allen's books--they are like a warm and fuzzy blanket for the soul. Lost Lake is no exception. The story of Kate, a widow who has been 'sleepwalking' for the year after her husband's unexpected death and her 8-year-old (but with an old soul) daughter, Devon intertwines with the past and present stories of Eby, Kate's great-aunt who is about to sell Lost Lake, the hidden lakeside retreat she has owned for years with her long-passed husband George. Lost Lake is past it's prime and has become quite scruffy around the edges, with the guests dwindling to a small group of 'misfits' who have been coming every summer for years but it is a magical place where people come to find what they are missing or in need of. Kate spent her 'last best summer' there years ago and wants a chance for she and her daughter to recapture some of its magic. There is a lot of history for Eby at Lost Lake and although she thinks it is time to move on and maybe travel the world with the proceeds, she has mixed feelings about losing it and her small group of regular guest want to spend one last summer there.

This isn't my favorite Sarah Addison Allen book (that would be Garden Spells) nor do I think it is her best but, it is still a sweet and charming story with wonderful and quirky characters, delicious-sounding food and that touch of the author's magical realism that allows the reader to escape for just a bit. This is the perfect book for vacation, or a sunny afternoon laying on the grass. ;-)

My favorite quotes (I couldn't pick one):
"Eby knew all too well that there was a fine line when it came to grief. If you ignore it, it goes away, but then it always comes back when you least expect it. If you let it stay, if you make a place for it in your life, it gets too comfortable and it never leaves. It was best to treat grief like a guest. You acknowledge it, you cater to it, then you send it on its way."

and

“After you finish a book, the story still goes on in your mind. You can never change the beginning. But you can always change the end.”

and finally

“Magic is what we invent when we want something we think we can't have.”

Note: I won an autographed copy of Lost Lake via Goodreads but I would have purchased it on my own if I hadn't been so lucky and of course my review and thoughts and feelings about the book are, as always, my own. ...more

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Oct 14, 2013 Brianne rated it really liked it

Shelves: first-reads

I think this is one of my favorites from Sarah Addison Allen. There were a few areas that I thought needed some more fleshing out, but on the whole this was magical and wonderful. There seemed to be more emotion in this book, which only added to its depth. The magical realism (compared to others) seemed to make some of the imagery pop a little more. I continue to love Allen's writing.

I got this as an ARC through goodreads.com. ...more

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