Summer at Willow Lake (Lakeshore Chronicles, Book 1)
by Susan Wiggs
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Book Summary Information
Author: Susan WiggsEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-08-01
ISBN: 0778323250
Number of pages: 544
Publisher: Mira
Book Reviews of Summer at Willow Lake (Lakeshore Chronicles, Book 1)
Book Review: Too much description, not enough story.
Summary: 3 Stars
Susan Wiggs was recommended as a similar read to Robyn Carr. Her Lakeshore Chronicles has been likened to Carr's Virgin River series.
One thing Wiggs does better is put the focus in the right place. The Virgin River books read as women's health manuals - obviously a Robyn Carr passion - but they were always ruined for me by their detailed focus on very private medical things I never want to read about. Wiggs doesn't go there, and the book is better for it.
But Wiggs does not have Carr's easy writing voice. She is very wordy and there were times I couldn't even force myself to read her lengthy descriptions of, well, everything. The description just went on and on, while the plot was very, very thin.
This is billed as a romance, but I couldn't agree it is. It is a family drama, focusing on so many different characters at times it was hard to maintain an interest. Daisy, Max and their father were a bore, and - apart from setting up later stories - they didn't have a single purpose here. Just when something was starting to get somewhere with Olivia and Connor we'd be treated to a long and tiresome chapter about a group of teenagers. Why were the second and third last chapters completely devoid of the main pair? The romance comes VERY late in the story, and when it does it's lukewarm at best.
I know that the character of Daisy goes on to feature in many other books in this series, but I didn't need her to hijack this one. I'm not particularly interested in reading about teenagers - if I was I'd be reading a young adult book. I hate when an author plays favourites (as Robyn Carr does with Mel and Jack) because it means all the others suffer as a consequence.
I did love the character of Olivia very much. Her development was at times heartbreaking. Her evolution from the unpopular fat girl to a beauty her childhood friend didn't even recognise was fascinating. Connor was well-written, his thoughts and dialogue believable, but he was perhaps a little blander. All the same, I liked these two, even though they were often overshadowed by everybody else in the cast.
Another thing that detracted from my interest in this book was how choppy it was. At the beginning of each chapter we have a quote of some sort. Poetry, or the text of a party invitation. Or a recipe. Or something to do with the summer camp where the story is set. On top of that, not only does the story jump around to so many different dates, but it also tells parts of the present day story out of order. There didn't need to be so much of everything.
It truly is possible to set up an entire series without losing your story, but this did not happen here. We met everybody from future books and learnt in detail about their conflicts. I think much of this should have been saved for later on - the main reason being because there were so many introductions there seriously wasn't a plot! People just meandered, doing regular things, and I found I needed something more to maintain my interest.
I am continuing on in this series, even though not all the the characters and plotlines of later books hold my interest.
I believe that - like Virgin River - I am going to find things to enjoy in this series in amongst all the stuff I don't. This book definitely could have been better edited and it would have been a more satisfying story.
Summary of Summer at Willow Lake (Lakeshore Chronicles, Book 1)
Summertime begins with a Susan Wiggs Olivia Bellamy has traded her trendy Manhattan life for a summer renovating her family's crumbling holiday resort. Tempted by the hazy, nostalgic memories of summers past - childhood innocence and the romance and rivalries of her teens - it's the perfect place to flee after her broken engagement. But what began as an escape may just be a new beginning...As Olivia uncovers secrets buried thick with dust, one by one her family return, their lives as frayed at the edges as the resort. Her father and the mystery woman in the tatty black and white photograph. Uncle John, who's trying to be a father again to his teenage kids. Connor Davis, the first love she never forgot. Laughter is ringing around Willow Lake once more. This could be Olivia's summer of a lifetime!i??Perfect for fans of Cathy KellyLiterature & Fiction Books
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