Achingly tender, yet filled with laughter, The Lake House brings to life the wide range of human emotions and the difficult journey from heartbreak to healing.
VICTORIA ROSE. Fifty years before, a group of teenage friends promised each other never to leave their idyllic lakeside town. But the call of Hollywood and a bigger life was too strong for Victoria . . . and she alone broke that pledge. Now she has come home, intent on making peace with her demons, even if her former friends shut her out. Haunted by tragedy, she longs to find solace with her childhood sweetheart, but even this tender man may be unable to forgive and forget.
HEATHER BREGMAN. At twenty-eight, after years as a globe-trotting columnist, she’s abandoned her controlling fiancé and their glamorous city life to build one on her own terms. Lulled by a Victorian house and a gorgeous locale, she’s determined to make the little community her home. But the residents, fearful of change and outsiders, will stop at nothing to sabotage her dreams of lakeside tranquility.
As Victoria and Heather become unlikely friends, their mutual struggle to find acceptance—with their neighbors and in their own hearts—explores the chance events that shape a community and offer the opportunity to start again.
PARTICULARS OF THIS BOOK :
Published by: Galley Books/Simon&Schuster
Pages: 383 plus Reader's Group Guide
Genre: Fiction/General
Author: Marci Nault
Website: http://www.MarciNault.com and http://www.101dreamscometrue.com
Purchase this book: Barnes & Noble
ABOUT THE AUTHOR :
Marci Nault, originally from Massachusetts, lives in California and has a passion for travel and figure skating. the founder of the motivational website 101 Dreams Come True, she has been featured in newspapers and magazines, and on radio stations. Visit her at her websites as listed above for more interesting information on her!
INTERVIEW !!!!
The Bookish Libraria is thrilled to be able to sponsor this interview with Marci Nault today. Welcome, Marci! Let's get right down to the questions...
1)
Tell us
something about yourself, please. How do
most people describe you?
Most people describe me as an explosion of vibrant
energy. I tend to be friendly and outgoing and I haven’t learned the rule of
not speaking to strangers. As a writer, people fascinate me and I love to hear
their stories. I figure if I can be open about my story then others will feel
comfortable to share their dreams and lives with me. I believe that our dreams
are a road map to the person we’re meant to be and the life we’re meant to
live. I’ve spent the last five years going after my life-list and out of the 101
Dreams Come True that I’d written down I’ve accomplished 89. You can follow my
journey and learn more at www.101dreamscometrue.com.
The thing that most people don’t know about me is that I can also be incredibly
shy and I’ve had to work hard to overcome it.
2)
Briefly, from where did the idea for your novel
germinate?
I had a nighttime dream that I’d found the perfect house and bought
it on the spot without doing any research. When I moved in I realized all my
neighbors were almost fifty years my senior and some weren’t happy to have me
while others wanted to interfere in my life and set me up with grandsons. When
I woke I knew I had to write the story.
3)
Who first told you you could write well, and how
did it affect you?
For the most part people told me that I couldn’t write. They
said that though I had great ideas my structure was poor. I spent years writing
in secret. When I wrote my first novel and sent it to agents they said I was a
great storyteller, but that it wasn’t a book they could sell because at the
time love stories weren’t in style. I’d planned to give up on becoming a
novelist, but their positive feedback kept the dream alive. When I decided to
write, The Lake House, I read books
on craft and grammar and taught myself how to be the best writer I could. I
wrote some really horrible stuff and edited many times before finalizing the
manuscript. When my agent first spoke to me and told me that I wasn’t just a
writer but a true poet in my descriptions I didn’t know what to say. I kept
wondering if she really meant it. As more people said it, I realized that I’d
become the writer I’d always aspired to be through tremendous hard work.
4)
Which contemporary authors do you most admire?
Ann Patchett’s Bel Canto is by far my
favorite story. When I met her I was star struck. She was shy and very
gracious. I enjoy reading Jodi Picoult and Kristen Hannah along with Pamela
Ribon.
5)
Which are your favorite classical authors?
F.
Scott Fitzgerald, Judy Blume (okay she’s not classical but as a young child I
felt she was a master), Walt Whitman, Charles Dickens, and Jane Austen.
6)
Jump into any book, which character would you
be?
I’d actually like to be Heather in my own novel, The Lake House, just to be able to live in Nagog and have root beer
floats with Tommy. I did think about being Hermione from Harry Potter because she’s a bookworm and a witch. But the
character I always related to in my childhood was Sarah from “A Little
Princess.” No matter what happened to her she believed in love and used her
imagination to make her world better.
7)
If you could have 5 historical people to dinner,
who would they be? What would you have
to eat?
If I could have dinner with five historical people I’d want to do it in
a vineyard overlooking Florence, Italy. We’d eat fresh ricotta with warm bread,
lovely spinach (the Italians make it taste wonderful), and pasta (cooked al
dente) with fresh vegetables and a light pesto sauce. We’d have decadent
chocolate truffles with strawberries for dessert. Oh, onto the people, (I got
slightly caught up in remembering the food of Florence) Michelangelo, Leonardo Da
Vinci, Mary Magdelaine, Jane Austen, and Einstein.
8)
Read any good books in the past 6 months? The Language of Flowers
9)
Favorite two tv shows: “Friends” and “The Big
Bang Theory”
10)
Favorite movie of all time: Sabrina
11)
Are you working on a new book?
Yes. It’s about
how memories affect who we are, and that’s all I can say right now.
12)
Anything else I forgot to ask you?
I’m an avid
adult competitive figure skater. I salsa and tango dance, and I love to travel
the world.
Thanks so much for stopping by, Marci. Wonderful interview with lots of personal information that gives us good insight into who you really are! I think I do see some "Heather" in you. :] We'll look forward to your new book when it comes out.
THE BOOKISH DAME REVIEWS :
"The Lake House" is a refreshing and timely read for this generation. It's the story of an era nearly lost, actually, when friendships were close and communities were tight-knit; as well as what happens when one or two of the "flock" step out of the mold and then come "home." It's also the story of what makes a place a "home" and what constitutes family in a broader sense.
Part love story, coming of age, and coming to grips with loss and grief, this is the perfect book for those who love one that tells a rich and heartfelt tale. It's a great read for any place and time...not only for beachy, summer days, but throughout the year when you want to be taken away to a sort of Nicholas Sparks place and time.
Marci Nault is an accomplished writer. She's a fine character interpretor with an eye for the depth and meat of angst and reality. Her people are carefully created and beautifully developed so that they could be your every day friends and neighbors. Her love interests ring true to life and break your heart with their easy and touching ways. She stealthily causes them to plant themselves before you realize it, making it impossible to stop reading her novel until you find out what happens to all of them in the end!
I'm not one who loves "chick lit," so don't look for this to be in that category. It's much more than that. Better writing, stronger storyline, a more unique grip on human relationships...
I think you'll really like this book for the summer.
5 stars Deborah/TheBookishDame
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