The Lake of Dreams; Kim Edwards

Title: The Lake of Dreams
Author: Kim Edwards
Publication Year: 2011
Publisher: Viking
Edition: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
Date Completed: 1/4/2011
Setting: Fictional town of Lake of Dreams, New York
Rating: 4/5 stars
Recommend: Yes 

I was anxious to read Kim Edward's latest release after having enjoyed her debut novel The Memory Keeper's Daughter, some five years earlier.  In her latest novel, Lucy Jarrett, the novel's protagonist, had been living in Japan with her boyfriend Yoshi, an architect.  Some ten years earlier, the summer before Lucy was leaving for college, her father had drowned in a boating accident back home in Lake of Dreams, New York.  Lucy has blamed herself from time to time for her father's death, because he had asked her to go fishing with him at the time, but she chose to spend time with her boyfriend Keegan instead.  Why her father drowned is still somewhat of a mystery.

Over the last ten years, college, grad school, and several different jobs has kept her busy and away from the family home.  Currently unemployed, when Lucy learns that her mother was injured in an accident, she realizes that it is time to go home. 

When Lucy arrives back in Lake of Dreams, she sees that the sprawling family home, in the family for some 100 plus years, is in need of some serious repairs.  She is glad to see her mother and her brother Blake, and it isn't long before she is reconnecting with the first love of her life, Keegan Fall. Keegan is now a talented stain glass artisan.  While rediscovering the family home, Lucy finds some mysterious papers among her father's effects, that she is puzzled by. Curious to find out more, Lucy soon uncovers remnants from years gone by, and soon learns about some amazing relatives that had never been spoken of.

The Lake of Dreams is a multi -faceted story that I enjoyed. What appealed to me most was the author's talent for detail, which included -- very beautiful, vivid imagery of the Finger Lakes area of New York, as well as terrific detail about the art of stained glass.  I just love stories where bit by bit family secrets are revealed in a well thought out manner. On the other hand, the one thing that seemed less than perfect for me was the fact that the entire story took place in just about a two week period.  There was a lot going on in this novel, and it just seemed to me like the time frame and all that took place in the two week period seemed rushed and occasionally forced at times. Despite this, I believe that this story will have wide appeal.