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Ladies of the Lake–bonds of friendship
Ladies of the Lake
by Cathy Gohlke
Viewing the same characters in a split timeline is a good way to tell the story of four girls who formed life long friendships at Lakeside Ladies Academy in Connecticut. They dubbed themselves “Ladies of the Lake.” They were not similar in background, but over their years at the school, they developed a close bond which they sealed with blood signatures at a gazebo on the school grounds, promising to keep in touch and support each other. The split timeline varies between showing the ladies as young people and as adults with a mystery gradually unraveling as the backgrounds and events that shaped them as adults are revealed.
Unfortunately, mistakes were made and things were said that broke some of the bonds. Dot and Addie are the most prominent characters, but they harbor secrets that keep them apart. Loving the same man, the Great War, and the Halifax Explosion all play a tumultuous role in their futures. Can a teenager bring them together?
Ladies of the Lake has a strong Christian theme as the women struggle through seemingly impossible situations. Portia, Addie’s housekeeper, is a woman of faith who gently guides Addie through some difficulties. The author holds up for examination the perspectives of the times on German Americans and Blacks. She invites the reader to see more than one side of an issue For example, people of German descent, former friends and neighbors, might be viewed as the enemy. Blacks were often held in contempt by some as “less than” even though they were put in a position of nurturing white children.
Forgiveness is a strong theme in this book as there are several characters who need to ask and receive forgiveness. Family is another important theme as the girls form a family for each other regardless of their home situations.
Reading this book is an escape into another world, but not one without pain. The characters are described well, and readers can immerse themselves in their lives as the story is full of twists and turns. The author cleverly hides the identity of Dorothy’s husband, but as the book progresses the reader will take pleasure in deciphering who he probably is.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Historical Fiction, Christian, Women’s Fiction
Notes: There are lots of Scripture references and some particularly lovely and meaningful prayers at appropriate places in the story.
Publication: July 11, 2023—Tyndale House Publishers
Memorable Lines:
If I’d had a grandmother or a guardian angel, I would’ve wanted her to be just like Mrs. Simmons…I would have wanted her to be Mrs. Simmons.
She watched as he rejoined his brother, two halves of a whole, one with a slight limp and the other with a sleeve empty since the Great War, neither of which stole appeal from either man. That war had stolen much from the Meyer family, far more than the damage or loss of limbs.
Tears know no quota; mine couldn’t seem to stop.
Educated–painful, but powerful memoir
Educated
by Tara Westover
Very few books leave me speechless, but Tara Westover’s memoir Educated is one of them. Well written, this is the author’s very personal story of growing up in a dysfunctional family with abuse of various types from several family members and later betrayal by others. Tara lived a secluded and physically difficult life with a large family dominated by an authoritative father with mental issues. He was an extremist Mormon with an antigovernment, end times, survivalist fixation.
Tara was supposedly homeschooled, but her education was basically nonexistent. She and several of her brothers in turn realized their only escape was through education. Self-taught, Tara scored high enough on her ACT test to qualify for admission to Brigham Young University as she turned 17. She was unprepared mentally and socially for a college experience. She did not even have basic hygiene skills.
Over the course of her academic education, she was confronted with multiple instances where the foundations of her beliefs from childhood were shattered by learning the true version of events. She was lied to, put in danger, and manipulated time after time. Tara’s journey to mental health and a new normalcy happened slowly and only after many confrontations with her family. Eventually she was forced by them to choose with whom her loyalties would lie and the direction of her life as an adult.
Educated is a powerful memoir and emotionally very difficult to read. Its focus on education, relationships, and faith results in a painful tale as Tara journeys from Idaho to Cambridge with forays to New England, Paris, Italy, and the Middle East—all places she could not even dream of because she previously knew nothing about them. This is a story that needed to be told, and one I am glad the author shared.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Random House for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Memoir
Notes: links provided by Random House
LISTEN to Tara’s NPR Fresh Air interview: https://www.npr.org/2018/02/20/587244230/memoirist-retraces-her-journey-from-survivalist-childhood-to-cambridge-ph-d
WATCH Tara’s CBS This Morning segment: https://www.cbsnews.com/video/tara-westovers-journey-from-off-the-grid-childhood-to-cambridge/
DISCUSS the book with your book club: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/550168/educated-by-tara-westover/9780399590504/readers-guide/
Publication: February 20, 2018—Random House
Memorable Lines:
I’d never learned how to talk to people who weren’t like us—people who went to school and visited the doctor. Who weren’t preparing, every day, for the End of the World.
“There’s a world out there, Tara,” he said. “And it will look a lot different once Dad is no longer whispering his view of it in your ear.”
It’s strange how you give the people you love so much power over you, I had written in my journal. But Shawn had more power over me than I could possibly have imagined. He had defined me to myself, and there’s no greater power than that.
In that moment part of me believed, as I had always believed, that it would be me who broke the spell, who caused it to break. When the stillness shattered and his fury rushed at me, I would know that something I had done was the catalyst, the cause. There is hope in such a superstition, there is the illusion of control.
education pathways 