The Lake House Book Review
by James Patterson
2003, Paperback — Teen fantasy
Tagline: Oh, go make an egg.
Yes, I KNOW he’s the most popular writer in the whole entire world! If you count writers as people who sit and watch others write, and then attach their name to it, that is. (He seems to have a number of co-writers. Who does what work?!)
If this is a sample of how he writes…and he’s the only author listed on this book…we’re in for some bad reading. I kept checking the cover and title page: was this intended for adults? Those shortie 3 page chapters! Dick and Jane language! Shouldn’t there be a warning if The Lake House is for Young Adults?
It’s a sequel to When the Wind Blows, and I’m so happy I missed that one. 🙂
Plot: A cowardly vet and a spineless FBI man, who are apparently destined to marry with no sexual organs, are advisors to a family of orphaned kids who can fly. Something about bad science?
And then one of these teen kids knocks up the other one. A brother and sister have sex! Fun, illegitimate and unwanted teen pregnancies. But they can fly, so it’s all good. /sarcasm
Spoilers!
We learn early on that this family of kids has wings and can fly. We should all be so lucky! So far, so good…but the only people these teenagers meet are not good enough?
I’m not very good at secrets. I mentioned the perv sex above.The oldest boy has to have sex with…his sister? Flowers in the Attic indeed!
As an author myself, no one likes copycats, James! You can’t tell me he wasn’t capitalizing on that hugely popular incestual novel. Flowers in the Attic and the sequels. That came out in 1979, so it was quite a few years earlier, but still – a true original in its day.
But here’s a real spoiler: After that wonderful night in bed with her bro, Max…lays an egg.
Endpaper
I gave it 1.5 stars.
Actual Reader Reviews of The Lake House
Kirkus: I might need a translation for this. Also, it’s not important to try to please a publisher or famous author by writing suck-up reviews…is it?
Patterson’s sensibility dovetails perfectly with that of his prodigies, whose tender feelings and pitch-perfect teenage dialogue are the best things here.
Publisher’s Weekly They don’t actually say this is a terrible book. They say: “Patterson can, and has, done far better than this.” That works, too!
But on another note, they talk about the children as “siblings”, in quotes: that they were all genetically engineered, grew up together, but don’t have the same parents. And that one of the best parts is “a truly moving description of how Max and the oldest male bird-child mate.” If you grow up in the same family…step children, for instance…you are relatives. Still incest, in my book.
Google: 88% Liked it. This tells us a lot about the general public.
So Disappointing. If you liked When the Wind Blows, you are going to be so disappointed with The Lake House. Starting with Chapter 87. the book stops making any sense; it’s as if Patterson ran out of ideas and just slapped together the rest of the book.
87 chapters…think about it!
I thought the book premise was OK, but also believed it was not one of his better books. I felt it had too many technical descriptions of items not important to the story, and many other writings that went into almost juvenile detail.
LOVE this book. This is one of my favorite books that I read for the first time when I was 14. The story line is so good. I love the winged children and the people that love them enough to protect them. This story always makes me cry. But it’s such a good story.
Enjoy with:
If you, like Publishers Weekly, thought the sex was the best part, enjoy with the original brother-sister romance: Flowers in the Attic.
Birdwatching is a lifetime hobby! I have been doing it since I was 6, literally. You can do it for free, anywhere, anytime. But a couple of things make real-life birding much more fun.
- Binoculars. I’ve been happy with the old Navy binocs my father gave me when I was little! Of course, they are Leica…
Audubon has a rather daunting but comprehensive list here.
Amazon has picked out these especially for birdwatching.
Here’s a list of those from $100 to $200 that I put together. Imo, you need to spend that much for something decent. And remember, the more lightweight, the better! - The best field guide. Don’t be fooled by imitations! Roger Tory Peterson has the best illustrations and descriptions.
Field Guide to East & Central North America
Field Guide to Western North America
Field Guide East of the Rockies – my father gave me a signed copy of this one!
Where to find The Lake House
Your friendly local library. Free!
Powell’s – Largest Indie bookstore
Barnes & Noble – Usually one around
Amazon – fastest
ISBN: 0316603287
Set painter in studio Art Depts. Member Scriptwriters Network, script analyst.
Author, 2 hardcopy books, Barnes & Noble Calendar.
- Emma in the Night ~ Wendy Walker ~ Thriller - May 11, 2023
- Still Alice (2014) ~ Psychology Movie Review ~ Julianne Moore - January 25, 2023
- The Other Emily ~ Dean Koontz - January 23, 2023
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