Book Review of On Mystic Lake by Kristin Hannah
On Mystic Lake is about Annie Colwater, the wife of a highly successful lawyer and mother of a teenage girl. On the day her teenage daughter leaves to spend several months in London with her school, Annie's husband tells her he wants a divorce. Having defined her life by her husband and daughter, Annie feels lost and confused. Not knowing where else to turn, she goes to the one place she knows will always be home: her father's house in Mystic, Washington.
Once out of the rich city life she held in Los Angeles, she begins to discover who she is outside of the roles she used to define her life. She finds herself spending time with an old friend, a man she once loved but chose her best friend. After finding out about the death of Nick's wife and Annie's one-time best friend, she seeks him out. They find solace and comfort in each other. Annie's life begins to have meaning again, until the unexpected takes her back to Los Angeles.
Annie must decide what's more important: duty or happiness.
I bought this book many years ago at either a used book store or library book sale, I'm not sure which. The author was one I'd never heard of but I've since found is very prolific. As I began the book, I had my doubts, but was pleasantly surprised.
The prose was well-written, somewhat disjointed when Annie was so confused, but more clear when her life began to make more sense. The characters were flawed, including the heroine, which I like. Idyllic characters take away from the story for me because I can't identify with them. There were several times I wanted to shake Annie and tell her she was being stupid, which showed me how much I really liked the book. The ending was at first frustrating, but after thinking about it I think it fit in with the progression of the story however badly I wanted more details.
After a pleasant surprise in this dusty book from my shelf, I will be reading more of Kristin Hannah's work.
Once out of the rich city life she held in Los Angeles, she begins to discover who she is outside of the roles she used to define her life. She finds herself spending time with an old friend, a man she once loved but chose her best friend. After finding out about the death of Nick's wife and Annie's one-time best friend, she seeks him out. They find solace and comfort in each other. Annie's life begins to have meaning again, until the unexpected takes her back to Los Angeles.
Annie must decide what's more important: duty or happiness.
I bought this book many years ago at either a used book store or library book sale, I'm not sure which. The author was one I'd never heard of but I've since found is very prolific. As I began the book, I had my doubts, but was pleasantly surprised.
The prose was well-written, somewhat disjointed when Annie was so confused, but more clear when her life began to make more sense. The characters were flawed, including the heroine, which I like. Idyllic characters take away from the story for me because I can't identify with them. There were several times I wanted to shake Annie and tell her she was being stupid, which showed me how much I really liked the book. The ending was at first frustrating, but after thinking about it I think it fit in with the progression of the story however badly I wanted more details.
After a pleasant surprise in this dusty book from my shelf, I will be reading more of Kristin Hannah's work.
Photo Courtesy of Katherine Elizabeth
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