LADIES OF THE LAKE - Haywood Smith
A Perfect 10
St. Martin’s Press (Hardcover)
ISBN: 978-0-312-31695-2
September 2009
Contemporary Fiction

Georgia - The Present

Dahlia, Iris, Violet, and Rose are four sisters who recently learned their eccentric grandmother, Cissy, died and left them an extremely valuable piece of property at remote Lake Clare. It’s where the now middle-aged women spent their childhood summers. Cissy made one huge stipulation, though; the four will have to spend ninety days----the entire summer----at the lakeside house.

Dahlia is sixty, newly divorced; her son has moved to the South Pacific to be with his father, and she’s just found out that her ex-husband has cheated her out of her house. Her dance studio doesn’t bring in enough money to pay for the house, plus Dahlia has so many allergies and medical issues that she has to be careful where she lives and what she eats. Iris, the second born, has spent her entire life being insanely jealous of Dahlia’s close relationship with Cissy. Spending the summer together should be interesting. Violet is common sense personified; and garage-sale junkie, Rose, the youngest, is the peacemaker.

The first thing the ladies discover when they arrive at Cissy’s house, Hilltop, is that someone has been there earlier and has cleaned up and made repairs to the house, landscaped, and fumigated. The second thing they discover is that not a whole lot has changed about the way they feel for each other. Sisters through and through, yet they each have their own little secrets. And Dahlia and Iris are still like oil and water when together. Each day as they work on sorting through Cissy’s things, they learn a little more about one another. But the mystery of who has been working on the house remains. And then they find two big surprises in the cellar!

LADIES OF THE LAKE is, simply put, a hoot! There are so many laugh-out-loud passages, and just lots of good fun. But there’s also the reality of growing older, dealing with sisterly squabbles, and decision-making when it comes to the future. The story is told by Dahlia, who prefers to procrastinate, ignore, or gloss over problems. And she really hates to fight with Iris, who takes every opportunity to remind Dahlia how she was singled out by Cissy for special treatment. How Dahlia and her sisters handle their summer together is a delightful story. There are plenty of surprises and also plenty of laughs, sort of the Ya Ya Sisterhood meets the twenty-first century. Don’t miss this reality tale that may touch a few nerves!

Jani Brooks