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33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good read, but leaves you wanting more!, October 26, 2001
16 Lighthouse Road is a unique compilation of stories about friends and acquaintances of Olivia Lockhart, Family Court judge, in the Pacific Northwest town of Cedar Cove, Washington. With her usual writing skill, Debbie Macomber takes chords of real life circumstances (divorce, a child's death, alcoholism, strained familial relationships, disappearing spouses, and military service separation) and entwines them with love, hope, and reconciliation. Unfortunately, all of them can't be fully developed in one 377 page paperback. Macomber paints wonderful and evocative word pictures of the Washington landscape and the personalities of her characters. The dialogue and honest interaction of the characters draws you immediately into the storylines and keeps you reading in spite of the fragmented structure of the book. Ian and Cecilia Randall, the young newlyweds struggling with the death of a child and separation because of his Navy career, appear in her courtroom. Jack Griffin, newly arrived editor of the Cedar Cove Chronicle, and love interest. Her busybody mother Charlotte Jefferson, who collects recipes at funeral wake. Tom Harding, stoke victim and mysterious new resident of Cedar Cove Convalescent Home, who gives a key to her mother. Grace Sherman, the best friend whose husband keeps disappearing; and Justine, her daughter, in a relationship with a man twenty years her senior. All endearing characters that capture your heart. Switches between the stories and her believable, engaging characters will keep you turning the pages to see how each saga ends, but you do long to spend more time with them. Or, perhaps re-visit with them in a sequel. After all, we never do learn what happened to Grace's husband!
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Satisfying Introduction to Macomber's Cedar Cove Series, September 11, 2006
16 LIGHTHOUSE ROAD satisfies the soap-opera lover in us with a charming little town peopled with problem-ridden residents. If I had not known ahead of time this was a continuing series, I would have been disappointed that so many storylines were left dangling at the end, but knowing there are more books, I am eagerly anticipating the rest of the series.
Judge Olivia Lockhart resides in the title address and we first meet her as she denies the divorce of Cecilia and Ian Randall. The young couple, obviously deeply in love, has not dealt with their grief over losing their infant daughter and has rushed headlong into divorce proceedings. The Judge herself is a divorcee who knows what it means to lose a child and still love your ex-husband. Meanwhile, the town's new newspaper editor, a man with a secret to hide, is hotly pursuing her.
The lustiest part of the story involves Olivia's daughter Justine who is dating a man old enough to be her father while having deeply sexual feelings for a high school friend she becomes reacquainted with while planning their tenth reunion.
Olivia's friend, Grace Sherman, plays a pivotal role in the book, as the deserted wife who endures grief and humiliation before deciding life on her own is really quite pleasant.
Olivia's mother, Charlotte Jefferson, provides many comedic moments as she attempts to track down the grandson of a stroke victim she befriends.
All together, an inviting look into a friendly town where problems are encountered and overcome with the help of good neighbors and good friends.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Read it straight through, December 31, 2001
I've been reading lots of romances lately. Some have been so awful that after 50 pages, they go to the used bookshop. So it is was pleasure to find one that was so readable and enjoyable. Of course, with Debbie at the keys, this is not surprising. While there is some fragmented areas, like the transition between characters, it didn't matter. I just could not stop. The little town of Cedar Cove is charming and the people are real people, doing things that most of us do each day. Work, workout with a friend, shop and run to the cleaners. And none of us live in a fairy tale world. These women don't either. However, Jack's friend Bob does seem to have the one stable marriage in the book. And at least Olivia and Stan have a civil relationship. The approach to the solution for Cecilia's and Ian's marriage allows for much growth in their maturity level. Actually we see alot of growth in the book. The grandson of Tom Harding overcoming his reluctance to take his grandfather's mementos, Grace developing some independence and Justine, looking past the glitter of a superficial relationship and finding true love in someone crystal clear and wholesome. I think that some loose ends were left at the end intentionally and that in the next book ( which is hinted at), we will probably find out what happened to Grace's husband and see Jack and Olivia weather some ups and downs. Of course, I am just guessing, but that is what I would like to see. This one is a keeper and I will read it again.
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