Customer Reviews

Accidental Woman

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The townsfolk of Lake Henry, New Hampshire consider Heather Malone as one of their own even though she only lived in the small New England town for fourteen years. Heather lives with Micah Smith and his two girls. They are a very happy family unit until the FBI arrests Heather. They believe she is Lisa Matlock, who killed a United States Senator's son fifteen years ago in California and then mysteriously vanished.

Griffin Hughes, a journalist, feels terrible because it was his conversation with his FBI brother that led to Heather's arrest. He travels to Lake Henry to work on his current assignment and see if he can use his contacts to help Heather and to romance Poppy, a paraplegic who fears that he is confusing pity with love. Griffin is determined that he will prove his love to Poppy no matter how long it takes.

Barbara Delinsky never fails to please her myriad fans and her latest mainstream work is no exception. AN ACCIDENTAL WOMAN stars a heroine who is impossible not to like and she's determined to be independent though she's wheelchair bound. The rather unusual courtship of Griffin and Poppy is realistic and charming. This novel will send Ms. Delinsky back to the New York Times bestseller lists.

Harriet Klausner

I have to admit that AN ACCIDENTAL WOMAN is my first Delinsky book, but it will not be my last.

This wonderfully woven story about a tightly knit community thrown into turmoil over the discover that one of their 'adopted' own is a fugitive is everything a good book should be.

Delinsky takes you into the heart and soul of her characters and she creates them with enough human frailty as to make them believable.

Lake Henry, New Hampshire, and its citizens are honest, hard working and take care of their own. When federal agents show up at the home of Heather Malone and accuse her of being a woman named Lisa who killed the son of a very powerful politician, Lake Henryites are shocked.

And no one more is more surprised than Poppy Blake, Heather's best friend. Confined to a wheelchair for 12 years since a snowmobiling accident, Poppy is determined to live a normal and independent life. She has her circle of friends and her life is organized and orderly, until Heather's arrest.

Enter Griffin Hughes, the investigative reporter with more than a passing interest in Poppy and his own issues. He's there to help Heather, but he's also intrigued by Poppy. He met her when he was in Lake Henry to do a story on Poppy's sister and cannot get Poppy and her independent self out of his mind.

Delinsky weaves the Poppy/Griffin love story with the Heather/Lisa mystery with great ease. I felt as though I had been to Lake Henry, seen the snow, experienced the wind and lived through the thrill of a sap run.

This is not just a 'beach book.' You'll be thinking about Poppy/Griffin/Heather and the wonderful people of Lake Henry long after summer has gone!

Enjoy!!!

In the middle of the night, the FBI appear at Heather Malone's home with an arrest warrant claiming she is actually a woman named Lisa Matlock. Lisa Matlock is wanted for a 15 year old murder.

The town of Lake Henry is shocked. Nice, gentle Heather could not possibly be this woman that they are talking about. But as people begin to question the assertions of the FBI, they also begin to question themselves. Nobody really knows much about Heather's life before she appeared in Lake Henry 14 years ago. Not Micah, the man that she's been living with for the past several years and with whom she's made a life and built a business. Not Poppy, the woman who counts herself as Heather's best friend.

...

This book is actually two stories in one. The main story is really Poppy & Griffin's love story. The seconday story is Heather's plight. As much as I liked this book (and I really did enjoy reading it) I only gave it three stars for several reasons:

1) Poppy and Griffin's story is a welcome continuation of what was begun in Delinsky's earlier story set in Lake Henry, "Lake News." As such it is gratifying to catch up with Poppy again and see that she gets her guy. But, as nice as it is to see these two get together, their story wasn't as compelling as Heather's story. And because it wasn't as compelling, I became a little impatient at their passages because I couldn't wait to get back and see what new revelations there were about Heather.

2) For all that Heather was a major catalyst to the story, that is all that she remained. She had no voice in this book. She was, for all intents and purposes, mute. She refused to talk about her past, and even when she did finally give Poppy a crumb, it was just three words and she mouthed it silently. I am sure that that was a conscious decision on Delinksy's part to keep Heather silent, so that we learned about her from other people. This worked really well for Delinsky in "Coast Road" where her heroine is in a coma and her family reflects on her life so that the only way the reader sees this pivotal character is through other characters eyes. Although I liked that technique in "Coast Road" I didn't like it so much here. I wanted the hear Heather.

3) Call me a sucker for the Hollywood ending, but I wanted more closure. Heather's story was such a good one with a boffo surprise and a great ending. But that was it. It ended. I wanted follow-up, I wanted closure. I still have questions about what happened after she reunited with Micah and the girls.

I love Barbara Delinsky. She is really one of the best writers of contemporary, character driven fiction out there. And she's at her best when she's looking at the effect one person has on a whole community, as she did in "The Passions of Chelsea Kane." This was book was a goody stroy. I think it would have been a great book if the Heather story had been the main focus and the Poppy story had been the secondary.

I was disheartened to read some of the reviews from this book. However, this doesn't take away anything away from my thinking. I loved this book from beginning to end. The ONLY thing that frustrated me is calling Lisa Heather after the fact. I loved this small town and all it's inhabitants and people sometimes really aren't what or who they seem to be. I haven't read any of Delinsky's other books, but won't hesitate to pick one up now!

Step into the peaceful valley of Lake Henry. Be blown away by the
trials and tribulations that it holds...

Poppy Blake's closest friend, Heather Malone, has been arrested. It is up to Poppy to step in and take charge and to provide the support that Heather's family needs. Although confined to a wheelchair as a result of a snowmobile accident, Poppy refuses to let life's hardships stand in her way. Poppy's strength and courage is the foundation that bonds the family together. How will she feel when she learns that the person who has betrayed her best friend is the same person that she has developed feelings for?

Secrets have a way of unrevealing, just when you least expect it. . .

Writer Griffin Hughes first met Poppy while doing a news story
involving her older sister. He immediately was attracted to the
fiercely independent determination that Poppy displayed. How will he ever be able to tell her that, by a slip of a tongue, he is
responsible for his closet friend incarnation?

From the moment you turn and read the first page in Barbara
Delinksy's AN ACCIDENTAL WOMAN, you quickly see that you are
experiencing one of the most touching and thought provoking novels in 2002. Always when I select a Barbara Delinsky novel, I
mmediately know that I am in for a very rewarding experience. By
reading this book, there is no way you can not back up and read
Heather's prior story. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED . . .

This was also my first read by Barbara Delinsky. After finishing it, I will be reading others!

At the crack of dawn, Micah Smith is awakened by the sound of cars driving up to his home. The FBI has come to arrest Heather Malone, the woman he has lived with for the past four years, and the only mother his two daughters can recall. The FBI says she is really Lisa Matlock, and that she killed the son of a powerful family in California.

Arrested on charges of flight to avoid prosecution, and for a murder that allegedly took place in California 14 years earlier, the reaction of the people of Lake Henry is total disbelief. But, as they start to talk to one another, they begin to realize they know nothing of Heather's life before she came to Lake Henry.

Poppy Blake is Heather's best friend. Confined to a wheelchair after a snowmobile accident, she lives with the guilt and blame of believing she caused a friend's death. When Griffin Hughes comes to Lake Henry, she is slow to warm to him, even with his generous overtures toward her, and his obvious attraction for her.

Griffin unknowingly tipped the FBI on to Heather's whereabouts, and he comes to Lake Henry to try to make amends. Using his network of contacts, he works to help Heather's lawyer contact people who were involved in the incident those 14 years ago.

This is a delicious read, with the story taking place in February, at the height of sugaring season. Well worth the time, I will definitely be reading more by Barbara Delinsky in the future!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It had all the elements of what a good story should have. A great setting, thought out plot and great characters. Characters that I really cared about and felt for.

Sometimes when you read a book you're just......there, with them. This was one of those books for me. I was in Lake Henry with Poppy and Micah. I felt the heartache that Micah and the girls were feeling. The warmth and tightness of a small town that really pulls together during tough times and I fell in love with Griffin.

This is my only my third Barbara Delinsky novel and after each one I say "This is my new favorite book." She really has a way of making you feel that you really know the people she writes about and care for their fate.

Peaceful Lake Henry is disrupted again when a local woman is arrested on a fugitive warrant - charged with being a woman who fled from a crime scene in California 15 years earlier. It had become a cold case, but now it is active again.

There are two main intertwined plots, one being the case of the woman charged, Heather Malone who has lived in Lake Henry for the past 14 years, and the other being a renewed relationship between Griffin Hughes and Poppy Blake while Griffin uses his resources to get to the truth of Heather Malone's case.

When you stir a pot, a lot of things come to the surface, and many details are revealed about various people's pasts. Most people have things buried, and sometimes it is better to bring them out into the light and move on with life. There are a number of sub-plots including Polly's past accident, Griffin's missing sister, and a past relationshiip of Polly's mother.

Along the way you learn a lot about making maple syrup from the sap of maple trees. It is apparent why the genuine product is relatively expensive. The early season light syrup is even more expensive, and is hard to find, but you can probably find a source using a Web search.

I just finished this book and absolutely loved it. This is the first that I have read by this author and it has convinced me to look for more that she has written. She combined mystery with romance in a great storyline. I couldn't put it down! Highly recommended:)

Barbara Delinsky weaves a delightful story of love, friendship, handicaps, determination, endurance, hard work, reconcilations, worry, anxiety, bliss, and community! Wow - sounds like real life and it is!! Lake Henry and its residents are revisited from her novel Lake News with Poppy, Micah and Heather, Missy, Star, Victoria (a newcomer),Griffin and a host of other supporting characters. Their complacent lives are catapulted into disbelief with Heather's arrest.

Throughout the time frame the reader sees how the lives of the Lake Henry residents are intertwined, and how Griffin's return sets into motion the whole town's reaction to an "outsider" and Princeton (where I work) guy to boot, and his determination to "fit in" and make amends no matter how many obstacles he faces. Poppy, too, has to come to grips with her inner demons, self-doubt and pride before letting herself be loved by one fabulous guy!

The process of making maple syrup was an education in itself and something I assume an average person would know little about. Found it fascinating though it was not the focal point of the story. Micah's livelihood depended on the sugarbush and making maple syrup- a truly intricate and weather dependent process.

There are 4 love stories - Micah and Heather who have lived together with Missy and Star for years following the death of Micah's first wife; Griffin and Poppy - unconditional love personified; Victoria and Poppy; and the love shared by the townsfolk for each other. The story exudes love at many different levels. A very wholesome, healthy atmosphere.

In today's frenetic and uncertain world, it would be wonderful to travel to Lake Henry to enjoy the everyday occurances - sunrises, sunsets, lake views, loons, winter ice festivals, blizzards, ice storms, town chatter, evening socials and dinners handled as a matter of routine in a no frills down-to-earth way.

Cannot wait for #3 in the series. Barbara, keep writing - this was a great read - relaxing, educational, and lovingly written. I didn't want it to end. Has Lifetime picked up the rights?

Thanks Barbara!