Customer Reviews

LAKE NEWS. [HARDCOVER] BY BARBARA DELINSKY

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I've never read a book by Barbara Delinsky I haven't enjoyed. So why did it take me nearly two years from the time I bought LAKE NEWS to read it? I'm not sure, but I am sorry I didn't read it sooner. This is a fabulous story and very timely.

Lily Blake has had a longterm friendship with Father Francis Rosetti. When he is elevated to Cardinal, an unscrupulous newspaper reporter, in his attempt to dig up some dirt, accuses Lily and Father Rosetti of having an affair. This results in a media frenzy, Lily losing her jobs (music teacher and a singer/piano player at a private club) and having to flee her Boston home.

Unable to afford an attorney to help clear her name, she seeks refuge in her hometown of Lake Henry, New Hampshire. Although she hides out at first, Lake Henry takes care of their own. Befriending her is John Kipling, the editor of the local newspaper, THE LAKE NEWS.

John has always wanted to write a book and with the news of Lily's alleged affair he feels he has the perfect subject. When he discovers her pleas of innocence, he decides the theme of her story can be the misuse of power by the press and paparazzi (which at one point in the story are called "princess murderers). But as he gets to know Lily and begins to fall in love with her, it's clear that his goals have to be something a bit different. He attempts to exonerate Lily by discovering what made the reporter want to exact revenge on Lily and/or Father Fran in the first place.

This is a compelling read, absolutely unputdownable. I was up until nearly 3 AM in the morning finishing it. Delinsky is a wonderful writer and storyteller! Both John and Lily have issues with their parents to deal with in an attempt to get to know themselves better. There's a wonderful little secondary romance between Lily's younger sister and a writer who is also attempting to write a book on the brouhaha. I also loved the way Lily dealt with her 10-year-old niece, Hannah, an awkward child who just needs some extra TLC.

And how, do you ask, do you follow-up such a wonderful read? By reading another Barbara Delinsky book, of course! I'm off to grab THE VINEYARD off my TBR pile!

Maudeen Wachsmith, Charter Member Reviewers International Organization (RIO)

This is only the second book I've read by Barbara Delinsky, the first being Three Wishes, and I definitely enjoyed this one more than the other. The setting is a beautiful town in New Hampshire called Lake Henry, where the residents are very protective of their own. Lily Blake was born in Lake Henry but left to pursue some career dreams. She has a wonderful life in Boston as a teacher and a part-time job in an exclusive private dinner club playing the piano and singing. She also has a close friend, Fran Rosetti, who has just been elevated to Cardinal in the Catholic church. Of course, now that Lily's life is almost perfect, something has to come around to destroy it. That something is Terry Sullivan, a journalist, who prints a damaging story of the relationship between Lily and the new Cardinal. The story is untrue but the damage has been done and Lily returns in shame to her hometown.

The good news is that Lily finds strength and support from her former neighbors. She also rekindles a friendship with John Kipling, who has also returned home to Lake Henry and is now the editor of the local newspaper. Together, they forge a bond and find out that there is strength in numbers. Was this another Thorn Birds? Definitely not....just a good, well-written, enjoyable book.

This was my first book I've read by Barbara Delinsky and I kept wondering why I haven't read her before. She's great!

Lily Blake's life is shattered when an ambitious newspaperman spreads lies about her having an affair with a newly appointed Cardinal. Her life is immediately turned upside down by reporters, lies, and talk shows. In disgrace, she goes back home to Lake Henry, NH, a place that doesn't hold fond memories.

Lily must face the past and patch things up with her mother. She meets John Kipling, the local newsman and publisher of Lake News. Initially hesitant, Lily finally warms up to John and the two face the allegations together.

Barbara Delinsky has written a warm and touching story that readers will always remember, and more importantly, try to get their hands on all of Ms. Delinsky's previous and future novels.

I normally read heavy fiction, such as paleo-Indian stories by the Gears, or hard core sci-fi. I needed a book for an upcoming surgery and I chose Lake News only because it was one of the few books that did not appear to be one of those menial, trashy, poorly written, poorly plotted, highly predictable, Fabio covered romance rags. Hehehe.

Well! I was so engrossed in the amazing depth of the characters, the scenery, the sociology, and the politics, I hadn't even realized until the end it was a romance novel! I LOVED it! I have been bumming that it is over. I regretted coming back to reality. If there are any towns like this New England town, I envy those fortunate enough to be there. Just ordered 8 more of Delinskys' books! Awesome writting. Convincing, intriguing and warm. BUY IT!

Lake News by Barbara Delinsky

Lounge singer Lily Blake is falsely accused of having an affair with a high-ranking Catholic Church official in Barbara Delinsky's LAKE NEWS, a novel that shows how the news media can easily destroy someone's reputation and life forever.

Lily Blake was living the life she had always dreamed of, a simple life in the middle of Boston, away from a family that did not always respect the choices that she had made in her past. Her close friendship with the newly appointed Cardinal Rossetti is misconstrued as something more, and the front page news headlines drives Lily back to the hometown of her childhood, Lake Henry, New Hampshire.

Starting her life over again is not easy, but Lily has no other choice. Her life in Boston is over. Until this huge news story blows over, she could not return to Boston. She is asked to resign from her teaching job and is also told that she has been replaced at her lounge gig.

Upon her return to Lake Henry, Lily meets John Kipling, a newspaper editor of the local newspaper who also happened to work for the local Boston paper at one time in his life. Tired of the games large newspapers play, and having been badly burnt by the same man that betrayed Lily in the Boston papers, he returned home to Lake Henry to deal with a simpler type of news writing. The quiet life along the lake and the small-town news stories that he edits is a good change for John.

As Lily and John slowly get to know each other, the reader learns about their painful family histories and the loved ones that caused them such unhappiness. To everyone's surprise, Lily takes an interest in the family apple business and hides out amongst the apple presses as the media slowly loses interest in her story. And John tries to connect with his elderly father, and man that never seemed to approve of anything John did.

However, John is torn about his latest book project: he's writing a book based on Lily's experience with the press and he's falling in love with her. Will this compromise their relationship if he went ahead with the book?

LAKE NEWS was a very enjoyable book for me. It was far more complex that I had imagined it to be, with the story line of the news frenzy behind Lily Blake's relationship with the Cardinal, to the complex family dynamics that go on between her family. And the story line concerning John and his bitter father ended with a complete surprise for me. LAKE NEWS was my first Barbara Delinsky book and will definitely not be my last. Highly recommended.

LAKE NEWS is one of those rare books that is able to engage you in the story on a few different levels at once. On one level, I was interested in Lily, in Lily and her family, in Lily and John, in John, and in John and his family. On another level, the story brought to light the media's dark side, and the issue of privacy, or rather, the lack thereof these days. And Delinsky's descriptions of Lake Henry, on another level, brought the New Hampshire area into my living room each night as I read. A story whose setting, characters, and plot all work together and keep me involved is one I will read again and again.

I took a chance on this book in an airport gift shop & it was like finding the hidden treasure! I knew nothing about this author, had heard nothing about the book. In fact, I had two other books in my hand - both by authors I routinely read - but elected to try the "new" one!

It was a chance well worth taking! I just simply loved this book - the characters, the storyline(s), the interaction between the characters, & the little town.

In recommending this book to my best friend, I told her, "It's about REAL people - complete with REAL problems, joys, fears, goals, faults, etc." Cindy said, "And, you mean this is a good thing?" But, she took my advice, read the book & immediately went to her used book store & bought every other Delinsky title she could find!

She & I have subsequently read several more Delinsky books & have loved them one & all. Delinsky writes with a poignant realism that makes you fall in love with her characters. The reader actually becomes a part of the book! I could easily see myself on the main street of the town, visiting with the people as they came out of the post office.

Highest recommendations!!

From the first page, I could not put this book down. The characters are endearing and so human in their misunderstandings and miscommunications. The current topic of total invasion of privacy along with the instant assumption of guilt by the media/press is so relevant today. Delinsky captured the essence of this issue while allowing the reader an inside view of how it really feels when you are the person being written about by the press. The serenity of the setting is also a welcome basis for the story, as it is a balm to the current frenetic pace to everyday living in the 90's. The characters are so real, I found myself thinking about them when I was driving to work, etc. and I dreaded coming to the end of this book.

Now, a week after I've finished this book, I am still thinking about the special characters in this book. And I find myself reviewing the whole issue of the way today's media produces the "news" and how what we read in the daily papers around the country may very often not be fact, as the press makes it appear. This is a serious morality issue facing all of us in the 90's.

Not only was this book a great read..."can't put it down" type, but I feel changed as a person, for the better, from having read this book. Thank you Amazon.com for offering this book to us. It is truly the very best summer read....and thank you Barbara Delinsky for writing such a warm, contemporary, and exciting story! Five stars all the way !!!

When I found this book in a bargain bin at a bookstore, I was immediately drawn to two things about it: 1.) it was set in my home state (NH) and 2.) it was about a music teacher. Once I picked it up, I could not put it down. I loved it. Barbara Delinsky writes expertly about characters who find themselves in unjust situations, and this book is no different. I also love the sequel (A Betrayed Woman).

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to read stories about women, nature, and protagonists in unjust situations.

The opening pages describing the loon on the lake took my breath away. That was only the beginning of a lovely day reading the rest of Lake News.

I loved the characters, I felt that they were well drawn and likeable. This is a great book for a summer beach read. I highly recommend it to both men and women.