Customer Reviews

Ladies of the Lake

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

With the death of the family matriarch Cissy, her granddaughters (Dahlia, Rose, Violet and Iris) must follow her stipulation in her will to inherit. The late former dancer demands the four sisters move from their respective Atlanta homes to her lakefront estate in the Georgia Mountains for 90 days.

The siblings agree on cleaning up the hazardous to your health house so that in three months they place it on the market to sell. They fail to comprehend that their late grandma wanted one last connection to her beloved ones even if that is from the grave. Cissy hoped they would understand how she lived her life and how she wants them to do likewise.

From the Hazmat cleaning debate to the sibling squabbles to the legal legacy, LADIES OF THE LAKE is an amusing poignant sisters' drama that reminds readers of the importance of making quality and quantity time for loved ones. The four sisters, their late grandma and a catalyst hunk come across as full blooded especially the siblings when they mix war and love with each other. Although a romance with the key male outsider never quite gels, Haywood Smith leaves the red hats safely stored for another day as she provides a jocular yet profound family drama.

Harriet Klausner

I enjoyed the book. I actually could not put it down. As one of four sisters, it brought back a lot of memories. I wish there had been more of a discussion on the relationship between Cissy and her mother.

I laughed till my sides hurt. I cried as well. What a wonderful book about Southern sisters. Living in Atlanta I was familiar with some of the locations. These women were wonderful. If you have sisters you will appreciate this book. If you live in the South you will appreciate it even more.

My Book Group selected LADIES OF THE LAKE by Heywood Smith and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Some of the characters might be a little too good or a little too bad, but after all, it is fiction. Sometimes it is fun to escape the realities of life and travel into a world that the good person is successful in the end. It is funny, sad..just delightful. As one of three sisters, I saw familiar personality traits. It was just a great book to be able to read quickly and truly enjoy.

I highly recommend this book to all Southern Ladies and sisters. It captures both the Atlanta southern atmosphere and the bond that sisters have forever. Whether you are sisters that get along or not please read this book. I could hardly wait to get to the next page. I laughed till my sides hurt and cried at how the story touched me. I am sending it to MY sisters to enjoy as well.

I must say that i am not all the way through this book yet but want to keep it going for as long as i can. I have enjoyed this book and would like to read more of her books. I live out in the country and do not have access to a lot of books so if any of you have books you want to pass along, please send them my way. I would like to get the rest of her books if they are anything like this one. This would make a great movie. It brings back old times and i even called my sister and told her how i wish we could spend 90 day's together at a lake front property. How fun would we all have if we were made to spend time with our own families. This book should give you all the incentive to do so. Kudos to Haywood Smith for bringing families closer together.

There will, no doubt, be many reviews written regarding Ms Smith's writing style, storyline, characters, etc. in Ladies of the Lake. This review, however, focuses primarily on the recorded version:
Narrator Cynthia Darlow quite simply IS the voice of Dahlia - of the South for that matter. The book was wonderful - kudos Haywood, you do not disappoint; what a ride! - but Ms Darlow deserves enormous credit for bringing your book to life! Hers was the voice I heard in my head when I read it for myself. Brilliant - just brilliant!

Smith has done it again. I ordered this through Amazon for my Kindle and loved reading it!! These sisters remind me of people I know. It is fun and exciting to follow their conflicts, comedies, and adventures in this story. I highly recommend it to anyone who appreciates Red Hat type characters.

I was laughing out loud by the fourth page! Only a true southerner can come up with these expressions. Her characters are introduced and described in such a way I can really envision them. Light hearted, hilarious, contemplative.... It has everything.

Great book I loved it :) Was my one of my favorites by Haywood Smith. Has a ton of twists and turns throughout the book. I first read the Red Hat Club Books and this was as good if not better than those two. Very easy to read and follow.