Lake News [Large Print] [Paperback]

Barbara Delinsky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2000

After an unscrupulous reporter falsely accuses Boston lounge singer Lily Blake of having an affair with a newly appointed Cardinal, she’s hounded by the press, fired from her job, and robbed of all her public freedom. The humiliation and violation of privacy leaves her no choice but to retreat to her rural hometown of Lake Henry, New Hampshire. In search of refuge, Lily forms an uneasy alliance with John Kipling, a former Boston reporter with trust issues of his own. Now editing Lake Henry’s local newspaper, John cannot ignore Lily’s appeal or her plight—even at the risk of taking on his former colleagues. Rewarding and unforgettable, a stirring novel of hope and redemption, Lake News offers an intimate look at the complex relationship between an enigmatic man and a vulnerable but spirited woman, both struggling to find a new sense of community in a place they once called home.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Both Lily Blake and John Kipling grew up in Lake Henry, New Hampshire, and both left after high school to pursue their dreams--singing for Lily and writing for John. Now the two have returned separately to seek shelter in the small lakeside town due to the disastrous results of paparazzi fever--Lily as a victim, John as a member of the press responsible for a tragedy.

Falsely accused and hounded by the press, her privacy violated and destroyed, Lily finds refuge in a cottage on the lake, while her sister and the other residents of Lake Henry close ranks, refusing to discuss her with the media hordes that soon come knocking. But Lily can't avoid John, who also lives on the lake and at first sees Lily's story as prime fodder for the novel that can break him into publishing. But soon the vulnerable, besieged woman elicits far different emotions from him, and John becomes fiercely committed to helping Lily find justice.

Layered with complicated family relationships and richly textured with the sights, sounds, and colorful characters of a small town, Barbara Delinsky's Lake News will satisfy longtime fans as well as those anxious to read a timely and thought-provoking tale from one of the genre's top authors. --Lois Faye Dyer --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

The deserved popularity of Delinsky's novels resides in her ability to create appealing, believable characters who don't need to drop names and fashion labels to earn the reader's attention. Cabaret singer, pianist and music appreciation teacher Lily Blake, 34, finds pleasure in singing, since it's the only time she's free of the stutter that's plagued her all her life. She also finds comfort in her friendship with Archbishop, now Cardinal, Francis Rossetti. Whether they're performing together at archdiocese events or the exclusive Essex Club in Boston, Lily knows she can depend on the priest for understanding and comfort. But when a malicious reporter fabricates a story that Lily and the Cardinal have an illicit sexual relationship, Lily sees her name dragged through the mud. Suspended by the school where she teaches and told by the Essex Club not to return to work, a besieged Lily retreats to her small New Hampshire hometown of Lake Henry. There she holes up in the cabin her grandmother left to her, and confronts her estranged relationship with her widowed mother, Maida. Lily finds an unexpected ally in 40ish John Kipling, once a ruthless big-city journalist himself but now editor of small-time Lake Henry's newspaper. He is equally outraged at the lies that invade Lily's privacy, and together they fight for justice. Delinsky (Coast Road) plots this satisfying, gentle romance with the sure hand of an expert, scattering shady pasts and dark secrets among some of her characters, while giving others destructive family patterns and difficult family dynamics to contend with. Nature, and how it colors small town living, is described in clean, unembellished prose that only occasionally lapses into an awkward attempt at rural New Hampshire dialect. Agent, Amy Berkower. Doubleday Book Club main selection; Literary Guild Super Release; Reader's Digest Condensed Books; Simon & Schuster Audio. (July)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 584 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press (September 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0783886608
• ISBN-13: 978-0783886602
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (79 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,626,925 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Barbara Delinsky, author of ESCAPE (2011), NOT MY DAUGHTER (2010), WHILE MY SISTER SLEEPS (2009), THE SECRET BETWEEN US (2008), and FAMILY TREE (2007), has written more than twenty bestselling novels with over thirty million copies in print. She has been published in twenty languages worldwide. Barbara's fiction centers upon everyday families facing not-so-everyday challenges. She is particularly drawn to exploring themes of motherhood, marriage, sibling rivalry, and friendship in her novels.

A lifelong New Englander, Barbara earned a B.A. in Psychology at Tufts University and an M.A. in Sociology at Boston College. As a breast cancer survivor who lost her mother to the disease when she was only eight, Barbara compiled the non-fiction book Uplift: Secrets From the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors, a handbook of practical tips and upbeat anecdotes. She donates her proceeds from the sale of this book to her charitable foundation, which funds an ongoing research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Barbara enjoys knitting, photography, and cats. She also loves to interact with her readers through her website at www.barbaradelinsky.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bdelinsky, and on Twitter as @BarbaraDelinsky.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful story - very timely, October 25, 2000

By 

Maudeen Wachsmith "BeachReader" (Port Townsend, WA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lake News (Mass Market Paperback)

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)

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars LAKE HENRY - A GREAT PLACE TO VISIT-- A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE, June 18, 2000

By 

Nancy Martin (Pennsylvania (orig. NY)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: LAKE NEWS : A Novel (Hardcover)

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.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Warm, touching story, September 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: LAKE NEWS : A Novel (Hardcover)

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.