Helpful Score: 15
Predictable mystery by an author who desperately needs an editor.
Helpful Score: 10
The Lake of Dead Languages is a fluffy, thriller that weaves the present and the past in a way that tells two stories simultaneously, but still manages to make the reader feel like it is one, comprehensive tale. The main character, Jane Hudson is a Latin teacher at a private school, Heart Lake School for Girls, who is struggling to deal with suicide of three of her friends, which happened while she was a student at the same school more than 20 years earlier. When the events that happened while she was a student begin repeating themselves, Jane cant help but get wrapped up in trying to solve the mystery that surrounds the past and the present. The book is about Jane trying to discover what really happened 20 years ago, as well as protect herself, her students, and her daughter from becoming victim to the same terrifying end as her childhood friends.
Carol Goodwin does a good job of switching between the two time periods, particularly when it involves Jane reflecting upon what she wrote in the diary she kept while a student at Heart Lake. The novel itself is well-written, so it is easy for the reader to stay engaged.
There are, however, two main problems with the novelthe length and the ending. The story begins to move slowly and become repetitive, and it is not difficult to determine that there is more going on at the school than just suicides, but it is not until page 356 that Goodwin actually reveals what the reader likely already knows. To make matters worse, the final 30 pages after the revelation focus on neatly tying the story up into a pretty package. The last chapter, in particular, feels forced, rushed, and out of place.
Overall, the book is an easy, enjoyable read, but not terribly suspenseful. If youre looking for something to entertain you, you could do worse, but at the same time, its not a novel that you need to rush out and get.
Carol Goodwin does a good job of switching between the two time periods, particularly when it involves Jane reflecting upon what she wrote in the diary she kept while a student at Heart Lake. The novel itself is well-written, so it is easy for the reader to stay engaged.
There are, however, two main problems with the novelthe length and the ending. The story begins to move slowly and become repetitive, and it is not difficult to determine that there is more going on at the school than just suicides, but it is not until page 356 that Goodwin actually reveals what the reader likely already knows. To make matters worse, the final 30 pages after the revelation focus on neatly tying the story up into a pretty package. The last chapter, in particular, feels forced, rushed, and out of place.
Overall, the book is an easy, enjoyable read, but not terribly suspenseful. If youre looking for something to entertain you, you could do worse, but at the same time, its not a novel that you need to rush out and get.
Helpful Score: 7
This book was loaded with mystery. It was a bit wordy and could have been shortened a little. It wasnt bad though.
Helpful Score: 4
I enjoyed this book..However I felt the beginning of the book was slow and hard to get into for me. I felt like it was being drawn out with alot of filler to take up page space. Once the mysteries start coming to light and drawing together however the books seems to flow at a much better pace. I'd recommend this book to people who want something a little different than the average thriller. I will try other books by this author.
Helpful Score: 4
This is the first I've read by this author and I definitely enjoyed it. It is primarily a plot driven book but does intimately explore and expand the characters, even though I wouldn't say they show enough growth to give anything but a nod to character development. It had very interesting flashback perspectives to events of twenty years before. I became impatient toward the end when the main character kept overlooking increasingly obvious conclusions about the villain. The author switched occasionally between first and third person, sometimes effectively and sometimes awkwardly. All in all, a solid read in which I found myself quite immersed.
