Book Review: Lake of Dreams

Book Review

Lake of Dreams - Kim Edwards

Rating: 3.5/5

Lately I've been taking some time out to read a couple of novels to gather inspiration and insight into the writing style of other established authors in attempts of refining my own for my debut novel, hence the reason for the lack of posting. The more I write, the more serious I am with my work and the more compelled I feel to make it an astounding piece of work.

In any event, Kim Edwards is best known for her phenomenal #1 New York Times best-seller, The Memory Keeper's Novel, a debut novel that I thoroughly enjoyed reading a few years ago. Lake of Dreams is Kim's second and latest effort--a story about a woman's--Lucy Jarrett's--homecoming and her journey there as she discovers family secret that changes the way she envisions her family, her surroundings along with the people around her, and her very own self; it leaves her with an adamant desire to seek out the truth once and for all because with this truth, Lucy feels she can finally bring her unstable life back on track. Amalgamated with this revelation is the conflicted emotional battle Lucy experiences between her present and past lover, the former currently away on work in another country and the latter, an unresolved flame that has yet to be burnt out completely.

Lake of Dreams highly draws upon and revokes the Suffrage Movement notably during the First World War--a movement by women in fighting for their right to vote in state elections. The overall diction of Kim's second piece is very detailed and refined, however, can prove difficult to understand at times; there are sections where the story feels a bit stretch and the vocabulary used might not be the easiest to read. Moreover, the story can be a bit hard to follow given the vast number of characters that are involved (which Kim was kind enough to add a genealogy tree at the end of her novel for those confused, like me). With that being said, the emotions and development in Kim's characters are raw and genuine. The personal conflicts each character faces reflects the commonplace ones we experience in our very own lives, which contributes a great deal to the relatability of this novel.

This review might be a bit biased given my indifference--or at times lack of interest-- to historical novels, but nevertheless, Lake of Dreams was a good read. I definitely learned a thing or two, but for me, The Memory Keeper's Daughter felt like a more compelling piece of work. I am still a fan and I look forward to what future novels Kim Edwards has in store for the mass population.

See you in the next post, everyone and as usual, many thanks for reading!