Ladies of the Lake

By Cathy Gohlke

Dakota County Library paperback 352 pages plus author’s note, acknowledgements, and discussion questions

Published: 2023

Genre: Christian historical fiction

 

I hope I remember details when our book club meets in a week and a half! There are things I loved about this book and things that bugged me. I learned about the Halifax explosion of 1917. In fact, I looked it up before I was even halfway through the book. I’d never heard of it before!

 

Young Adelaide Macneill becomes an orphan when her parents don’t return one night, lost in a storm at sea. Her much older brother removes her from PEI and sends her to a girls boarding school in Connecticut. She becomes friends with three other girls and the “Ladies of the Lake” pledge to be eternal friends.

 

There will be spoilers, so stop here if you've not yet read the book!

 

Pg 4: “Not my concern after looking after the both of you all these years? You’ve gotten to be like that Miss Haversham woman in that Dickens book you’ve been reading aloud. You'll keep on till you die like - - "

"Portia, please. And it's Havisham."

 

I love the reference to Dickens and the correction of the character name! Portia and "Rosaline" (Aka Addie) have a unique connection and a long history.

Pg. 13: "Dear God and Father of us all, we come to You tonight heartbroken, grieving the sudden and terrible loss of Adelaide's beloved mother and father. We grieve for the loss of their strong arms about her, for the loss of the home she dearly loved - the home where she was born, felt safe, and had expected to grow to womanhood."

Mrs. Simmons is the woman I want to be - attentive, sensitive, kind, and willing to pray with someone who clearly needs prayer. The prayer goes on and was such a great counterbalance to young Addie's brother's coldness and her grief.

Pg. 57: "The gulp in Bernadette's throat was visible. She looked at the headmistress, set her mouth in a firm line, and looked away. 'I've been better, but it costs more.'"

We've traveled from 1910 and Addie to 1935 and her daughter Bernadette. The headmistress at Lakeside Ladies Academy is now Dorothy Meyer (aka "Dot," one of the Ladies of the Lake). When Bernadette utters those words, Dot is immediately reminded of her dear friend Addie (who theoretically died in 1917 . . . ). There were so many hints and clues . . . and it seemed pretty apparent to this reader where the story was going.

Pg. 63: "I'd never tasted alcohol, but I was certain those racings of brain and pulse signified intoxication."

Ah, young love! Just being near Stephen makes Addie feel intoxicated. Sigh, swoon.

Pg. 185: "Miracles are Your department, aren't they, Lord? Dorothy wondered if that was sacrilege, to beg God when she needed Him and ignore Him when things were fine. But things aren't fine, Lord! They've never been fine, not for a long time."

I love that God's grace is bigger than our sin! But it does frustrate me when people only cry out to God when they want something from Him. Ignoring God when "things are fine" is such a huge mistake.

Pg. 274: "And how can I hope to be forgiven if I don't forgive? Each day I pray the Lord's Prayer - 'Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.' Dear God, forgiveness depends on both of us; I know this. We're in this hole together and together we can climb out. That's where freedom is born, isn't it?"

 

I love how Addie / Rosaline, Dot, Ruth, and Susannah all had such distinct personalities and strengths. I love how Addie grows throughout this story. Her ability to recognize the need for forgiveness is powerful.

 

Pg. 284: "Stephen is no longer that young man any more than I am that young woman. Who is he now? Who am I without the shield of memory I've built to protect myself? Lord, you've built an identity in me while I've stood unaware, grieving a broken monument. The wonder overwhelmed me."

 

Sometimes we forget that others' lives have moved, as ours have moved. Memory can be powerful and positive, but it can also be deceptive.

Pg. 309: "I'd vowed to the Lord yesterday that I wouldn't waste one more moment of my life in fears and regret, but carrying that out was harder than I'd imagined."

Amen, sister. Good intentions, even vows to God, doesn't equal a clear path to follow in words and actions.

Pg. 315: "I don't want to lose another minute of our friendship, girls. The truth is, children grow up and move on with their lives. Husbands become busy with their work and who knows what. But women need friends, read, true friends, and we're the best we've got."

I don't remember which character said this! (I've already returned the book to the library and I'm just using screenshots of pages for the quotations.) It's one of my favorite lines from the book.

Pg. 325: The big reveal - that Dot had married Jonas Meyer and not Stephen Meyer kind of ticked me off. It was so strongly implied that she had betrayed Addie because she was pining for Stephen . . . Ugh. The wasted time and lives . . . All's well that ends well, I suppose. But that part kind of bugged me.

The whole drama about Addie being Bernadette's mom (vs. aunt) and going to the graduation were also mixed with the board treasurer embezzling money and the school's danger of closing. It was a wonderful book to read! Oh, and the Meyer family were of German descent and faced persecution during the war. The girls taunting men with the white feather . . . there were so many details. The author's note was quite good, too.