The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Twenty years ago, Jane Hudson left the Heart Lake School for Girls in the Adirondacks after a terrible tragedy. Now she has returned to the placid, isolated shores of the lakeside school as a Latin teacher, recently separated and hoping to make a fresh start with her young daughter. But ominous messages from the past dredge up forgotten memories that will become a living nightmare."

My Thoughts:

The Lake of Dead Languages was one of those books that pulled me into its' pages and left me thinking about it for days after.  After enjoying Arcadia Falls by this author a few years back, I had been meaning to read more by this author.  I'm so glad that I finally did as this book was even better than Arcadia Falls in my opinion.  Although I admit that after glancing over my review of the previous book, I'm surprised at the similar type of storylines/settings of these books.  Are all of Goodman's books set in private schools?  Or did I just manage to read the two that are?  Hmmm....I may just have to check that out.  Even though there are similarities between the two books, I didn't notice while reading this book at all.  Instead, I was caught up in the mystery of Heart Lake and learning about Jane's history with the school.  

Jane was one of those main characters whose motivation and intentions I never quite understood.  It lent an aura of mystery to her as I tried to figure out just who she was.  I loved the parts of the book that were her memories of her time at the school.  Once again, it made the book seem as if it was a story within a story but both stories intertwined and worked so well together.  There were aspects of this book that I found to be a bit predictable.  Rather than taking away from my enjoyment of the story, I instead was almost amused to find that I was right at figuring out parts of it.  And there were definitely parts of the story that I didn't see coming at all which ratcheted up the suspense level quite nicely.  The author created such an amazing setting and atmosphere that really made this book stand out for me.  I lived and breathed these pages while I read the book.  I loved the fact that I couldn't and wouldn't put this book down.  And after finishing, I thought about these characters for a few days after.  

Overall, this book solidified the fact that I will be reading all of this author's back-list of books.  And while this book wasn't perfect, it didn't matter to me as the author managed to create such an amazing reading experience for me.  This book quietly tugged me into its' layers and never let go.  The icy setting fit in perfectly with this time of year (and made me wish for some snow myself).  This was just a great read and one that I would highly recommend!

Bottom Line:  The setting and atmosphere made this book an unforgettable reading experience!

Disclosure:  Checked out from my local library.  Now to figure out which of her other books to read next...

Here is a link to my thoughts on Arcadia Falls if you are interested.