What readers think of The Lake of Dead Languages, plus links to write your own review.

I really enjoyed this book. The plot twists back and forth between the past and present, and at times I had to flip back to remind myself of just what had happened to whom. There are plenty of twists and surprises. The writing is ,at times, poetic. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good tale and a good piece of literature.

I just recently read this book for a senior English project. It was extremely haunting, yet thrilling in many ways. The use of desire, friendship, and revenge make this book a heart stopper. Once I began reading it, I couldn't put it down. I literally read this novel in one day. I loved this book and hope that maybe a sequal could be in the works. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to become involved emotionally in a good coming of age story.

Though some of the plots are a bit extreme, the editing of each scene can be realistic enough. Not to mention that every page leaves you curious, wondering, and sometimes a little bewildered with the "goings-on" as the story reveals it's twists and turns dramatically, solving the pieces of the puzzle, building into it's climatic ending. Thrilling enough with mentions of gothic literature, too.

I thought this book had a fantastic plot line leading up to the climax. The climax, however, was somewhat disappointing. I thought that the use of suspense was well played, which therefore caused it to be a real page-turner. The beginning and the ending could have used some work, but overall I thought the novel was quite good.

I did enjoy reading this book. I liked the metaphor of the lake water sinking then freezing, but as with Carol Goodman's other books (Mainly the Seduction of Water), I felt that she doesn't give her reader enough credit. She no sooner hints at a twist than tells you outright exactly what the secret was. You don't ever get to enjoy the satisfaction of catching a clever allusion, metaphor, or secret because she slams it in your face.
She is clever and makes good metaphors and interesting twists, but divulges them to bluntly.
I also don't like her female main characters. It seems that she's trying to make them realistic, but to me they just end up seeming stupid and too dependent on men. I know some people like reading about realistically flawed people and really relate to them, but I would much rather read about someone I can aspire to be like.

The book left me confused. Ususally I will like a book or dislike a book after reading it. I think it swerved from harlequine romance to decent thriller as often as every other paragraph. It became overwrought at the end and the brutality of the last murder was over the top. Still, it had it's moments. I guess if you are looking for an simple page turner that has a subtle smoothness every now again and you are willing to forgive the Victorian vapors then it's an ok read.

I feel that it is impossible to rate this book due to the fact that so much of the language, plot, and characters are a ripoff of Donna Tartt's The Secret History! Did anyone else notice this? Goodman completely tries to affect Tartt's style and fails miserably. She almost lifts direct lines and ideas from Tartt's book but then ends up with a really predictable, VC Andrews-style story. It's like she took a gormet dinner and turned it into a happy meal. Please tell me someone else noticed this.

Not a bad read, but pretty forgettable due to the fact the ending is a disappointment after all the suspense created earlier in the book. You won't be able to put it down, but once you get to the end, there's a fair chance that you'll find it something of an anti-climax.

The other annoying thing is that Carol Goodman cannot stop showing off her knowledge of Latin. It's not relevant, it's not interesting, and it appears far too often in the book for my liking. It's great that she conducts a Latin lesson via a novel if you're interested in learning the classics, but if, like me, you are not, you might find the fact she cannot write a sentence without including the Latin first a little tedious.

But the book is not all bad. The atmosphere created by the tragic history and mysterious legends of the lake is often compelling, and in the parts where she sticks to English, Goodman writes beautifully. The friendships between Lucy, matt, Deirdre and Jane are eerily sinister, as is the harsh setting of Heart Lake, which is used to brilliant symbolic effect at times.
It's not the best book in the world, but it's certainly enjoyable all the same.