Reviewed by Emma Crowley
Clutching the faded postcard tightly in her hand, Daisy looks around the sun-soaked Irish village. So this is the place her mother ran away from all those years ago… What secrets did she leave hidden here for Daisy to find?
Daisy Clarke is searching for a new beginning. So when she inherits a lake house on the stunning west coast of Ireland that was mysteriously left to her late mother Rose, she wonders if this could be the fresh start she’s been looking for.
Daisy has never visited the tiny village of Innisfree, with its rolling green hills and cobbled streets, but she remembers how her mother’s eyes would fill with tears whenever it was mentioned.Because when she was pregnant, Rose ran away from this magical place in the middle of the night with a heart-breaking secret she never shared…
Arriving in Ireland, Daisy meets James, the handsome lawyer handling her inheritance. With his warm Irish charm, gorgeous sense of humour, and sparkling sapphire blue eyes, he soon makes her heart flip whenever she sees him. And when he offers to renovate the lake house and help her uncover her family history, Daisy begins to wonder if she can open her heart once more.
But when Daisy discovers the shocking truth behind her inheritance and her true family, it changes everything… When the dust settles, will she be able to build a future with James? Or will the secrets of her mother’s past destroy her hopes of a future in the beautiful Irish village she has grown to love?
Many thanks to Bookouture via NetGalley for my copy of The Irish Lake House to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
The Irish Lake House is the first book that I have read by Colleen Coleman and it was a charming and engaging read with a wonderful setting. Yes, for the first quarter of the book it did feel a bit wordy and I just wanted the author to make the point a bit clearer and earlier rather than the unnecessary detail I felt was there in order to make a point. But after awhile this was gone. In fact, perhaps the later half needed more detail as I felt things were glossed over and maybe required more exploration and that sense of digging a little bit deeper. So it was a story of two halves in terms of detail but overall this was a lovely easy read exploring the themes of identity and belonging, secrets and revelations, dream destinations, soul mates and above all else hope for the future. The writing is easy to follow and there is a relaxing atmosphere throughout the book as the main character Daisy struggles to come to terms with her past and the secrets it holds in order for her to move forward into a more positive future.
Daisy Clarke is a freelance children’s book illustrator who took the leap and left her full time job in a call centre in order to pursue her dreams. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been as successful as she had hoped for as now she is working longer, lonelier hours for less pay which leads to her feeling burnt out. She is questioning her creative ability and the life she had dreamed of is turning into a nightmare as financial pressures increase not to mention her editors displeasure with the work she has produced so far. Also the relationship with her boyfriend Ash, although he is keen for them to buy a house together, Daisy herself is not sure of the entire thing and feels under pressure and not good enough. On the outside she just pretends that everything is ok but really deep down you can sense that is unhappy and unfulfilled. Forest Fables is a classic children’s book, that has meant so much to many generations and Daisy has been tasked with creating the illustrations for a special edition but anything she has produced has been met with scorn and very little enthusiasm. With the creative juices not flowing the way she wishes them to and trouble in her relationship Daisy is not happy.
Losing her mother, Rose, at a very young age has always haunted Daisy and being placed in a children’s home with its lack of love and support certainly did nothing to bolster her confidence but Forest Fables brought comfort, love, hope and security to her and therefore in the present day she wants to do the best she can with the new illustrations. Kayla, a girl she met in the home, has been her best friend ever since they laid eyes on each other and it definitely showed throughout the book. They had such a fantastic friendship and connection and they were the family for each other that they never had growing up.
Family and connection is a strong theme that runs throughout the book. What do we do when they are gone and how can we reconcile the past with the present and put right many wrongs? Daisy was never told anything about her mother’s family who came from Ireland except that she had lived in the village of Innisfree. Why did Rose leave Ireland at such a young age ? Why did she refuse to speak about it and why did she never return? So many questions that Daisy has no answers to, but she desperately wishes that she had. But maybe fate has a few twists and turns in store for Daisy when James O’Connor, a lawyer from Innisfree, comes to London looking for her. He has news for her which turns everything on its head and perhaps has come at a point where Daisy needs direction and something new and challenging.
Daisy has inherited the Lake House near Innisfree which was owned by Mick Kennedy. She has no clue who this man is but there has to be a connection somewhere or how else would it have been left to her? To be honest I guessed fairly on what the connection was as it really couldn’t have been anything else but the path to her finding this out was enjoyable to read. She feels the town is calling her and she decides to give herself a month there to sort things out and renovate the house in order to put it on the market. Kayla accompanies her and Daisy also hopes that inspiration will strike when it comes to the illustrations that she is under a timeframe to produce.
It was brave of Daisy to step into the unknown and she shows great courage and strength as she didn’t know the path ahead of her and it wasn’t easy to navigate as when she reaches the village there is plenty of opposition to her inheriting the Lake House. Why is a major question? Yet Daisy is determined to discover why she has been the left the house that is built in the most beautiful of landscapes. She also wants to discover more about her mother’s past but the community is tight knit and the answers don’t come all that readily. Will Moya, who lives in a caravan on the shores of the lake, know and tell all or have the secrets and lies that have lain dormant for so long remain that way forever?
There was a wonderful cast of characters introduced throughout the story. Typical Irish some of them with the usual mannerisms thrown in, a bit too twee at times but I overcame that. Gus and Marianne run the guesthouse where Daisy and Kayla stay. They meet brother and sister Fintan and Jacinta on the bus who run shops in the village. Stephen McDonagh didn’t come across all that well and was very much battling with his own demons and so does Daisy the more she uncovers which was slowly drip fed to the reader. But then I felt we found out something and it was readily accepted and then we were on to the next thing. I wanted that sense of digging deeper and exploring the reactions to news instead of Daisy taking everything at face value in terms of what she was told. A little more angst and I suppose anger on her part was needed. As for James, I could sense there was a spark between himself and Daisy but that couldn’t have significantly ignited as she was with Ash. But I did hope something could occur which would allow this to happen as Daisy needed a new start and to break away from London and the chains that were slowly starting to entangle her deeper and deeper.
As the house renovations are complete thanks to the work of the community and friends in Innisfree Daisy feels that this is where she belongs and is meant to be but she is torn between a big decision. Should she put it on the market or is there a calling within her to stay in the village as she feels so at home and at ease there. The author deftly explores the ties that weave us together regardless of where we are in the world and the story became very enjoyable and you are rooting for a positive outcome for Daisy. I liked how everything turned out in the end and was glad I gave this author a chance and would like to read more from her in the future. The Irish Lake House is a nice read that would be perfect for this time of year if you need a break from a lot of the Christmas books that are around at the moment.
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