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    The House by the Lake
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    The House by the Lake
    Unavailable
    The House by the Lake
    Audiobook7 hours

    The House by the Lake

    Written by Ella Carey

    Narrated by Teri Schnaubelt

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Anna is content with her well-ordered life in San Francisco. But her world is turned upside down when her beloved grandfather, Max, reveals a startling secret: Anna is part of an aristocratic family who lost everything during World War II. What's more, Max was forced to leave behind a precious item over seventy years ago in their estate in old Prussia. It's now his ardent wish that Anna retrieve it.

    Anna burns with questions as she heads for Germany: What memento could be so important to her grandfather? And why did he keep their history hidden? As she searches for answers, she finds herself drawn to Wil, a man who may hold the key to unlock the mystery. Together they discover that her family's secrets are linked with an abandoned apartment in Paris, and these secrets go deeper than she ever imagined.

    Alternating between 1930s Europe and the present, The House by the Lake illuminates the destiny of a family caught in the tumult of history.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateMar 29, 2016
    ISBN9781511368360
    Unavailable
    The House by the Lake

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    Reviews for The House by the Lake

    3.5/5

    60 ratings15 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      Historical fiction, which the author explains at the end of the book, adding to my interest. Alternating chapters of WWII era and 2010 merging the past with the present as a loving granddaughter strives to fulfill her grandfather's last wish. By doing so, she found her true self.
    • 4/5
      This was a pleasant surprise, 3.5 stars rounded up. Any novel that combines finding hidden things beneath floorboards in boarded up houses, the discovery of a sealed apartment, finding lost family connections, I'm in! At times the story was intriguing, fast moving, and I couldn't wait to see what happened next. Sadly there were times when the story did drag and I lost some interest. I did come away interested in reading more from Ella Carey, thus the rounding up.
    • 3/5
      Anna's world is turned upside down when she finds out her father may have been a famous movie star. Along the way she meets an eccentric group of characters.
    • 3/5
      Anna is drawn in a mystery when her 90+ year old grandfather begs her to travel to Germany to find something in his ancestral home. This is a fairly entertaining mystery-romance combo. The writing is nothing out of the ordinary but it's not bad, either. The plot is also nothing special but it did keep me engaged in the story. This book is a pleasant way to spend a few hours, but it is not remarkable nor memorable.This was a Kindle Unlimited book.
    • 4/5
      The House by the Lake by Ella Carey has a fascinating plot with interesting interplay between pre-WWII Europe and contemporary time. There were some things that, for me, kept it from really grabbing me. If Amazon did half stars it would be a three and a half, but I tend to round up (my former students loved that about me).I think the people who called it boring simply don't like slow moving stories. I felt the pacing was off but slow and boring I think reflects the reader's preferences more than the book itself. I didn't mind that there were some curious decisions and actions taken, even with a real story behind it this is still fiction and I don't expect characters to always ponder and think everything through, now that would potentially be a slow and boring book. I did feel like I never really became invested in Anna, the protagonist, as much as I would have liked. I liked her but just couldn't connect with her. Nor any of the other characters beyond a casual interest. It was the story that kept me reading and not any investment in the characters.Having said all that, the characters aren't flat and the plot does move along. Perhaps this is a case of expecting more than was offered. I would recommend this to those who enjoy historical fiction, especially the pre-war period. I might warn readers that this is not going to necessarily be a fast-paced novel, so if you're looking for that you may be disappointed.Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
    • 5/5
      I love historical fiction, especially books set around World War II, and "The House By the Lake" was a terrific read. Although basically a romance, I found myself devouring the pages and I followed Max and Isabelle's story, set in the late 1930s, and Anna and Wil's modern-day quest to solved the secrets of Anna's grandfather's past. The book moved effortlessly between the two time periods, and I was totally absorbed with the lives of the four main characters. Beautifully written, this was the first book I've read by this author, but it won't be the last.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this book. It was refreshing to have a different view on Nazi Germany for a change. The author did a great job in avoiding to paint everything just black or white, and she explained that not every German who was a party member took that decision lightly, or agreed with the politics. I even looked up a few things, which is always a good sign, as it shows, that I actually engaged with the book.
      However, there were a few things that didn't sit right with me, and there was just too much jumping back and forth in time, which was dizzying.

      The narrator was superb. I have no idea how she coped with all the time jumps and different accents, but she did a marvelous job and I enjoyed the book all the more due to her narration.
    • 3/5
      ‘The House By the Lake’ by Ella Carey is about a fastidious woman named Anna who lives a very orderly life in San Francisco as owner of an eclectic coffee shop. Her elderly grandfather, Max, one day asks her to go to Germany to retrieve an article which he left behind years ago in their abandoned family estate when the Nazis took over more than seventy years ago. While Anna explores the abandoned estate and tries to piece together the mystery of her grandfather’s past, she meets a kind and handsome attorney, Wil Jager, who helps her to uncover the mystery behind her grandfather’s romance with Isabelle de Florian, daughter of the famous courtesan Mathe de Florian. Although the plot seems to have the potential to become a riveting story, the characters seem to be underdeveloped, and the author devotes considerable prose into describing the estate, as well as the apartment in Paris where de Florian resided. Having said that, I did think that the writing is very descriptive and rather engaging, and will make for an entertaining read, although not a compelling one. I am most interested in how affluent German families endured the forced conscription into the Nazi military, as well as the altercation to their lives caused by the Hitler regime. The story touches upon the hardships and difficult choices of war-torn Europe, but the author might further develop the tragedy suffered by Max, and how that unhinged his life thereafter. In addition, the character of Anna is developed in a limited way. Although the novel suggests that she was previously hurt by another relationship, it is unclear as to why she is now reticent to start a new relationship with Wil, when he seems to offer himself like a knight in shining armor.
    • 4/5
      Anna leads a very well ordered life in San Francisco taking care of her café and her grandfather. Then, one day, after reading about an apartment recently opened after being hidden for 70 years, her 94 year old grandfather, Max, wants her to go to Germany to retrieve something very special to him that he left hidden in his old home. Since he has never spoken about his past, she feels that she needs to do this for him. Without explanation from him, she goes to Siegel, the small village of his former home where she is treated coldly once the townspeople find out who she is. This is a very nice read for a cold January day and I enjoyed finding out what had happened in the past that could still effect the present. The author said she based her book on two true stories that are woven together to form this fictional novel. She did an excellent job of this. I will probably look for her first book, Paris Time Capsule to read sometime in the future.
    • 4/5
      This historical fiction book was beautifully written. I loved the way Ms. Carey meshed the past with the present. I was so involved with the story, when it ended I had to get on the internet to research the actual apartment found in France and the true to life Paris Courtesan the story was created after. This is not my normal read, but I am so glad I ventured out. This book is a must read.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      3.75 stars

      This book switches between the past and present. A girl's grandfather asked her to go to Germany for him which is strange because he never speaks of his background. He was in Germany before WWII. This story is different because it is about the climate before the actual war. Hitler had a lot of good ideas about making the country better in the eyes of most Germans. Their country was struggling. He didn't start off full blast about killing Jews and taking over the world. He won them over by brining awareness to areas of hardship for Germany and proposing drastic solutions. He wanted to make Germany great again. This story makes the political climate of today (2017) in the US feel even more scary.
      Some of the storyline wasn't interesting to me, but other parts touched me deeply. This is a bit of bittersweet romance, family saga and historical fiction. It's worth reading for sure.
    • 4/5
      Anna has a happy life in San Francisco until her grandfather asks her to go to Germany and find a package in his family's estate in Germany. For the first time she finds out that he was part of an aristocratic family before WWII. When she gets to the small town in Germany she finds the castle abandoned and falling apart. She feels that she has to learn the history of the home and of her grandfather's family so she contacts the lawyer of the owner and after a rude start, he helps her try to trace family history despite all of the dead ends that they encounter. By the end, they find that the house in Germany and her grandfather are linked to the abandoned apartment in Paris. As with Book 1 in the series, this book has mystery, romance and family history that unlocks her grandfather's past.
    • 1/5
      OK, not for me. Chick-lit. Slow. Clichéd.
    • 5/5
      I enjoyed this book more than any I've read this year! If you are a history buff, as I am, and love reading about World War II, Paris and Germany, you will love this one! Also, I didn't realize, until I'd finished the book and read the author's notes, that a few of the characters and the Paris apartment that was discovered locked and untouched for 70 years were all real! I can't wait to dig into more reading about the apartment and the women who lived there in the late 1800's until 1940.I loved that this story went from the past to the present with each chapter, building the tales of all characters until you couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen, or had happened in the past. I look forward to reading this author's other titles and doing more research on the life of Marthe de Florian and her amazing Paris apartment!
    • 5/5
      Anna’s grandfather asks her to go to Germany and retrieve something from his childhood home. She has a very cool reception from the town. Come to find out, her grandfather may not be the person she thought. This story kept me reading late into the night and thinking about it during the day at work!!! GASP!! I could visualize the house in Germany and I so wanted to be there. And to know the story is loosely based on a real house made it all the more intriguing. The characters kept me coming back for more. I loved Anna from the start. When she met Wil….that just took me over the edge. I could just picture them exploring the house working together to overcome the obstacles ahead. The ending is a little too tidy for me. Anna needs to struggle a little more to find out what happened to her grandfather during WWWII. Instead she finds out in one visit with someone. It would have added a lot to the tale if she had more of an adventure to figure out the mystery. But…..this is just a minor observation and completely my opinion. I loved, loved, loved this book. The mystery, the house, the setting, the characters all meld together to make a tale I could not stop thinking about.