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When the Wind Blows #2
The Lake House
The memorable story begun in When the Wind Blows continues in this thrilling novel, and it's one that really soars! Frannie O'Neil, a Colorado veterinarian, knows a terrible secret that will change the history of the world. Kit Harrison, an FBI agent under suspension has seen things that no one in his right mind would believe. A twelve-year-old girl named Max and five other incredible children have powers we can only dream of. These children can fly. And the only place they will be safe is the Lake House. Or so they believe...
384 pages, Paperback
First published June 9, 2003
About the author
James Patterson
1,158 books348k followersOfficial US Site
Official UK Site
JIMMY Patterson Books
ReadKiddoRead
James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time. He is the creator of unforgettable characters and series, including Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride, and of breathtaking true stories about the Kennedys, John Lennon, and Tiger Woods, as well as our military heroes, police officers, and ER nurses. Patterson has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton and Dolly Parton, and collaborated most recently with Michael Crichton on the blockbuster Eruption. He has told the story of his own life in James Patterson by James Patterson and received an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.
This author also writes under the following name: Džejms Paterson
Official UK Site
JIMMY Patterson Books
ReadKiddoRead
James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time. He is the creator of unforgettable characters and series, including Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride, and of breathtaking true stories about the Kennedys, John Lennon, and Tiger Woods, as well as our military heroes, police officers, and ER nurses. Patterson has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton and Dolly Parton, and collaborated most recently with Michael Crichton on the blockbuster Eruption. He has told the story of his own life in James Patterson by James Patterson and received an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.
This author also writes under the following name: Džejms Paterson
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,473 reviews
September 13, 2017
The Lake House (When the Wind Blows, #2), James Patterson
The Lake House tells the story of six extraordinary children, endowed with the power to fly after genetic engineering merged their DNA with that of birds, and who have to fight for their lives against scientists who want to clone them, producing a race of human-bird creatures.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: بیست و ششم ماه دسامبر سال 2006 میلادی
عنوان: کلبه ساحلی - کتاب دوم؛ اثر: جیمز پاترسون؛ مترجم: علی فرزادفر؛ تهران، مهرکیش، 1384؛ در 273 ص؛ شابک: 9648640173؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان امریکایی قرن 20 م
ا. شربیانی
The Lake House tells the story of six extraordinary children, endowed with the power to fly after genetic engineering merged their DNA with that of birds, and who have to fight for their lives against scientists who want to clone them, producing a race of human-bird creatures.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: بیست و ششم ماه دسامبر سال 2006 میلادی
عنوان: کلبه ساحلی - کتاب دوم؛ اثر: جیمز پاترسون؛ مترجم: علی فرزادفر؛ تهران، مهرکیش، 1384؛ در 273 ص؛ شابک: 9648640173؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان امریکایی قرن 20 م
ا. شربیانی
August 29, 2014
I've never before read such a ridiculous, poorly crafted book with such blatant mistakes. There was bad writing and overblown language, but the huge problems with details in this book were impossible to ignore.
Like the fact that Frannie tells this story as a narrator to an audience, except when there are perspective switches to characters who tell the story in more conventional third person.
- And when there are riflemen shooting at the kids, and they shoot down a plane (with a regular rifle, not an anti aircraft gun) and then when the kids fly down to confront the villain, suddenly the riflemen just disappear???
-And when the wound of a dead person is still pumping out blood
-And when there are snipers, and then they are called off because it was just a drill? A drill in a place where the characters are never expected to be again? What kind of contrived suspense and then cheap cop-out is that?
-And when recent IQ tests are mentioned that were apparently administered when a client was unconscious? What?
-And ok, a 12 year old laying eggs is a little bit of a stretch, but the idea that each egg is 3-4 lbs and nobody noticed she was pregnant? Two 3-4 lb eggs are equal to or larger than a regular human baby, and would create just as big of a lump.
-And when a character "shoots the cuffs" of his windbreaker? Who wears cuff links on a windbreaker?????
-Also, I listened to the audio book edition, and there is terrible, overdramatic music dubbed in at certain parts that drops an already bad book into C-grade horror movie territory.
This is a terrible book and shouldn't be read by anyone except in possibly a Mystery Science Theatre kind of appreciation for the kind of entertainment that is so bad it's funny.
Like the fact that Frannie tells this story as a narrator to an audience, except when there are perspective switches to characters who tell the story in more conventional third person.
- And when there are riflemen shooting at the kids, and they shoot down a plane (with a regular rifle, not an anti aircraft gun) and then when the kids fly down to confront the villain, suddenly the riflemen just disappear???
-And when the wound of a dead person is still pumping out blood
-And when there are snipers, and then they are called off because it was just a drill? A drill in a place where the characters are never expected to be again? What kind of contrived suspense and then cheap cop-out is that?
-And when recent IQ tests are mentioned that were apparently administered when a client was unconscious? What?
-And ok, a 12 year old laying eggs is a little bit of a stretch, but the idea that each egg is 3-4 lbs and nobody noticed she was pregnant? Two 3-4 lb eggs are equal to or larger than a regular human baby, and would create just as big of a lump.
-And when a character "shoots the cuffs" of his windbreaker? Who wears cuff links on a windbreaker?????
-Also, I listened to the audio book edition, and there is terrible, overdramatic music dubbed in at certain parts that drops an already bad book into C-grade horror movie territory.
This is a terrible book and shouldn't be read by anyone except in possibly a Mystery Science Theatre kind of appreciation for the kind of entertainment that is so bad it's funny.
September 1, 2016
The story continues in the second novel of the duology. The mystery continues and questions will be answered. The flock continues to fight their battles with Dr. Kane and so much more.
It wasn't bad, but it was a huge letdown. The main problem would be the execution of the plot. It wasn't as amazing as it should've been. Romance overpowered the whole novel. The amount was more than it should've been. The main story wasn't tackled because of the vast amount of romance building. The ending felt so rushed too. With less than 10 pages left, that's where the exciting action happened. When I was ready to finally finish it, Patterson decided to add in one last little scene that made the novel better than it was. If he wrote the ending differently, this would've gotten a 2 from me.
Vast amount of romance aside, this was a good novel. The ending was better than expected, although it was a bit cheesy for me. The writing still felt like it was for the young-adult. I've read way better from Patterson, and I know I'll be reading more better ones from him.
3.5/5 stars. Not Patterson's best book, and also not his best prequel duology. It still felt awesome that I've read more of Maximum Ride, but overall, I'm a bit disappointed.
It wasn't bad, but it was a huge letdown. The main problem would be the execution of the plot. It wasn't as amazing as it should've been. Romance overpowered the whole novel. The amount was more than it should've been. The main story wasn't tackled because of the vast amount of romance building. The ending felt so rushed too. With less than 10 pages left, that's where the exciting action happened. When I was ready to finally finish it, Patterson decided to add in one last little scene that made the novel better than it was. If he wrote the ending differently, this would've gotten a 2 from me.
Vast amount of romance aside, this was a good novel. The ending was better than expected, although it was a bit cheesy for me. The writing still felt like it was for the young-adult. I've read way better from Patterson, and I know I'll be reading more better ones from him.
3.5/5 stars. Not Patterson's best book, and also not his best prequel duology. It still felt awesome that I've read more of Maximum Ride, but overall, I'm a bit disappointed.
July 12, 2020
1.5 stars because Max is boss, but between the weird second person narration, the TSTL characters, the awkward and unpolished prose and the sex between two children (this resulted in a fucking birth, by the way), this book is a mess, and I feel stupid and unclean for having read it to the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 3, 2013
A book so crap I threw it across the room when I gratefully finished it.
I don't remember the first one, When the Wind Blows, being this bad. If I had I wouldn't have read this, but I'd bought it cheap based on my like of Patterson's Alex Cross series. What is so bad about the Lake House?
Let's start with the title. The protagonists spent their time between the last book and this one in the Lake House, and only visit during the epilogue in this book.
The tagline on the cover 'Don't read it alone in your home' is utterly pointless, and I think it means because if you were alone you'd have no-one to rant at about the book's failings.
The plot is ludicrous and seems to have been made up as Patterson went on. It involves flying children and a badly thought out plan by a nefarious doctor to harvest the organs of young healthy men to rejuvenate aging world leaders (how? God knows, I doubt Patterson does). None of the characters have any personality, and all of them speak in a try-hard vernacular that crowbars in pop culture references and humour at inappropriate times.
The style of the writing frustrated me. A chapter (there were 109!) lasts 4 pages on average, a paragraph maybe 5 lines, and a sentence is lucky to get into double figures. There are italics, adverbs and exclamation marks galore, and most irritating is Patterson's habit of having his characters ask questions about the plot (what might the evil doctor be up to?) over and over again, when the reader knows the answer, thus there's no suspense.
The story dies at the end, along with any enthusiasm I might have had to read any more Patterson. Or at least anything outside of the Cross series.
I don't remember the first one, When the Wind Blows, being this bad. If I had I wouldn't have read this, but I'd bought it cheap based on my like of Patterson's Alex Cross series. What is so bad about the Lake House?
Let's start with the title. The protagonists spent their time between the last book and this one in the Lake House, and only visit during the epilogue in this book.
The tagline on the cover 'Don't read it alone in your home' is utterly pointless, and I think it means because if you were alone you'd have no-one to rant at about the book's failings.
The plot is ludicrous and seems to have been made up as Patterson went on. It involves flying children and a badly thought out plan by a nefarious doctor to harvest the organs of young healthy men to rejuvenate aging world leaders (how? God knows, I doubt Patterson does). None of the characters have any personality, and all of them speak in a try-hard vernacular that crowbars in pop culture references and humour at inappropriate times.
The style of the writing frustrated me. A chapter (there were 109!) lasts 4 pages on average, a paragraph maybe 5 lines, and a sentence is lucky to get into double figures. There are italics, adverbs and exclamation marks galore, and most irritating is Patterson's habit of having his characters ask questions about the plot (what might the evil doctor be up to?) over and over again, when the reader knows the answer, thus there's no suspense.
The story dies at the end, along with any enthusiasm I might have had to read any more Patterson. Or at least anything outside of the Cross series.
December 30, 2015
I really enjoyed The Lake House by James Patterson i hadn't read him for a long time so decided to go for it.
For me this was a different story to what Patterson usually writes Fantasy which i loved the characters were well read & the plot was good kept me turning the pages .
The ending was really thrilling & could not stop till i finished late last night thoroughly enjoyable will have to read the first in this series to see how it all starts.
I loved Max found her to be strong & determined she was the heroine for me
For me this was a different story to what Patterson usually writes Fantasy which i loved the characters were well read & the plot was good kept me turning the pages .
The ending was really thrilling & could not stop till i finished late last night thoroughly enjoyable will have to read the first in this series to see how it all starts.
I loved Max found her to be strong & determined she was the heroine for me
October 7, 2020
Interesting but not special. I read the first in the series at least 20 years ago so it might be my fault. The story did come back to me quickly though. The premise of the book is scary and I think Patterson believes it to be inevitable. We’ll just have to see.
June 26, 2012
Yikes!
Published in 2003 by Hatchette Audio
Read by Hope Davis and Stephen Lang.
Duration: 7 hours, 35 minutes.
The Lake House is the story of six bird/human hybrids who are created as the result of genetic experiments. They all can fly and all have superhuman strength.
This book is very poorly paced. Great chunks of action happen with shorthand writing and then Patterson spends nearly an hour of the 7 1/2 hour book describing two of the characters' first sexual experiences. The Lake House skips over scenes and parts of the story moves in fits and starts. For example, the children all "run" away to live in the woods and eat grubs just to get away from regular human society. Next thing you know, they're back at home without any sort of explanation. I listen to a lot of audiobooks and many of them are abridged so I am used to odd fits and starts by poor editing. I checked the packaging several times while listening to this book to see if it was abridged. Sadly, the herky-jerky nature of the book cannot be blamed on poor editing during the process of abridgement because this is an unabridged reading.
Technical things made the book just seem silly like...
Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2012/...
Published in 2003 by Hatchette Audio
Read by Hope Davis and Stephen Lang.
Duration: 7 hours, 35 minutes.
The Lake House is the story of six bird/human hybrids who are created as the result of genetic experiments. They all can fly and all have superhuman strength.
This book is very poorly paced. Great chunks of action happen with shorthand writing and then Patterson spends nearly an hour of the 7 1/2 hour book describing two of the characters' first sexual experiences. The Lake House skips over scenes and parts of the story moves in fits and starts. For example, the children all "run" away to live in the woods and eat grubs just to get away from regular human society. Next thing you know, they're back at home without any sort of explanation. I listen to a lot of audiobooks and many of them are abridged so I am used to odd fits and starts by poor editing. I checked the packaging several times while listening to this book to see if it was abridged. Sadly, the herky-jerky nature of the book cannot be blamed on poor editing during the process of abridgement because this is an unabridged reading.
Technical things made the book just seem silly like...
Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2012/...
November 24, 2012
I don't know what possessed me to not look at the author's name before I picked this book up to read. I hate James Patterson's writing. I started reading the book, thought to myself that I didn't like the writing style, got about 100 pages in (struggling to stay with it) and then actually checked to see who the author was. I could have kicked myself. His books are pathetically simplistic. His chapters are all either 2 or 3 pages long. The dialogue is so simple that I doubt there are any words of more than three syllables tops. It's just painful. This could have been a decent story if it weren't for who wrote it. Put this idea into Stephen King's mind and we would have had a fantastic read.
I read some of the other reviews after I wrote mine and was horrified to find out that this is only one of a series of books about these bird-people. How on earth anyone could read more than one of them is beyond me! lol
Speaking of other reviews, my favourite was from someone who said that they thought Patterson must have been tired of writing about the bird kids so he went to a grade three classroom and got each child to write one sentence until they had enough for a book! ROTFLMAO!! Perfect!! :D
I read some of the other reviews after I wrote mine and was horrified to find out that this is only one of a series of books about these bird-people. How on earth anyone could read more than one of them is beyond me! lol
Speaking of other reviews, my favourite was from someone who said that they thought Patterson must have been tired of writing about the bird kids so he went to a grade three classroom and got each child to write one sentence until they had enough for a book! ROTFLMAO!! Perfect!! :D
April 16, 2013
James Patterson does it again!
The Lake House is the follow up to When the Wind Blows, a truly magical tale. The story opens with the inevitable court/custody battle between Kit and Franny and the parents of the winged children. Of course in true Patterson style, there are several layers of subplot and evil doers lurking around every corner. There was one flaw - a confrontation in the story was a little too neatly resolved.
Narrators can make or break an audiobook. I've abandoned them in the past just because the narrator wasn't good. This audiobook has two narrators - the female narrator, Hope Davis, does most of the audio book, while a male, Stephen Lang, does the mad scientist in the story. Both are great to listen to, bringing the talk alive.
I enjoyed this audiobook so much that I would arrive at my destination (work or home) and steal just a few minutes to listen to more. Definitely highly recommended for audiobook listeners.
The Lake House is the follow up to When the Wind Blows, a truly magical tale. The story opens with the inevitable court/custody battle between Kit and Franny and the parents of the winged children. Of course in true Patterson style, there are several layers of subplot and evil doers lurking around every corner. There was one flaw - a confrontation in the story was a little too neatly resolved.
Narrators can make or break an audiobook. I've abandoned them in the past just because the narrator wasn't good. This audiobook has two narrators - the female narrator, Hope Davis, does most of the audio book, while a male, Stephen Lang, does the mad scientist in the story. Both are great to listen to, bringing the talk alive.
I enjoyed this audiobook so much that I would arrive at my destination (work or home) and steal just a few minutes to listen to more. Definitely highly recommended for audiobook listeners.
February 25, 2020
The sequel to When The Wind Blows, widens and broadens out the adventures of the flying kids, the FBI agent and the veterinarian in The Rockies. And alas... it's a pile of pants. Yet another example of the James Patterson starting with a great idea, and then putting out a weak follow up to generate money. The tale of six genetically altered children who are part human, part bird losing the feel of the first book and descends into pretty banal adventure. 2 out of 12
February 4, 2015
There are strange things going on with this book's ratings here on Goodreads. Only 9% of its readers give it one or two stars. How is that possible?
Look through the reviews and tell me how many four- and five-star ratings you see. Not many. Then look at its ratings on Amazon. Both Goodreads and Amazon use a 5-star rating system, but The Lake House gets a respectable 3.78 here while it gets a dismal 2.3 on Amazon. Sorry, Goodreads, but Amazon has it right. A whopping 52% of readers who've rated it on Amazon give it only one star! Fifty-two percent! One star!
I know beauty is subjective and all that, but this book is appallingly bad. I mean the quality of the writing. I only read it because I had managed to get through When the Wind Blows and I thought I had better forge ahead to The Lake House while I was as interested in the story as I was ever going to be. I felt like I had to read the second book because I had already invested my time in the first book. Boy was that a mistake. But finally, twenty pages from the end, I came to my senses. I had just read the book's climax, which was terrible in every way possible, and I just didn't have any desire to know what would happen in the last twenty pages.
DO. NOT. READ. I'm not in favor of censorship, but I threw my copy away because I didn't want anyone else to make the mistake of reading this garbage.
Look through the reviews and tell me how many four- and five-star ratings you see. Not many. Then look at its ratings on Amazon. Both Goodreads and Amazon use a 5-star rating system, but The Lake House gets a respectable 3.78 here while it gets a dismal 2.3 on Amazon. Sorry, Goodreads, but Amazon has it right. A whopping 52% of readers who've rated it on Amazon give it only one star! Fifty-two percent! One star!
I know beauty is subjective and all that, but this book is appallingly bad. I mean the quality of the writing. I only read it because I had managed to get through When the Wind Blows and I thought I had better forge ahead to The Lake House while I was as interested in the story as I was ever going to be. I felt like I had to read the second book because I had already invested my time in the first book. Boy was that a mistake. But finally, twenty pages from the end, I came to my senses. I had just read the book's climax, which was terrible in every way possible, and I just didn't have any desire to know what would happen in the last twenty pages.
DO. NOT. READ. I'm not in favor of censorship, but I threw my copy away because I didn't want anyone else to make the mistake of reading this garbage.
January 2, 2020
I'm gonna be honest, this wasn't that great of a book. But it is however incredibly interesting to see how this idea evolved into what we now know as the Maximum Ride series.
July 23, 2013
A secret laboratory, euphemistically called The School, has been performing illegal genetic experiments on human embryos. Most of the experiments failed and resulted in gross abominations, but not all of them. Max, Ozimandius, Icharus, Matthew, Peter, and Wendy were created at The School. The D N A of the six children was combined with that of birds, resulting in completely viable half human half avian life forms. In other words, the children have wings, and all the other equipment necessary for them to fly.
In When the Wind Blows, FBI agent Kit Harrison and veterinarian Frannie O’Neil rescued the bird-kids from the school. Once The School was destroyed and the children were safe, they were all reunited with their biological parents, from whom they were stolen many years ago. It turns out they weren’t safe after all.
While at The School, Max accidentally learned about a secret project, called The Resurrection Project, which was being conducted at a hospital in Maryland. She knows that if anyone finds out about her knowledge of the project, she will be hunted down and killed. “You talk, you die,” she continually reminds herself. And so, when a reporter comes around Max’s house asking about The Resurrection Project, she is terrified. Max urges the reporter to leave it alone, but the damage is already done. A few days later, the reporter is murdered in her home, and soon after that several gunmen try to kidnap Max and her little brother Matthew.
Max quickly sends out a message to the other four bird kids in their respective homes that they are in danger. The flock meet up and go to the only place they have ever truly felt safe; the home of Doctor Frannie O’Neil. They aren’t safe for long; the killers quickly track them down at Frannie’s house. Frannie and the six kids make a narrow escape and leave town. When they are a safe distance away, Frannie calls FBI agent Kit Harrison who had returned to his home in Washington DC. Once they are all together again in Washington, Kit uses his connections at the FBI to investigate The Resurrection Project.
Kit’s investigation eventually leads him to Doctor Ethan Kane at Liberty Hospital near Baltimore. Kit doesn't know it yet, but Doctor Kane is running an organ harvesting operation in the basement of the hospital. He has discovered a way to greatly increase the lifespan of a person by transplanting the entire organ system from a young healthy person, healthy before he killed them that is, into the bodies of rich and affluent people who are ailing. The procedure is worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Doctor Kane, and the knowledge he could gain by studying the bird-kids could advance his research by light years.
The Lake House is a direct continuation of James Patterson’s When the Wind Blows, so hopefully you read that audiobook first.
I didn’t like The Lake House quite as well as the first book in the series. I didn’t feel like James Patterson ever really established the connection between Doctor Kane and The School. In fact, it felt like the story was about Doctor Kane, and the bird kids were just kind of there.
I noticed one thing that was interesting though. In the current series of Maximum Ride audiobooks, the bird kids are really just people with wings. In these two earlier audiobooks, however, James Patterson really played up the avian part of their genetic make-up. The kids really display the characteristics and behavior of birds and it was interesting to see how Patterson integrated the two halves of their nature.
I liked Hope Davis’ narration of The Lake House. She reads with passion and feeling which is not common among audiobook narrators. A while back I listened to the audiobook Heart-Shaped Box, which was narrated by Stephen Lang. I didn’t like his narration at all in that audiobook, and I think I described his reading as “wooden." In The Lake House however, I found myself liking him quite a bit. Lang mostly read the parts involving Doctor Kane, and he matched the arrogant tone of the character rather well.
Overall, the Maximum Ride in When the Wind Blows, and The Lake House does not have much in common with the Maximum Ride in Patterson’s more recent audiobooks. However, I think that real fans of Maximum Ride will enjoy The Lake House , although it should be remembered that unlike the recent audiobooks, these two earlier novels are not appropriate for kids.
Steven Brandt @ Audiobook-Heaven
In When the Wind Blows, FBI agent Kit Harrison and veterinarian Frannie O’Neil rescued the bird-kids from the school. Once The School was destroyed and the children were safe, they were all reunited with their biological parents, from whom they were stolen many years ago. It turns out they weren’t safe after all.
While at The School, Max accidentally learned about a secret project, called The Resurrection Project, which was being conducted at a hospital in Maryland. She knows that if anyone finds out about her knowledge of the project, she will be hunted down and killed. “You talk, you die,” she continually reminds herself. And so, when a reporter comes around Max’s house asking about The Resurrection Project, she is terrified. Max urges the reporter to leave it alone, but the damage is already done. A few days later, the reporter is murdered in her home, and soon after that several gunmen try to kidnap Max and her little brother Matthew.
Max quickly sends out a message to the other four bird kids in their respective homes that they are in danger. The flock meet up and go to the only place they have ever truly felt safe; the home of Doctor Frannie O’Neil. They aren’t safe for long; the killers quickly track them down at Frannie’s house. Frannie and the six kids make a narrow escape and leave town. When they are a safe distance away, Frannie calls FBI agent Kit Harrison who had returned to his home in Washington DC. Once they are all together again in Washington, Kit uses his connections at the FBI to investigate The Resurrection Project.
Kit’s investigation eventually leads him to Doctor Ethan Kane at Liberty Hospital near Baltimore. Kit doesn't know it yet, but Doctor Kane is running an organ harvesting operation in the basement of the hospital. He has discovered a way to greatly increase the lifespan of a person by transplanting the entire organ system from a young healthy person, healthy before he killed them that is, into the bodies of rich and affluent people who are ailing. The procedure is worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Doctor Kane, and the knowledge he could gain by studying the bird-kids could advance his research by light years.
The Lake House is a direct continuation of James Patterson’s When the Wind Blows, so hopefully you read that audiobook first.
I didn’t like The Lake House quite as well as the first book in the series. I didn’t feel like James Patterson ever really established the connection between Doctor Kane and The School. In fact, it felt like the story was about Doctor Kane, and the bird kids were just kind of there.
I noticed one thing that was interesting though. In the current series of Maximum Ride audiobooks, the bird kids are really just people with wings. In these two earlier audiobooks, however, James Patterson really played up the avian part of their genetic make-up. The kids really display the characteristics and behavior of birds and it was interesting to see how Patterson integrated the two halves of their nature.
I liked Hope Davis’ narration of The Lake House. She reads with passion and feeling which is not common among audiobook narrators. A while back I listened to the audiobook Heart-Shaped Box, which was narrated by Stephen Lang. I didn’t like his narration at all in that audiobook, and I think I described his reading as “wooden." In The Lake House however, I found myself liking him quite a bit. Lang mostly read the parts involving Doctor Kane, and he matched the arrogant tone of the character rather well.
Overall, the Maximum Ride in When the Wind Blows, and The Lake House does not have much in common with the Maximum Ride in Patterson’s more recent audiobooks. However, I think that real fans of Maximum Ride will enjoy The Lake House , although it should be remembered that unlike the recent audiobooks, these two earlier novels are not appropriate for kids.
Steven Brandt @ Audiobook-Heaven
July 22, 2010
Fun read, but sequel almost repeat of original...
Like most Patterson novels, this one raced along (on top of his usual short chapters and fast pace) to a relatively satisfying conclusion, although somehow it seemed like the last 15 miles of a 500 mile race were mysteriously eluded. But unlike the author's other efforts, there wasn't much original in this story. Not only is the cast identical (except for the villain) to "When the Wind Blows" (namely, Kit, Frannie, and the six bird-children), but the plot is virtually the same as well, substituting the evil "Hospital" for the evil "School" that hatched the kids in the first place. At the Hospital, a new practice called "shucking" removes all the organs of the unknowing subject "donor" at once so that in effect a total transplant to a "deserving" older wise man can extend the life of such a valuable human. The perpetrator of this miracle work is mad Dr. Ethan Kane, who takes an interest in the six bird-children for what they can add to his "resurrection" feats. The book culminates with the first 30 total transplants while Max, Kit and Frannie are fighting for their lives to escape their captors.
If this sounds a bit like Dean Koontz and Robin Cook, move over, it is. We would urge you to skip the original story else it will probably spoil this one out of sheer similarity. We had read it, but fortunately don't recall it in detail from about ten years ago. But this one can stand fine on its own, as how the bird-children came to be, their relationship with Kit and Frannie, and their special powers (flying, hearing and visual acuity, etc.) are adequately explained. How the bad guys were so totally overcome near the end is conveniently glossed over, leaving us to feel a little hoodwinked as we came down the final stretch.
So - a reworked fantasy plot, and a weak tail-end are offset by an entertaining, fast-paced book in the Patterson style; so on balance, average. This book is in no way related to his similarly entitled "Beach House", but that just might be the best place to read it!
Like most Patterson novels, this one raced along (on top of his usual short chapters and fast pace) to a relatively satisfying conclusion, although somehow it seemed like the last 15 miles of a 500 mile race were mysteriously eluded. But unlike the author's other efforts, there wasn't much original in this story. Not only is the cast identical (except for the villain) to "When the Wind Blows" (namely, Kit, Frannie, and the six bird-children), but the plot is virtually the same as well, substituting the evil "Hospital" for the evil "School" that hatched the kids in the first place. At the Hospital, a new practice called "shucking" removes all the organs of the unknowing subject "donor" at once so that in effect a total transplant to a "deserving" older wise man can extend the life of such a valuable human. The perpetrator of this miracle work is mad Dr. Ethan Kane, who takes an interest in the six bird-children for what they can add to his "resurrection" feats. The book culminates with the first 30 total transplants while Max, Kit and Frannie are fighting for their lives to escape their captors.
If this sounds a bit like Dean Koontz and Robin Cook, move over, it is. We would urge you to skip the original story else it will probably spoil this one out of sheer similarity. We had read it, but fortunately don't recall it in detail from about ten years ago. But this one can stand fine on its own, as how the bird-children came to be, their relationship with Kit and Frannie, and their special powers (flying, hearing and visual acuity, etc.) are adequately explained. How the bad guys were so totally overcome near the end is conveniently glossed over, leaving us to feel a little hoodwinked as we came down the final stretch.
So - a reworked fantasy plot, and a weak tail-end are offset by an entertaining, fast-paced book in the Patterson style; so on balance, average. This book is in no way related to his similarly entitled "Beach House", but that just might be the best place to read it!
February 1, 2010
So I picked up this book when I was at the library- it was one of those .50 deals. Although I knew the name James Patterson, I hadn't read anything of his and totally forgot that he was a suspense writer. I thought I was picking up the book of the movie The Lake House with Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves, about a romance that took place at a Lake House (hadn't seen the movie, but was curious).
Well, don't make the same mistake I did. You won't get romance here, unless you think two bird people mating is romantic. It's an easy read, but it gets a little confusing because the author makes promises and you have expectations, and then he completely leaves you hanging and unsatisfied. For example, it's called The Lake House, but takes place everywhere but. They are in the Lake House for about 7 pages. And they keep alluding to horrors that went on at a hospital, and 'secrets' and you expect there to be some crazy secret exposure but you already know what the secret is all along. That left me slightly confused. They should have called it.. The Presolved Bird Horror. That accurately reflects the title this book deserved.
And not to forget, it's about bird people. Humans with wings that can fly. I felt... unsettled...and a little dirty (not sure why) by this prospect.
I heard JP doesn't even write his own stuff anymore, just hires others to do it. He only comes up with the basic plot. I feel like here he just came up with a plot, went to a third grade classroom, told them the plot and let them each come up with a sentence until the story was finished.
Do I regret reading this? No. Despite the fact that I felt it did the reader a disservice by existing, it was a work of fiction that had a tiny bit of merit based on the characters and their emotions.
Well, don't make the same mistake I did. You won't get romance here, unless you think two bird people mating is romantic. It's an easy read, but it gets a little confusing because the author makes promises and you have expectations, and then he completely leaves you hanging and unsatisfied. For example, it's called The Lake House, but takes place everywhere but. They are in the Lake House for about 7 pages. And they keep alluding to horrors that went on at a hospital, and 'secrets' and you expect there to be some crazy secret exposure but you already know what the secret is all along. That left me slightly confused. They should have called it.. The Presolved Bird Horror. That accurately reflects the title this book deserved.
And not to forget, it's about bird people. Humans with wings that can fly. I felt... unsettled...and a little dirty (not sure why) by this prospect.
I heard JP doesn't even write his own stuff anymore, just hires others to do it. He only comes up with the basic plot. I feel like here he just came up with a plot, went to a third grade classroom, told them the plot and let them each come up with a sentence until the story was finished.
Do I regret reading this? No. Despite the fact that I felt it did the reader a disservice by existing, it was a work of fiction that had a tiny bit of merit based on the characters and their emotions.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 11, 2013
Oh no, I hope this book has not put me off James Patterson forever. I am a huge fan of the Alex Cross series and a fan of fantasy books among others. So, I started off with the series opener, When the wind blows, which I thoroughly enjoyed - birdlike, flying kids running from evil men - whats not to enjoy?
Now, back to The Lake House. As with all Patterson books there are 100 plus chapters, all about 3 short pages long, which makes it a quick and easy read, which is the only reason I decided to finish this book. The book continues the adventures of the flying kids, who, as a flock, decided that Kit and Frannie, their saviors from the first book, has to be the flocks parents. From there on out it is the same story over again, evil men, one of which is cloned, chasing the flock.
Unfortunately the book seems rushed, as if the author was forced to quickly continue on the success of the first book, hence this book did absolutely nothing to create any depth to any character or the story.
I am sure the rest of the series will be and have been enjoyed by millions of readers, I will just not be one of them.
Hopefully I will get myself to pick-up another Patterson book soon - "falling off the horse get back on something something".....
Now, back to The Lake House. As with all Patterson books there are 100 plus chapters, all about 3 short pages long, which makes it a quick and easy read, which is the only reason I decided to finish this book. The book continues the adventures of the flying kids, who, as a flock, decided that Kit and Frannie, their saviors from the first book, has to be the flocks parents. From there on out it is the same story over again, evil men, one of which is cloned, chasing the flock.
Unfortunately the book seems rushed, as if the author was forced to quickly continue on the success of the first book, hence this book did absolutely nothing to create any depth to any character or the story.
I am sure the rest of the series will be and have been enjoyed by millions of readers, I will just not be one of them.
Hopefully I will get myself to pick-up another Patterson book soon - "falling off the horse get back on something something".....
August 17, 2012
Although this novel took me longer to read, on and off, it's also difficult to classify it under genres. I kept it as mystery, since I didn't read When the Wind Blows, and since Patterson writes mysteries. But it does have sci fi/fantasy elements in it, the mad science appeal of Robin Cook's Mutation and horror elements a tiny bit of Dean Koontz. So it's a combination of this and that. Maybe I should've read When the Wind Blows first. When I do read that book, maybe I can understand it better. This is a weird tale of a bird-human hybrid of six children from a dangerous DNA experiment in a hospital and their mad DNA experimentation. We're introduced to Kit and Frannie and the six bird children, mainly from Maximum aka Max's POV, when they fight evil forces and the press and the people who want them dead. Beautiful scenery in crisp chapters, but a bit bizarre for me. I almost gave it a two-and-a-half scene, but there's no half-stars here. I really felt for Max and Frannie and their own struggles. So it's about so-so for me.
April 29, 2018
More like a 2.5 than a 2
This book was a little better than the first one. I liked the narrator for the audiobook and I feel like I got a better feel for Max and the flock rather than them just being characters that are just there.
I liked this but at the same time I don't feel like this whole story was necessary, I would have been fine with where the first book ended.
It still flips between 1st person in Franny's POV and third person for everything else, which really just kept throwing me out of the story.
My other big problem with this book is that Max and Oz have sex, they are TWELVE!! Like I get it that they are part bird so they're a little different, BUT STILL THEY ARE FREAKING TWELVE!!!
I'm beginning to wonder if maybe James Patterson just isn't for me, but that breaks my heart a little bit because I have such great memories of reading the Maximum Ride series when I was younger.
This book was a little better than the first one. I liked the narrator for the audiobook and I feel like I got a better feel for Max and the flock rather than them just being characters that are just there.
I liked this but at the same time I don't feel like this whole story was necessary, I would have been fine with where the first book ended.
It still flips between 1st person in Franny's POV and third person for everything else, which really just kept throwing me out of the story.
My other big problem with this book is that Max and Oz have sex, they are TWELVE!! Like I get it that they are part bird so they're a little different, BUT STILL THEY ARE FREAKING TWELVE!!!
I'm beginning to wonder if maybe James Patterson just isn't for me, but that breaks my heart a little bit because I have such great memories of reading the Maximum Ride series when I was younger.
May 27, 2022
This book was so bad. I read it because it was the continuing story of Maximum Ride, previous to his writing the YA novels. This was just a hot mess. Nothing made sense. The new bad guys came out of nowhere, yet Max somehow knows about them, supposedly from clues when she worked at the School. The custody thing was weird, because they kept talking about their three months at the Lake House where they all bonded, and yet we don't go there for the entire book, and have no idea what happened when they were there. The Hospital story was beyond the suspension of disbelief. Worst was near the end, when Don't bother, people!
June 17, 2016
These are not my favourite of James Patterson novels I find them slightly ridiculous and unbelievable. I normally love all of his novels but this and the others in this series just don't do it for me. Wouldn't recommend.
September 20, 2019
The two big mistakes because of which this book came to my possession were: One the Movie Lake House with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock, I assumed was based on this book. Two I wanted to get a taste of much acclaimed Mr Patterson :). I guess one (disastrous) book is good enough to give me enough of idea of this man's talent and I have decided to keep away from anything else from him in any near future. Anyways I had picked it up to be used as a filler but 400 pages of sheer pain was something that now I need a book which should bail me out of what this one has given me :). But one thing really made me wonder how are his books selling like hot cakes? but again may be that is what these days people like to read in the name of racy futuristic thrillers, no ways he is my cup of tea. On top of that one line on the cover of the book further piqued my curiosity saying "Do not read this book alone in your house". And I did exactly that :) in the times of Artificial Intelligence one of the antagonist in his story creates an Artificial Love machine (a thing called wife) as per his whims, fancies, size and needs. Talk about a man's ego, he even designs his wife who will not age, with a mute button who is supposed to compliment him everyday and do the needful at the drop of a hat. That one thing put me off so badly that I wanted to abandon the book and let it go flying out of my 6th floor terrace but somehow looking at my own track record I just plowed through.
Imagine the progress Science has made, the great Doctor Mr. Ethan has matched the DNA of birds with man-kind and has created half a dozen bird kids in some hospital right under the nose of white house :). What was the purpose and how is he going to use his invention is something excited me initially and there has to be good people too who are to come to the rescue of these innocent kids. And enter an FBI agent and his girl friend who happens to be a veterinary. On top of that the Govt has her own agenda as how to save the kids and who to give the custody of. Right from cloning to saving and ruling the world for good, immortality, the plot has everything but unfortunately they just remain the ideas not very well explored by Mr. Author. Visually too the entire book is so weak that I had a sad time imagining the teenage kids with ten feet of wings flying out in open, some times to have fun and at times to save each other from the bad men. Barring one important character, I had no connect with anyone, almost no character development, no background or even their Biologies not fully explained it was all a quarter baked story. Even the title I would say isn't justified properly, there is a mention of the Lake House throughout but it is over-stretched to no end.
Right after I finished this book I checked my Unread collection to make sure that I do not have any other gems from him and thanked god that I don't have. Have you read The Lake House or for that matter any other James Patterson which worked for you? I would really like to know. But if you haven't read any of his works, I suggest you keep it that ways.
Imagine the progress Science has made, the great Doctor Mr. Ethan has matched the DNA of birds with man-kind and has created half a dozen bird kids in some hospital right under the nose of white house :). What was the purpose and how is he going to use his invention is something excited me initially and there has to be good people too who are to come to the rescue of these innocent kids. And enter an FBI agent and his girl friend who happens to be a veterinary. On top of that the Govt has her own agenda as how to save the kids and who to give the custody of. Right from cloning to saving and ruling the world for good, immortality, the plot has everything but unfortunately they just remain the ideas not very well explored by Mr. Author. Visually too the entire book is so weak that I had a sad time imagining the teenage kids with ten feet of wings flying out in open, some times to have fun and at times to save each other from the bad men. Barring one important character, I had no connect with anyone, almost no character development, no background or even their Biologies not fully explained it was all a quarter baked story. Even the title I would say isn't justified properly, there is a mention of the Lake House throughout but it is over-stretched to no end.
Right after I finished this book I checked my Unread collection to make sure that I do not have any other gems from him and thanked god that I don't have. Have you read The Lake House or for that matter any other James Patterson which worked for you? I would really like to know. But if you haven't read any of his works, I suggest you keep it that ways.
January 29, 2013
Well I have read many of James Patterson's novels and am usually a fan of his work. When I chose this book for a quick pre-vacation read I was not expecting the "supernatural" and was really in the mood for a typical mystery Patterson novel. As I began the first chapter of this book it was quite apparent this was not a typical Patterson read. But as a fan I decided to continue reading to see where he took me and where we would end up.
Well, I have to first say apparently this is a sequel to another book. I really wish this would have been expressed somewhere in the synopsis or even on the beginning pages of this book. I only learned this was a sequel after reading some of the other reviews listed here on Amazon. So, now I am left unsure if I should read the first book knowing how the story ends.
Secondly, I did not feel the usual twists and turns Patterson normally takes the reader on. The plot seemed apparent from the beginning of the book (which speaks volumes for the depth of this book considering I had no back-story from the first book) and the read was very predictable.
The characters seemed flat and the story never really "grabbed" me like I normally experience at some point in a good read. It read quickly as it is a small book, but I don't think I would have continued reading if I would have known this was not a typical Patterson book.
All in all this was a disappointing and non-stimulating read. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best I would have to give this a 1.5 to 2.
Well, I have to first say apparently this is a sequel to another book. I really wish this would have been expressed somewhere in the synopsis or even on the beginning pages of this book. I only learned this was a sequel after reading some of the other reviews listed here on Amazon. So, now I am left unsure if I should read the first book knowing how the story ends.
Secondly, I did not feel the usual twists and turns Patterson normally takes the reader on. The plot seemed apparent from the beginning of the book (which speaks volumes for the depth of this book considering I had no back-story from the first book) and the read was very predictable.
The characters seemed flat and the story never really "grabbed" me like I normally experience at some point in a good read. It read quickly as it is a small book, but I don't think I would have continued reading if I would have known this was not a typical Patterson book.
All in all this was a disappointing and non-stimulating read. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best I would have to give this a 1.5 to 2.
April 11, 2013
FBI agent Thomas "Kit" Brennan and veterinarian Frannie O'Neill rescued the six Winged children from the School where they lived in appalling conditions and were the subjects of dangerous experiments. The octet lived together for four months before they were returned to their biological parents but in that time the children, who had bird DNA mixed into their genetic make up, imprinted Kit and Frannie as their parents. Kit and Fran sued for custody and lost but when danger threatened, the children turned to their real "parents" for help.
Dr. Ethan Kane works on illegal experiments using unsuspecting donors for his Resurrection project. He wants the children who he envisions as the next step up in the evolutionary ladder and he'll use any means at his disposal to get them. Kit, Frannie and the children are on the run but the doctor has sources within the government that leads him and his minions to their hideout. He brings them all back to his lab where the leader of the children, Maximus has a final showdown with destiny.
THE LAKE HOUSE, is a fascinating thriller starring six unusual children whom capture the hearts of the audience as they try to make a place for themselves in this BRAVE NEW WORLD. James Patterson revisits some very important moral and social issues that should be addressed before scientists go much farther in genetic engineering. The plot is well developed with plenty of action scenes but the heart of this novel remains Kit and Frannie who will do everything in their power to make sure their children are safe.
Dr. Ethan Kane works on illegal experiments using unsuspecting donors for his Resurrection project. He wants the children who he envisions as the next step up in the evolutionary ladder and he'll use any means at his disposal to get them. Kit, Frannie and the children are on the run but the doctor has sources within the government that leads him and his minions to their hideout. He brings them all back to his lab where the leader of the children, Maximus has a final showdown with destiny.
THE LAKE HOUSE, is a fascinating thriller starring six unusual children whom capture the hearts of the audience as they try to make a place for themselves in this BRAVE NEW WORLD. James Patterson revisits some very important moral and social issues that should be addressed before scientists go much farther in genetic engineering. The plot is well developed with plenty of action scenes but the heart of this novel remains Kit and Frannie who will do everything in their power to make sure their children are safe.
March 10, 2013
When I started this book, I found myself checking the cover as I was sure it was Michael Crichton as I was immediately confronted with DNA manipulation and winged cherubs. As the story develops Dean Koontz and Stephen King pick up the pen and plunges the reader into horror. If you add a little medical and surgical insight from Patricia Cromwell your literary meal is complete. The Lake House and its avian twist isn’t like any James Patterson book to date. The chapters are short and the story flows from the pages. This said, I must say I was somewhat disappointed of the end result. The bird children supposedly grew up in an isolated institution and were only at liberty for a scant month while enjoying the refuge of the lake house. Their command and use of contemporary slang, customs and views were nothing short of unbelievable. This oversight reduced the value of the book tremendously. The creation of a new avian species stretched the gullibility of the reader to the breaking point. The original concept was great but the end result was disappointing. This book can be summed up in four words…….ALMOST A GREAT READ!
October 11, 2010
"Six extraordinary children are trying to lead normal lives in the Rocky Mountain countryside. They live in different homes, with different families, but there is something powerful that connects them. Something that puts them in terrible danger. The only time they've ever felt safe was when they were together in the waterfront cabin they call the Lake House. And the only people they've ever trusted are Frannie and Kit, the couple who rescued them from unimaginable evil once before." When that evil resurfaces, the kids reconnect with Frannie and Kit and set off on an astonishing adventure. They flee to the Lake House, but even that haven may no longer be safe. Dr. Ethan Kane is chief of surgery at Liberty General Hospital, one of the most esteemed hospitals in the nation. It is here that terrible secrets lie, secrets that will change the world for all of us.
October 24, 2011
I wasn't terribly thrilled with "Lake House" as I was reading it, but when I got to the end, I started flipping back through to see if I had accidentally skipped some pages, or if my copy had a printing error. Patterson completely skipped the action he was building up to. On one page, the characters are preparing to escape their confinement, on the next, everything is over. Not even any explanation of how they got out, or what the bad guys were doing. I kind of feel like saying I was cheated with the ending, but the rest of the book really wasn't all that good, so there was no promise to be cheated out of.
October 5, 2015
it was a fast read, sometimes the switch between how it was narrated was hard to adjust to. subject was OK.
September 2, 2020
While I enjoy James Patterson, I just couldn’t get past the fact that the children in the story were half human and half bird so I didn’t enjoy this book.
August 12, 2024
Never read James Patterson… prob won’t do it again. Not a bad story just not a fan of the writing🫤
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