On Mystic Lake ~ Kristin Hannah ~ 2/02 ~ Romance Export

Kristin Hannah writes another poignant and tender story of love, loss, passion, and the fragile threads that bind families together.

Annie Colwater's only child has just left home for school abroad. On that same day, her husband of twenty years confesses that he's in love with a younger woman. Alone in the house that is no longer a home, Annie comes to the painful realization that for years she has been slowly disappearing. Lonely and afraid, she retreats to Mystic, the small Washington town where she grew up, hoping that there she can reclaim the woman she once was-the woman she is now desperate to become again.

In Mystic, she is reunited with her first love, Nick Delacroix, a recent widower unable to cope with his grieving, too-silent six-year-old daughter, Izzie. Together, the three of them begin to heal, and, at last, Annie learns that she can love without losing herself. But just when she has found a second chance at happiness, her life is turned upside down again, and Annie must make a choice no woman should have to make. . . .

On Mystic Lake is the story of one seemingly ordinary woman, but the novel speaks to all of us, to anyone who has ever had to choose between what is . . . and what could be.

from the Publisher

Interesting Link
Olympic Peninsula

Discussion Leaders were: Marjorie and HarrietM

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Welcome to On Mystic Lake by Kristin Hannah. This discussion will be open for posting on February 1, 2002. This is the time for you to get your copy of the book so that you will have started the book when the discussion opens.

I am delighted that HARRIET M will be joining me here as co-DL.

At this time we do not have any specific schedule for reading this book. We will be happy to take suggestions when the time comes.

If you would like to let us know that you will be joining this discussion, you can post in Romance Books.

Marjorie

There are few pleasures to equal a romantic novel.

Come and join us for a wonderful book. Tenderness, tears, love...all those good things await us in On Mystic Lake. We'll talk about love, life, and bittersweet choices.

We'll have a good time.

Harriet

In this discussion we will be posing questions about the book when the discussion opens on February 1. The questions will relate first to the beginning of the book and will move through the story.

There is no requirement as to how you read this book. I would suggest that you at least read part of the book before Feb. 1 but even that is not necessary.

Hope to see you all at the beginning of February.

Marjorie

HELLO to all.

Marjorie and I welcome you to our discussion of On Mystic Lake by Kristin Hannah. In a tender, romantic book like this, Annie Colwater and her marriage can make us think about the expectations and hopes that any woman has about life and love.

Annie Colwater has been cruelly rejected by her husband, Blake. Worse still, until the moment of learning Blake's true feelings, Annie was sure that Blake loved her as much as she loved him. Let's explore the relationship Annie believes she has with Blake.

How does she see herself as a woman and a mother? What kind of mother has Annie been to her daughter, Natalie? What kind of father has Blake been to Natalie? Do you see any contradictions between the marriage Annie thinks she is part of, and the way Blake looks at their marriage?

As Marjorie suggested, it might be helpful to start by looking at Annie in the earlier part of the book because she changes in response to her circumstances as time goes on. Her journey gives us a chance to enjoy the emotions and warmth that characterize a romantic novel.

Please consider these questions as merely a jump-off place for us to begin talking to each other about our book, and follow your own thoughts also.

Marjorie and I are looking forward to being with you all.

Harriet

Hi Marjorie and Harriett I enjoyed this book very much. Of course I have to say living in the area where she set the book she did not do very much research. On page 41 she tells about driving across the floating bridge to the Olympic Peninsula let me tell you that's not going to happen. We jave no floating bridge to the Olympic Peninsula.

About the way her husband treats her is I feel partly her fault as she put up with it for 20 years or so. I can remember when men thought their wives were to cook and clean and come straight home from work. Because she allowed that kind of treatment he figured it would be a walk in the park to just go back and start over with no fuss.I am glad it didn't work that way.

JUDY: Welcome. One of the things I so much enjoy about these discussions is that we get input of all kinds. It didn't occur to me to even question if the bridge to the Olympic Penninsula exists. How do you get there? I assumed that Mystic Lake is a fictional place. Am I right about that?

I don't know that much about the Olympic Peninsula. You get there either by ferry boat or driving around through Tacoma and then taking a big suspension bridge. It is a long drive but very pretty. The ferry rides vary in length according to your destination. Neither my husband or myself know of a Mystic lake but that doesn't mean there isn't one. The ferry's go to Bremerton, Kingston,& Winslow. On the Peninsula there are many things to see and do. There is a town called Sequim where many people from here and Alaska retire. For some unknown reason there is very little rain there. There is also a hot spings up in the mountain called SolDuc which is nice. The other day in my driving I looked up at a huge purple truck and on the side it said Mystic trucking, I thought that was interesting. This is probably more than you ever wanted to know but there it is. hehe

Hi JUDY, and many welcomes. Thanks for the look at the real-life Olympic peninsula. If I ever travel in that area, I'd love to look at it, particularly Sequim. People from Alaska are surely accustomed to living with a lot of natural beauty around them. If Sequim is one of their choices for retirement, it must be something to see.

I feel sympathetic toward Annie. You're absolutely right that she's been too passive, but when I was a young girl, that's just what society encouraged in us. The feminine ideal was to marry, produce some babies and cater to your husband. Perhaps in a small town that type of expectation lasted many years longer?

Besides, I thought Annie was a basically giving and loving person. That's just the kind of woman who is least prepared for betrayal and double dealing. She wouldn't do it to her husband, and it doesn't occur to her to expect it from him. Unrealistic? Sad? I guess so, but it makes her doubly vulnerable.

Harriet

Hi everyone. So far I have enjoyed reading this book. I don't think Annie was unhappy with her life with Blake. It seems that she got married during college and having lived in a small town she led a rather sheltered life. She was happy being a homemaker and raising her daughter. Her mother died when she was very young so she didn't have a mother/daughter relationship. I think Mystic Lake is fictional but maybe it emulates a place the author has visited.

I have some very good friends that live in Squim, and I have taken that ferry but don't know of a mystic lake.

Gail

HARRIET: I like what you said That's just the kind of woman who is least prepared for betrayal and double dealing. She wouldn't do it to her husband, and it doesn't occur to her to expect it from him. That feels very real to me. I agree that when I grew up I was expected to marry and have children. I was given a great education but was expected to get an Mrs. degree in college -- and I did.

I was just looked at the beginning of the book and Kristin Hannah made very real for me how Anne was feeling as she and Blake drove Natalie to the airport. She realizes that things are going to change and feels a panic about it.

After today, nothing in her well-ordered life would remain the same, and she was not a woman who liked the sharp, jagged edges of change. She preferred things to run smoothly, down the middle of the road. ...
Wife.
Mother
These were the roles that defined her, that gave her life meaning. It was what she'd always been, and now, as she warily approached her fortieth birthday, it was all she could remember ever wanting to be. ...
But what did a mother do when her only child left home?

I was able to feel her panic when I read those words. I was led to anticipate that things were not going to go well for Anne. Still I did not anticipate Blake's announcement when he took her home from the airport. The way this is written I had to keep reading to see what would happen next.

Marjorie

Welcome GAIL! You make a good point!

Annie must have considered herself happy in her marriage with Blake. Didn't she long for the return of its normal relationship with all her heart? Yet there are clues indicating that her happiness stemmed from her own adaptability and loving attitudes. Over the years, Blake had stopped trying to please her and court her. He just wasn't carrying out HIS end of the "happily-ever-after" between the two of them and Annie never seemed to notice.

Wasn't Annie finding her happiness by arranging things just the way Blake liked them and totally accepting Blakes's preferences? His preferences became HER preferences. She considered herself happy...she FELT happy...and maybe, if Blake had not confronted her, Annie would have continued to think that she had a marvelous marriage for all the rest of the days of her life.

It makes me wonder...what IS the definition of happiness in a marriage anyway?

Harriet

When I read your post, MARJORIE, I found myself thinking about an old movie that I see aired from time to time on TV. It's called An Unmarried Woman starring Jill Clayburgh. Has anyone else caught it?

The scene that's fixed in my mind is the one where Clayburgh's husband breaks the news that he wants a divorce. It's a perfectly normal day for Clayburgh in what she sees as a perfectly happy marriage. She has settled contentedly into her self-appointed role of loving wife and mother. She and her husband go for a jog together and she chatters on cheerfully about family matters as they keep pace together. She doesn't notice how tense and edgy her husband seems to be.

Then, as they jog, Clayburgh's husband tells her his feelings...he's in love with someone else and he's moving out of their home. I could see the total shock and disbelief on Clayburgh's face. Her initial reaction is fury and she screams at him, but then his words sock her in the gut and she doubles over and has to run to the curb of the street to be sick.

She's betrayed and rejected by the person she loves; her whole pattern of life is about to change. It's totally unexpected to her... just as it was for Annie Colwater in Mystic...just as it is, sadly, for many real-life women.

Rejection can be powerful stuff. It takes time and resiliency to overcome.

Harriet

GAIL: I was so surprised when I got here this morning to discover that your post was just ahead of mine. Our posts have exactly the same time on them. That happens sometimes and I always forget after posting to check and see if someone new posted before me. I am delighted you are here and that you enjoyed the book. Sequim sounds like a place I would like to visit some day.

Great conversation here everybody. I will be back later.

I was just re-reading the chapter about Blake and Anne taking Natalie to the airport. Can't we all relate to the empty nest syndrome? I think alot of us were stay at home Mom's while our children were growing up. I can certainly relate to Ann's feeling when Natalie left home. Things change but isn't life a constant change. I'll be anxious to hear about everone elses views. Gail

GAIL: I, too, was a stay-at-home mom until my children were in high school. Then I went to the local junior college to take computer courses because my husband told me I would like them and I wanted to prove him wrong. Well that didn't happen. I was a programmer for 9 years. So I "left" home before my children by a couple of years. Of course, at the point I went back to school they were teenagers and not around much anyway.

I noticed when I was rereading the book in preparation for this discussion that there is a quotation at the beginning of each of the 3 parts of this book. Before Part One this is the quote:

The true voyage of self-discovery lies not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.
----Marcel Proust

I can see this applying to more than Part One.

It is true that in Part One the thing that "slaps me in the face" is how Anne has to take a brand new look at her life and redefine what it is she is looking at. I don't think that is complete in Part One.

Marjorie

I almost missed the new discussion here. I thought I'd subscribed earlier, but evidently forgot to click the subscribe button.

I think Annie's dependence on Blake stems from her childhood. She tried to be the "good girl" for her heartbroken father. He didn't try to meet his little girl's emotional needs when the wife/mother died. Annie, in a way, performed the wife duties because she tried to keep things on an even keel for her Dad--when he should have been doing it for her. Her friendship with Kathy and Neil fits that pattern, too. She loves Neil, but doesn't want to rock the boat for Kathy or him, and doesn't let her feelings show.

The trip to the airport gives us a few hints about Blake's self centeredness and detachment from the family. It also gives us a picture of the closeness of Annie and Natalie. Kristin Hannah wrote that scene well. It makes you relive the pain of letting a child go into adulthood.

Here's a little personal story about our first leaving the nest: Bob was working out at the Nevada Nuclear Test Site while the children and I stayed home in Albuquerque. He came home on weekends, but was unable to be there when I had to put our oldest on the plane for Alabama where he was going to college. The night before the big day Bill came downstairs and said, "Mom, I have something I want to talk about before we leave tomorrow". I thought, how sweet. He wants to tell me what great parents we were, etc. He then said, "Let's don't have a scene at the airport". He knew I was going to weep buckets and he didn't want to be embarrassed. I managed to maintain control until he mounted the steps to board the plane. I think it's a funny story today, but that night I was crushed! Sue

Welcome SUE! It's great to see you here! I'm so glad you found us.

Well everyone, I guess I eased my way into an empty nest so gradually that I missed out on the trauma. We lived very close to his University and, when our only son started college, he commuted from home for the first semester. Mid-year he found some dorm housing and by his second year he was sharing an apartment with friends. Because of the geographical proximity he dropped in for visits or we sometimes met him for a cuppa coffee and some talk at one of the local malls. Inevitably the visits grew less, but contact was always there. He still lives in-state.

It sometimes flashes through my mind how lucky I am to have a son who lives in the same state that we do. When one of my sister's children moved a continent away, to California, I identified with her loneliness. I remember hoping that wouldn't happen to us. I know there's always a possibility that young people can relocate, but I hope very, very much that I'm not called upon to make that adjustment. The very thought of it makes me sad.

Harriet

We've been talking about how good-natured and accommodating Annie is, but we also have some clues to the spunk and sass that may have always lived deep inside of her.

In chapter 3, Blake visits Annie with tentative divorce settlement papers. He expects her to be grateful that he wants to take care of her and Natalie. Annie surprises him by insisting, "I'm not going to make this easy for you." Annie reminds him that SHE helped him build his law firm and worked side by side with him in the early days of their marriage. She says that he is talking about "OUR" money. Moreover Annie forces a commitment from Blake that he'll "cool down" for three months and won't go any further with the divorce until Natalie returns home.

Even though Annie is in a lot of emotional pain, maybe, as Marjorie pointed out, she has already begun to "redefine what she is looking at in her life with new eyes."

Harriet

SUE: I am glad you found us. I was worried that you didn't have time to post because of how Bob has been feeling. I hope he is getting better each day. You mentioned Anne's relationship with Kathy and Neil. Please remind me who they are. I read the book twice and I am drawing a blank. Maybe after I shut off the computer I will go back to the book and look for them.

HARRIET: I like the way you use the words "spunk and sass" to apply to the way Anne reacted to the papers Blake brought her. I just thought of the anger inside her coming out. I like your positive words much better. Confrontation doesn't just have to be anger. What a novel thought!

Just getting here. I have had company all weekend. First, Marjorie, I think she means Nick not Neil and Kathy was his wife.

I agree with most of the comments that have been made about Annie. I also think that even though she took care of her dad, that she allowed him to push her into a marriage that she probably would not have chosen. He wanted her to marry someone from somewhere else and someone who would have a big job and make lots of money....so she did.

I agree she was busy making everything good and right with her husband and daughter, that she didn't even realize that this isn't really what she would have chosen. And while her husband had little to do with Natalie, she didn't really mind. She just took over...and made excuses for him. It's only when she starts looking back that she realizes she was living a life she would not have chosen.

Northern Joan

Northern Joan I agree with you. Once Blake told Annie he was in love with someone else, she started to re-evaluate her life and realize she may have missed out on the togetherness of family. I think she was living her life through her daughter and once Natalie and Blake left she felt useless and needed direction. She turned to her friend Terri, but Terri was married and had a home and husband. Annie did the only thing she felt she could do she went home to her Dad.

NORTHERN JOAN: Good to see you here. I am sure you are right that Nick and Kathy are the people referred to before.

Anne certainly put everyone else's needs/wants before her own. She was very busy doing that before Natalie and Blake both "left" her. In my own life I have found that it takes a lot more attention to know what I want than to just do what others appear to want or need from me.

Marjorie, N. Joan is right--it's not Neil, it's Nick. Kathy was the third best friend in high school who needed Nick. Both girls loved him, but Annie deferred to the Nick/Kathy twosome--sort of the way she deferred to her Dad, then later to Blake and Natalie. Annie never thought she should put herself first--until she began to see what a jerk Blake was. Sue

Hi N. Joan and many welcomes! It's so nice to be talking together again.

Joan, what a good point you made about Hank, Annie's father. There's no doubt that he loves Annie, but he had no confidence in her ability to make her way in life without a man's protection. He encouraged her to marry someone who would provide and care for her.

Also, as Sue pointed out, he allowed a very young Annie to care and fuss over HIM after the death of her mother. Hank didn't notice that Annie was learning to put other people before herself too often...both in her childhood home and in her personal life.

Likeable as he is, I think Hank might be a man with an old-fashioned, courtly idea of marriage. Unconsciously, he assumes that his daughter will need a marriage in which the man earns the money and the woman reciprocates by offering unlimited emotional loyalty. When we look at Annie's background it might explain a lot about Annie's too-tolerant personality. She was evolving into the type of person who was good at anticipating what others needed and, as Marjorie noticed, often unaware of her own needs.

Gail, when I think about your very accurate assessment of the relationship between Annie and Natalie, I can't help remembering Annie's feelings about her own mother. In chapter 3:

"She'd missed her mother so often over the years...at high school graduation, on her wedding day..."

Annie knew what it felt like to grow up motherless. She wanted to ensure that her own daughter enjoyed a rich and loving maternal relationship. I wonder how much her strong identification with little girls who have to grow up without a mother will impact her coming relationship with Izzy, Nick's daughter?

Harriet

I've been trying to picture the road to Mystic Lake in my head. I'm getting the impression of a wild place with lots of beautiful scenery. Judy, Gail you've both been in the real-life Olympic Peninsula of Washington? Can you help us "see" the area?

Can we see the ocean? Are there mountains? Are there many houses or clustered towns? Does the weather have four seasons? Is it mostly rural, or does it have upscale or farming communities?

Annie winds up in the fictional, countrified logging town of Mystic Lake. It sounds like the classic small town that you "miss" if you turn your head. But for Annie, it's filled with the memories and fragrant scents of her childhood. She is on her way home.

Harriet

I/m not to ot at describing things can't even spell. hehe

You can take a ferry from the Nothern part of the Olmpic Pensulia to Victoria in B.C. so I am sure that you can see the ocean from there. There is lots of water to be seen. You come across Elliott bay and Puget Sound. Theres lots of water. Actually the O.P. is the begining of the cascade mountains and it is incredible beautiful. There is one drive that people take in the spring up above Bremerton to Wildcat Lake which is heavly covered with rododendrons, they are wild is it is quite a site to see. Most people on vacation or visiting go there to do something in the mountains. Sol Dc Hotsprings that I mentioned before is in the mountains. It is a full day trip to go there from here including either the ferry or driving around.

Gosh, but it sounds beautiful, Judy. We're New Jerseyites, but awhile back we treated ourselves to a trip from Seattle to Vancouver, BC and from there we ferried to Victoria. We never got to the wilder areas of Washington, but the sight of the white tipped mountains in the distance was lovely.

The closer we got to Canada, the chillier it got. We travelled at the beginning of May, and the daytime Seattle temperature was around a mild 65 - 70 degrees. But In Victoria, BC, the night temperatures dipped to 35 - 40 degrees. Brr-r! We were sure glad we had some warmer jackets!

I'm so glad that we had an opportunity to do that last year because I bet that going through the Canadian - US border, and then returning home to the USA is now tougher than it used to be.

Harriet

It seems like Annie found her place in Mystic Lake. She met up with Nick her old boyfriend and his little girl Izzy. Izzy needed Annie as much as Annie needed her. Annie realized that other people had needs and she went about helping as was her character. Hank is not too happy about Annie meeting Nick again and he has tried to discourage any kind of contact. This is Annie's way of overcoming her depression and getting her mind off her own problems.

GAILIE: I really liked Izzie. Kristin Hannah makes her so real. Anne is so natural and patient with her. I know that what Anne was doing with Izzie was taking care of someone else again. However, she was so good with the child that Izzie was able to communicate with her.

Just in case any of you are interested there is a celebration going on in the Book Exchange right now. 2002 books have been exchanged since the beginning (I have forgotten how many years that is.) There are lots of goodies over there.

JUDY: Someday, when I do some traveling, I will have quite a lot of places to go. Many of the books we have discussed are set in locations that sound intriguing.

I thionk Annie's ability to help Izzy stemmed from remembering her own feelings as a child when she lost her mother. She was able to tell Izzy how she felt and that made Izzy know that Annie understood and she was able to relate to her.

Hank indeed fits all the descriptions we have given him. I agree that he probably didn't realize how detrimental his behavior was. I think in the end, he began to realize and tried to change but I'm getting ahead of the story.

:What about Nick? What are your feelings about the way he handled his wife's suicide and his lack of concern for Izzy?

Northern Joan

You have just brought up a thought provoking question, JOAN. Thank you.

I've been thinking about it a lot and my opinion keeps veering back and forth. It's such a terrific poser that I'm sure MARJORIE and I would hope to see it discussed a bit. Nick can't cope, so he drinks? He's a sensitive idealist whose little girl wears stained clothes to school? He's a man with tenderness and feelings? Well, he's different from Blake, that's for sure. Right? Wrong?

I'm going to defer my opinion, for a little while anyway, and throw the ball to others. I know MARJORIE will want to make her own decision. This issue might produce an interesting variety of opinions, and that's the kind of thing that makes these discussions so much fun. There are no right or wrong answers here...there is only how each of us sees Nick's problem.

Here's a nice, meaty bone for us all to chew on from our own unique point of view. I'm curious about everyone else's opinions. JUDY, GAIL, SUE? Anyone with strong feelings about Nick's coping problems for one reason or other? Any lurkers? Please weigh in.

Harriet

Boy do I have some thoughts on that but have to go to work and then take care of my Mother. Be back this afternoon .

Waiting eagerly, Judy.

Anyone else? All opinions are eagerly received.

Harriet

I've been thinking about the way Nick handled his wife's suicide. I think he blamed himself. He felt he was the MAN and should have been able to control his wife's mental problems. He loved his child but he couldn't cope with her. He didn't want to fail again, so he just tried to forget by drinking.

I think the problem Nick has is that he feels he is supposed to care for other people. He not only thought he should have been able to "control his wife's mental problems" as GAIL said; he also chose Kathy over Anne in high school because Kathy was more needy. He didn't think Anne needed him so he chose Kathy. Anne, in return, was willing to go along with whatever decision Nick made at that time. It didn't help that Kathy was her best friend. It never occurred to Anne that Nick might really prefer to be with her. But that is the way every romance I have read works. Lots of misunderstandings between the characters.

But, if he is "caring", what about Izzy?

N. Joan

I think we can all agree with Gail and Marjorie's perceptive posts. Nick is a guy who is attracted to people in need and finds personal satisfaction in helping them. This makes him a "caring" man. However I see other aspects to his present problems. N. Joan reminds us about the rest of his behavior in this quote from her post #36.

"But, if he is "caring", what about Izzy?"

Wow, Joan!

It occurs to me that Nick didn't understand that Kathy was just too ill for him to be able to help her by himself. He didn't grasp that Kathy's mental illness was a genuine sickness and needed genuine psychiatric care. He incorrectly believed that, if he loved his wife enough, she would regain her "will power" and be normal. Nick talks to Annie in chapter 7:

"Now she's gone, all I can think about is how selfish I was, how stupid and naive. I should have listened to that doctor and hospitalized her. At least she'd be alive..."

So Nick wallows in GUILT, and his guilt leads to his drinking.

And maybe he STILL hasn't learned his lesson! Nick has a little girl with emotional and delusional problems and, instead of getting competent medical help for her, Nick continues to cater to his own guilt and drinks way-y-y too much liquor. He leaves poor Izzy to shift for herself! He STILL doesn't understand the limitations of what he can do by himself or his responsibility to get Izzy effective medical help!

Maybe he is still naive....and even a bit selfish?

Harriet

No time yesterday, so I'll be a little late today. It is a pet peve of mine that in the movies on the TV and everywhere in daily life if a tradgedy occours small and I mean really small or big what does the media picture? The first thing they do is go make themselves a drink. Ah the answer to all ones problems in a bottle. In the soaps, some little thing goes wrong and straight to the bottle. I feel this sends a message to the population this is how you solve your problems. I did not like the way Nick went to the bar every night and drank himself into a stupor. The little girl suffered from his absence and of course blamed herself. Her Mother was gone and in most way so was her Father.I am glad that finally Anne put her foot down and he straightened out. Off my soap box now. hehe

Judy reminds us that Izzy suffered from Nick's absence and of course "blamed herself." Her mother was gone and "in most ways, so was her Father."

That seems very true to me, Judy. How right you are! No matter how we pretty it up, when Annie comes back to Mystic Lake her old boyfriend, Nick, has deteriorated into a drunk! He has given up on his life and allowed pain to take over. He uses alcohol to dull reality and abandons little Izzy so that she doesn't have ANY parent.

Not so nice!

When Annie and Nick come together again, it's going to be an interesting mix of two complex people. Annie is used to anticipating the needs of the people she cares about. She's a terrific mother and she's an upbeat organizer. She knows how to handle the details of people's lives in an optimistic, cheery way. After Blake's rejection she is hungry for appreciation and affection. She thrives on being NEEDED. Nick certainly has needs!

Nick used to be a tender and caring man. He can heal himself and be that way again IF he has a simple, loving relationship, Nick is a man who can appreciate a sweet, intuitive woman like Annie...especially since he once loved her. He wouldn't put down her efforts to be helpful as Blake did. Annie is a woman who longs to accept love and give love in return. She needs someone who notices and is grateful for all of her good qualities. Maybe Nick is just the right guy for all that.

Maybe these two damaged people can help Izzy and each other.

What do you think of Izzy getting suspended from school? What about that little black glove that Izzy wears these days?

Harriet

Harriett I think the black glove was the childs way of trying to make her hand go away. She figured if she dissapeared piece by piece soon she would no longer be seen and then she would be with her Mother who has dissapeared. (sp)

As I was thinking how to respond to all the posts above me I realized that almost everyone in Mystic feels guilty about something -- Nick feels that he should have been able to "save" Kathy; Anne feels guilty that Blake turned away from her; and Izzy feels guilty that her mother and father both left her. Did Hank have any feelings of guilt? How about Blake or Natalie?

The black glove startled me when I first read about it. I was impressed how the author gave meaning to it. Did Izzy put it on her hand or did Nick do that? Where would Izzy have found a black glove to wear?

Back in Chapter 2 there is a section about Anne:

She walked dully through her house, trying to figure out what she'd done that was so wrong, how she had failed.

If only she knew that, maybe then she could make it all right again. She'd spent the past twenty years putting her family's needs first, and yet somehow she had failed, and her failure had left her alone ...

Somewhere along the way, she'd forgotten what she should have remembered. ... People left, and if you loved too deeply, too fiercely, their swift and sudden absence could chill you to the soul.

As Anne comes to Mystic and back into Nick's life she seems to forget what she remembers in Chapter 2.

Marjorie

We are all giving Annie credit for getting Nick straightened out but if you recall she is not the one who got him to go to AA meetings. It was the man who had taken Nick in (can't remember his name and returned the book to the library) and if I remember correctly Nick works under him. He really has more people concerned for him than it would appear.

About Izzy being suspended from school. Somehow that doesn't all follow.....and if you recall later she is invited back for a party. Somehow, I don't think a school would just suspend someone with Izzy's problems. I think there would have been more effort to help both Izzy and her dad.

Well folks, I will be gone all next week so will be unable to comment as you go along....but will be eager to read what you have written.

Northern Joan

What do you think about Nick and Annie starting an affair? It seems like they both jumped into this rather quickly. Love on the rebound? Nevertheless Annie has helped Izzy. But what will happen to the little girl when Annie returns to California. She has a home and daughter there.

Joan, I looked up the name of Nick's good friend and boss, Captain Joe Nation. Joe helped Nick out when he was young, and is still doing so. You hit on a point that puzzled me also, Joan. Every child must, by law, go to school. So how could the school just send Izzy away?

You will be missed, Joan. Are you going to an Elderhostel? If so, have a great time. Please try to post as long as you can.

Another point: Marjorie asks how does such a young child get a glove? Seems to me that Nick had to cooperate in providing her with ANY glove, much less a black glove in the starting stages of her delusion? Why would he do that? Maybe Izzy would have had a harder time imagining the disappearance of her hand if she didn't have a glove?

How does the glove stay clean while Izzy eats, washes up, sleeps? Seems to me she'd have to own a few gloves to change into?

Gail, when Annie and Nick had their first meeting the fireworks started right away! Maybe it was too much too fast? Afterwards, Annie whispers in astonishment, "This did not happen."

Annie is afraid of loving any man after the pain of Blake's rejection. I love Marjorie's quote about the risk of loving. That's an insightful look into Annie's thinking.

Harriet

Harriet you made a good point about the black glove. How did Izzy get it? Maybe it belonged to her Mother. Why did the school suspend a seven year old? They do have programs for troubled children. Nick should have sent Izzy for therapy instead of turning to drinking. What would have happened to Izzy if Annie had not returned to Mystic Lake? I was glad Nick and Annie rekindled their love affair. They both needed each other.

I have no intention of sidetracking this great discussion. I saw a fascinating post recently about fiction in general. Paraphrasing the poster was saying that whether or not something could have happened or should have happened a certain way in any book. Fiction is what the author chose to have happen. Hmmm.

JOAN: I had forgotten about Joe Nation. He was a big influence on Nick.

GAIL: I like the way that Anne helped Izzy. Anne just accepted her exactly the way she was. When Izzy wasn't talking, Anne talked to her just as if Izzy was responding. Then finally Anne thought of a way to communicate without Izzy having to speak. Anne is being presented as someone who I would like to know. She is so accepting.

Marjorie

You have an excellent point, Marjorie.

Kristin Hannah writes an engrossing and romantic story. It's more fun to be accepting of the details that help the story move along nicely. After all, since Ms. Hannah does the writing, she has the ability to show us the world HER way.

Harriet

Except for a few details, I think the story Kristin Hannah tells is one that I could imagine actually happening.

Up in the heading, there is the sentence Kristin Hannah writes another poignant and tender story of love, loss, passion, and the fragile threads that bind families together. I copied that sentence from the Barnes & Noble about this book. When I copied the sentence the word true appeared before the word story. Since the book doesn't say anything anywhere about this being a true story, I deleted the word true in the heading.

I think what we have been doing is trying to understand the characters that Kristin Hannah gave us in her story.

Do you think the setting has a part in making the characters who they are? Would Nick be the same person if he were living and working in Los Angeles when he was married to Kathy? Would Anne have been the same person if she and Blake married and were living in Mystic? Somehow I can't imagine Blake living in Mystic.

Marjorie

More to think about.

When Lurleen, the hair stylist, told Annie that Kathy was dead, Annie felt shock and guilt. She and Kathy had always promised each other to stay friends. Yet their lives had taken different paths and they hadn't taken the time to stay in touch. Annie had always meant to call her, and now it was too late.

Annie is disoriented by her own marital problems and upset over Kathy's death. Annie might have chosen to go home to her father for some comforting support and loving talk. Instead Annie decides to drive around and give herself time to regain control of her emotions before going home. From Chapter 5:

"She knew she had to put on a happy face when she saw her dad."

I wonder, is it really Hank who creates this pressure? Or is Annie a woman who prefers to put herself in order before facing the world? Do Annie's pressures come from Hank or from herself, or a combination of all of these?

Harriet

GAIL, JUDY, JOAN, and SUE: Where are you? HARRIET and I can keep talking about On Mystic Lake by ourselves. But that wouldn't be the fun it will be when there are posts from all of you. I know JOAN said she would be out of town but I thought that would be next week. I hope you are all just busy.

HARRIET: It seems to me that Anne has taken on more than her share of responsibility as a must in her life. It may well have started when she was just a child. It seems to me that one of the goals in this story is for Anne to figure out who she is and what she wants for herself. That is not an easy task for any of us. (at least it wasn't for me)

Marjorie

Annie takes a walk through town and decides to buy some new clothes to go with her new haircut.

It's funny how a change in hairstyle or clothes-style can change a person's self-image. Annie cut her hair JUST because she knew Blake had liked it long. It was an assertive act of defiance and rebellion...a beginning in finding out who SHE is and what SHE wants. But she still wasn't comfortable with her new look. The contradiction between her newly pixie hair and her sophisticated, luxury fabric clothes still left her feeling that she was straddling both her old and her new world, but was not truly part of either.

When she completed her identity change with inexpensive jeans, sweatshirt and sneakers she saw a new Annie in the mirror. She looked and felt like a more casual and much youonger person. An old friend tells Annie, "You look like a teenager." A look in the mirror reminded Annie of the girl she was before she ever met Blake.

A brand new Annie decides to visit Nick and meet Izzy.

Harriet

Marjorie and everyone: I related to what you said. It's really tough to make personal life-changing decisions. Sometimes I've felt apologetic or defensive about my choices and that can be a very wearing experience.

For financial and personal reasons, I returned to full-time teaching when my son was not yet in kindergarten. Nowadays, that wouldn't be unusual...but I made my choice toward the end of the traditional, stay-at-home-mommy era. An awful lot of people offered me advice about working vs. staying home. It tore me apart because it aroused all my doubts about my own actions.

Nowadays we are in a very different era and women are encouraged to "do their thing" and explore their potential. I feel as if I'm still behind the eight-ball. I may have DONE today's modern thing back when I was a young mother, but I still carry many of the attitudes of a woman from the l950's. I find that I think many times before I choose my preference above that of someone I love. I guess by today's standards, some might say that I'm not assertive enough.

It's near impossible to please everybody. Maybe all of us do a lot of private thinking about our life choices and often wonder about the what-ifs. Maybe WHO we are is in a constant state of flux according to situation and circumstance and mood. Maybe doing our best TODAY is the right way to go, and we shouldn't beat ourselves up about it.

I think that making personal decisions is hard to do.

Harriet

Yes many people have made hard decisions and I for one made more that one that were bad. Hindsite tells me I should have looked before I lept. hehe

In Fridays paper here there is a large article on Spectacular peninsula was made for walking. It shows a beautiful picture pf :ale Crescent. I will just put one small part as I thought you might enjoy.

HURRICAN RIDGE ROAD\\

The Olympic National Park's most dramaatic gate-way is Hurricane Ridge Road, ascending south out of Port Angeles for 18 miles and a breathtaking 5,200 vertical feet. AT the top is a small visitors center with a patio overlooking hte mountainsAs views go, its an eye-popping wonder.

To the west we saw glaciated 7,965 foot Mount Olympus posed like a patriarch among lesser pinnacles. Olympus the tallest peak in the range was named in 1788 by a sea captain versed in mythology.

Theres more but I am sure this would give you an idea of the O.P.

Gosh Judy, if only we could all have the benefit of hindsight BEFORE we make a decision, how much easier our lives might be. I'm sad to say that my crystal ball doesn't seem to work any better than yours.

Thanks so much for the look at Olympic Park. I do love spectacular, panoramic views and this sounds like a great one. Some years back I traveled through Colorado's Million Dollar Road. I think it got its name back in the 1880's because it was carved at the edge of a mountain and was so narrow, curving and treacherous that some people who survived a round trip said they wouldn't take a million dollars to travel it again.

Of course it's safer now. And OH! that scenery is gorgeous!

Harriet

JUDY: Maybe I didn't understand your post. I read the quote from the article and thank you for that. It seemed like HARRIET found some pictures but I didn't see either a link or a URL anywhere. What am I missing?

I am no different than any of you. There are definitely things I would have done differently when I look back. The thing I hate about "learning better" how to do things is not being able to change the mistakes I made.

At the beginning of Part 2 of the book is the quote:

In the midst of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer. -- Albert Camus

Anne, Nick and Izzy certainly all were experiencing a "winter" when this part of the book begins. Each one of them is in the midst of an emotional "winter."

What other things can be found in this quote? How do each of the characters learn that they have a "summer" in them?

Marjorie

Marjorie I didn't send any pictures or a url. I might look around here if I have time to see if I could find some.

If you put Olympic Peninsula in a search engine you will be there for a week.

Heres 2 I found the second one is the best

1. http://www.olympic-peninsula.com/

2. www.OlympicPeninsula.org

I've been thinking about Nick. He's a romantic hero with a whole lot of flaws. He's a policeman who drinks, and then drives, still drunk, home to his little daughter. He's a cop who carries a gun even when drinks. So far though, Nick seems to do his drinking AFTER he goes off duty. Annie's father, Hank, warns Annie that Nick is TROUBLE. Maybe he's right?

Does Nick understand that he is repeating his own horrific past with little Izzy? Nick remembers, in chapter 8, how he followed his own drunk mother around "like a hungry dog, begging for scraps of affection, taking whatever affection she would occasionally fling his way."

Now Nick's own daughter hungers for the scraps of HER father's love. Nick is so self absorbed with his own feelings that he doesn't notice how Izzy worships him, or tries to make him breakfast and catch his attention. In chapter 9, Izzy's greatest ambition is to see her daddy laugh again and hear him talk to her tenderly. How poignant that is!

Once, Nick thought "that when he put on his uniform, he would be invincible. He'd actually thought he could save people who had no desire to be saved. Between his job and Kathy, life had taught him a lot. His idealism had been hacked away. Without it, he didn't know who he was."

So, Nick is sorry for himself. He looks for comfort in a bottle. Is he justified? Can anyone really change the world and all the disappointing people in it?

Maybe Nick has to change his goals. Perhaps Nick has to understand that the person he can best change successfully is himself.

But how can Nick reshape himself? How can he learn to be a good father and cope with his life and his job?

Harriet

Hi, Judy.

I saw your posts after I put mine in. What a doll you are to do all that work! I'm going to enjoy looking at that nice information about the Olympic Peninsula on the links you provided.

Thanks very, very much!

Harriet

Sorry I've been so busy making drapes for our new home. I also voluntered at my granddaughters school. It was their annual crab fest. My daughter has been reading this book, she is not usually into romance novels but this one has held her interest. I was thinking about Annie going back to her hometown. It must have felt strange to her after living in a big city. I moved across the country to a big city. When I first moved here 18 years ago I kept in constant touch with my friends back home, but like Annie we lost touch and now when I go back to visit it's like we have nothing in common anymore. I wonder if Annie would have found her friendship with Kathy different if Kathy had lived. We all change over the years and form different interests and new friends. I think Annie would have found that so with Kathy.

What must Annie have felt when Blake came to Mystic Lake? Blake certainly didn't fit into that small community. I felt like he felt he was too good and too smart for the people of Mystic Lake. I'm sure he felt like he was better than they were.

JUDY: Thanks for the links. I will put the second one in the heading so other people can check it out.

GAILIE: I am sure that it had to be difficult for Anne to return to her home town. I think you are right that Kathy and Anne wouldn't have anything in common if Kathy had been there to greet her.

I wonder how "real" it is for the attraction to still be there between her and Nick. They have both changed in the interim. The attraction is great for the story and I find it in many of the books I have been reading lately. Nick and Anne were both changed in many many ways from when they had seen each other last. There were a lot of compromises that would have to be made if they were to "get together."

GAILIE: You mentioned your daughter enjoyed this book. She would probably enjoy all of Kristin Hannah's books. I have read 8 or 9 and liked every one of them. PURPLE SAGE, my housemate, gave me On Mystic Pond to read. She doesn't usually read romances either. She reads a lot of fiction, but not the traditional romance. We have both read all the Kristin Hannah we could find.

Marjorie

Gailie, Interesting point you brought up What would time have done to Annie and Kathy's friendship if Kathy had lived?

Kathy was suffering from serious mental illness and she often refused to take her medicines. She was moody and unpredictable with Nick and sometimes helpless and unable to cope with her little daughter. Would our efficient, cheerful Annie have liked her? Or understood her? I wonder.

Nick had his own coping problems. He was depressed by how hard it was to help others in his job. Sometimes he longed to share his frustrating day with Kathy, but his wife couldn't handle anything more. She was busy CREATING problems through her illness.

Each one of them unwittingly did damage to Izzy. Now Annie is babysitting their troubled child. Izzy doesn't talk. She has delusions about her hand disappearing, and she thinks she sees her dead mother. Wow!

In one of her posts, Marjorie pointed out how helpful it is that Annie can treat Izzie in an accepting, normal way. Annie is a terrific, intuitive mother. Maybe she is just what Izzie needs. She dresses Izzy in clean, attractive clothes, establishes some communication through shaking a spoon for "yes" or "no" and begins Izzy on a journey back into the real world.

Annie is allowing herself to love and care again...and for her, that's moving into deep waters.

Harriet

Just when Annie makes her decision to leave Blake, she finds out she is pregnant. There is no doubt as to who the father is. She finally was getting her life together and finding hapiness with Nick. She is a wonderful and caring mother, so maybe this is a good thing. However, she will have to bring up this child by herself, Blake didn't get involved with Natalie so he probably wouldn't with this child either.

GAILIE: I had just prepared this post while you were posting about the time Anne finds herself pregnant. I found that part of the book was one where I was "sitting on the edge of the chair" wanting things to work out right but not sure what I meant when I said that.

I was just reviewing the section where Anne, Nick and Izzy had developed a routine: Anne arrived early; Nick went to work; Anne made dinner for herself and Izzy; Nick didn't show up until after Izzy was in bed smelling of booze and cigarettes. Finally, Anne was tired of making excuses for Nick. At bedtime she told Izzy what it was like when she (Anne) was a little girl and her mother died. Her father couldn't look at Anne without remembering her mother and Anne was very lonely. Izzy responded to the story by holding Anne's hand when they climbed the stairs to go to bed.

Then while Anne was waiting for Nick, Terri phoned and wanted to know where she was and what was going on.

Terri's response was "I'd hoped you'd changed. A little bit at least. ... You just spent twenty years waiting for a man to come home -- now you're waiting for another man? That's insane."

That pushed Anne to get angry and decide to confront Nick. In my own life I seem to do best when there is someone who provides me with honest feedback. I could choose not to heed the feedback but without it it is too easy to continue doing things the same way. With good feedback, I have a chance to change my behavior. Terri provides that feedback to Anne and later Joe Nation provides that feedback to Nick. Good friends are wonderful!

If you were in Anne's place, would you have ignored Terri's comment, confronted Nick as Anne did, or ????

Marjorie

I know that Izzy is not the main character in the book. I was fascinated with the way Kristin Hannah portrayed her. I could feel her desperation that her mother is gone and longing for Nick to pay attention to her. She is stuck inside herself and trying so hard to get out and communicate. Anne really is a blessing for Izzy even though Izzy gives Anne an excuse to repeat old behavior.

I certainly hope that Anne learns when her baby is born not to keep repeating the past.

I felt so sorry for Annie when she knew she would have to leave Mystic Lake and return home to Blake. She had nine months of total bed rest due to her pregnancy. I also liked the part where she told Natalie of her pregnancy. I thought it was neat the way Terri and Natalie kept Annie company while she was bedridden.

Gailie, you really had it straight when you commented that Blake wouldn't be much of a father to the new baby. He always felt that his role was to bring home the money, and he never found the time for personal tenderness to Natalie when she was growing up. Even when she was in England, Blake had his secretary send her flowers because he wouldn't squeeze enough time and interest to phone and talk to her himself.

When Katie was born, Blake missed the boat again. Now he feels that Annie is once more important for his comfort and convenience, so he is solicitous in asking the obstetrician about HER health...but he completely forgets to ask whether his newly born daughter is alive or dead. This time Annie notices Blake's selfishness. He's some kind of father, right? His concern is only for the people who impact on HIS convenience.

Gailie, I was sorry for Annie also when she decided to go back to Blake. And, like you, Marjorie, I found it hard to figure out what was best for her. Before Katie was born, Annie had to choose between the ties of a longstanding marriage with her baby's father, and her love for Nick. She felt that Blake was her correct choice for the sake of Natalie and the new baby. After all, Annie had no way of knowing in advance whether Nick could continue to be a loving person to those who depended on him. His past track record for dependability and responsibility wasn't so terrific.

The coming months will be a crucible for all the people in this story. Nick will have to find the strength to be a father to Izzy, and to cope with a life that has no liquor and no Annie in it. Annie will have to measure her response to a newly devoted Blake and decide what is best for the coming baby. Blake will have to see if he can dredge up enough tenderness to be a husband to Annie and father to Natalie and the new baby....

Who will come through these tests successfully...and who will not?

Harriet

Annie gave birth to a beautiful little girl. I think she and Blake really love each other but are not in love anymore. They are different people with different interests. Annie needs to decide what to do with the rest of her life and the babies future. Natalie is off to college and doesn't need her anymore. Even though they will always remain close. Does Annie want Katie to grow up without a loving father. Blake provided for his family financially but was not there for them.

Happy Valentines Day!

Today, in honor of Valentine's Day, Marjorie and I bring you three moments of LOVE from On Mystic Lake.

Nick begins to accept his responsibilities as a father.

"Annie was right. He had to be a better father. No more drinking to dull the memories and sugarcoat his failures. He had to take care of his baby. Feeling awkward and unsure, he smiled down at her. "Come on Izzy-Bear, let's go."

Slowly, he covered her one bare hand with his larger, calloused one. Together they walked toward the sunroom. His steps matched hers perfectly."

Nick becomes more and more aware of his deep feelings for Izzy and Annie.

"He couldn't take his eyes off Annie. Every time she laughed, the sound moved through Nick in a shiver of longing, until he began at last to wonder how long it had been since he had laughed, since his Izzy had laughed...how long since they'd had something to laugh about or a moment together in which to find joy..."

Annie takes charge of Nick's lonely household and mothers both Izzy and Nick.

" Annie was beaming when Nick and Izzy walked in. The sunroom looked like a picture from one of those women's magazines. There was a bright blue tablecloth on the rickety plank table, with a centerpiece of huckleberry and dogwood in a crockery vase. Plates were heaped with scrambled eggs and pancakes. Beside the three empty plates were glasses of milk and orange juice.

"Sit down," she said to both of them. She helped Izzy into a seat and scooted her close to the table. Nick slowly sat down."

Marjorie and I send a loving valentine wish to everyone.

Harriet

Gailie, I think you've summarized Annie's thinking toward the end of the book perfectly.

At first Annie felt that the privilege of raising little Katie should go to the baby's biological father. Later, Annie began to understand that there is more to being a father than biological conception.

Nick had proved his willingness to be a stable and responsibie person after Annie went back to California. Once he had control of his drinking habit, he was a much more empathetic and caring person than Blake could ever be, both to Annie and Katie, as well as his own Izzy.

Harriet

In line with Valentine's Day, here is the quote from the beginning of Part Three in the book:

God gave us memories so that we might have roses in December. --- James M. Barrie

It is cold in the house this morning and feels like December today although it is really Feb. 14 and the day for roses.

I am puzzled by the meaning of that quote at the beginning of the last part of the book. By that time Anne knows that the memories she has of her marriage were a mirage. Her memories of her time with Natalie are real. Anne's memories of Kathy were also wrong. She wouldn't have expected Kathy to have committed suicide from what she remembers.

Anne's good memories seem to be those of her daughter. Are those the roses she will have later? Those are memories she will need when raising her new daughter. She had thought her child-bearing years were over when she found she was going to have another child. She had to take care of herself during her pregnancy so that this child would live.

Marjorie

I really don't like the way Blake tried to portray himself when he went to Mystic to try to get her to come back to him. He figured he'd show up and she would fall at his feet because he was kind enough to take her back. I am sorry she fell for it at all because he never had it in his mind to change.

I have nearly finished her book Angel Falls and its setting is also in Washington. I was hooked by the first few pages. I really enjoy her writing.

JUDY: I didn't like Blake at all. He never seemed to think about anyone but himself. If he wanted something, he just assumed that the other person would want to give it to him. I have Angel Falls and Summer Island waiting to be read. Both by Kristin Hannah.

Add my voice also, Judy and Marjorie. Blake wasn't my favorite guy at all. He's a selfish man. Annie DID want to give him anything he wanted for most of their marriage and yet he still felt that he was doing HER a favor by sticking around.

So...about that third quote, Marjorie...here's my reaction. When I first read the quote introducing Part 3 of the book, I felt an instant sense of disappointment. Remember, I still hadn't finished the book yet. Gosh, I thought to myself, our author is preparing us for an unhappy ending!

That quote implied to me that when this book ends, Annie will have to go back to Blake. She'll live on memories, her "roses in December," to recall what it felt like to love Nick, and be loved by him. She'll have a barren life with Blake for the sake of her duty to little Katie and Natalie...and, only in her dreams will she be able to look back on her satisfying, rose-scented "summer of life" with Nick and Izzy.

That thought made me sad!

It's a funny thing about interpreting books or words or even people. There are so many possible ways to look at them. Each of us brings our own experiences to bear and can perceive a unique aspect to what we see. That's why, after I finished the book and read the true ending, I decided that maybe our author had been doing a little "tease" to keep us "hooked" on her book when she introduced Part 3.

I thought that quote was a false signal, but it certainly worked on me! I read as fast as I could, trying to outrun Ms. Hannah's unhappy ending. And I was so-o-o grateful when Annie returned to Nick instead.

How do the rest of you guys feel about that quote that Marjorie found for us?

Harriet

HARRIET: I wanted a Part 4 to this book. I was left, knowing what would happen, but wanting to have it spelled out.

Kristin Hannah really has a way with words. What she writes always goes to the heart of the matter. Here Anna and Natalie are talking while Anne is in bed before delivering her child:

Sadness suffused Natalie's face. "I don't want to have a marriage like yours, and I don't understand why you stay with him -- I never have. That doesn't mean I don't want to be like you. There are only two people in the world who don't respect you ... as far as I know, anyway.

She [Anne] looked at Natalie, shaking her head slightly, as if she could stop her daughter's words.

"Just two," Natalie said. A single tear streaked down her cheek and she impatiently brushed it away. "Dad ... and you."

How clearly that passage says that self-respect is critical for happiness.

Marjorie

In my experience, Marjorie, the thing about self respect is that too often, the people who most need it are unaware that they are lacking it. Those are the very people who, like our heroine, Annie, are trying too hard to be fair to everyone and have an intense sense of responsibility.

Also, it isn't so easy to determine the appropriate boundary line where our responsibilities to others end...and our responsibility to ourself begins. The problem gets even more complicated because there are also plenty of people in this world with an opposite problem. They have an exaggerated sense of entitlement and a belief that all good things SHOULD come to them.

If a pair like this team up, it's difficult for either of them to get any perspective because their hang-ups dovetail so neatly. They just slide into a pattern where one of them does the caretaking/giving and the other expresses demands and takes all kindnesses as his due. That was the kind of marriage Annie and Blake had.

When Blake walked out, it was a wake-up call to Annie. It provided her with breathing space and a opportunity to get her perspectives straight. She could never have understood, at the beginning of the book, that Blake's abandonment would turn out to be a favor. If her marriage had continued without interruption, Annie might never have questioned her life-style or viewpoint about Blake.

Annie had a wise and mature daughter in Natalie. She was lucky that her daughter understood Blake so well.

Harriet

Apropos of wishing for a possible part 4, Marjorie? I agree with you because I like to have my happily-ever-after spelled out more clearly.

The author felt that her book was ended when Annie showed a clear sense of what she wanted out of life and turned her car north toward Mystic, feeling optimism and hope. In other words, Annie showed self respect. That was great, but I wanted more also.

I wanted to be there for the reunion between Annie and Izzy and Nick. I wanted to know what Izzy would say when she saw Katie and learned that she would have a new sister. I wanted a few pages describing the happiness of all the characters. I wanted to wallow in a few emotional scenes that were all about joy and hope. I would have wanted Natalie to express pleasure in her mother's new relationship.

I really liked the book, but... sigh....wish it happened that way.

Harriet

I've been reading all the posts since Bob went into the hospital on February 5. Many of you know he died on Feb. 11. We had a memorial service yesterday. Today I finally am able to look at my subscriptions as my children have gone home now. I'm going to stay with my middle son and wife tomorrow and Tuesday night, but hope to get back to regular posting when I return on Wednesday.

I've enjoyed all your comments. One thing that occured to me about Nick's drinking and Annie's usual giving helpfulness is that in real life she would probably have been an enabler of his alcoholism. It was good that she became angry and yelled at him. It saved him from self destruction. I think Hannah made Nick drink and Annie a natural care giver to make the story more interesting. As far as another section with the happy ending, I think Hannah is like a lot of successful writers in that she gives hints or foreshadowing of the happy ending but likes to keep the reader guessing. Maybe she wants us to go on to her other titles. I forget who is currently reading Angel Falls, but I thought that one was even better than Mystic Lake. Sue

SUE: I am glad to see you back and posting. I am reading Summer Island by Hannah right now. I didn't pay attention to the ending when I was reading her other books. I will pay attention to this one and see if it also leaves me wanting more. I have enjoyed all of her books.

Nick's drinking provided the best "excuse" for him not to be there for Izzy after Kathy died. Izzy became the "reason" Anne gave herself for staying. Anne's anger at the drinking saved the romance with Nick and the story.

Sue, it's so good to see you post again. You are very welcome here. I hope your memorial service provided some comfort for your immeasurable loss. My heartfelt sympathies to you and your family.

I agree with you that Hannah is an inventive writer and often uses different literary devices to vary her characters and plot lines so that they "flow." Your comment about Nick's alcholism was an astute one.

So very glad to hear your opinion.

Harriet .