Full review at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books 
 The Lake House by Kate Morton is part historical fiction, part gothic mystery and part family saga-which means it's 100% Elyse-bait. 
 The mystery that binds this book together involves the disappearance of an eleven-month-old baby, Theo Edevane, in 1933. The Edevanes were a prominent family in England, and they were hosting their annual Midsummer's Night party at their summer home in Cornwall the night he vanished from his nursery. 
 It took awhile for this book to get going, partially because it's so rich in detail. Eleanor's section of the book comprises the family saga portion of this novel. She's a debutante with a dead father, a bunch of family debt, and a mom who wants to marry her off at sixteen to the highest bidder. She finds love outside her class, endures the fear and uncertainty surrounding WWI, and builds a life for her children while single-handedly holding the family together. 
 All of the complexity and detail does lead up to a mostly satisfying ending. There was one facet that made me roll my eyes a little, but for the most part I felt like my time had been well spent. For those balking at the price tag (it's definitely spendy), you do get a lot of book for your buck-about 600 pages worth. 
 The Lake House had some issues-there is A LOT going on here, tons of threads to keep track of-but it totally sucked me in. Once the novel gets its momentum, it barrels at you like a freight train. Historical fiction and mystery fans might want to put this on hold at the local library, at least while it's still in hardcover. 
 - Elyse