Mirror Lake

Not as good as Mr. Green's The Headmaster's Wife perhaps due to a lack of any surprise or twist. Fairly predictable story of a bachelor farmer meeting and marrying the local school teacher, falling ill, needing help, wife falling for the help.You get the idea.A parallel tale of directionless young man striking a friendship with the now old and reclusive farmer as the young man falls for the local barman's daughter. His first serious relationship.While it is beautifully written, the reader can easily predict where it is leading, but none the less it is a worthwhile read.

No "spoiler alerts" here; just suffice it to say that this was an enjoyable read, and I devoured this book in record time! And, very simply stated, I like Mr. Greene's writing style and storytelling technique, and hope that he continues to keep readers supplied with his work in the future! I have now read "The Headmaster's Wife", "Envious Moon", and "Mirror Lake", and am about to open "I'll Never Be Long Gone", so I am hoping that Mr. Greene will favor us with a new title SOON!

Mirror Lake is an exceptional novel. The two main characters are incredibly "human", the conflicts compelling. Greene's descriptions of the Vermont countryside convey the ruggedness and beauty of that landscape as effectively as any I have read. The frequent juxtaposition of descriptions of the foreboding and flawed yet wondrous natural setting perfectly serves to emphasize the development of character and plot in a way that is both moving and natural. Greene's characters, exceptional pacing and melancholy voice captured me, both in terms of emotional impact and taut story telling, as few novels have. I plan to revisit "Mirror Lake" in the near future. A fine achievement. Highly recommended.

Unusual story. Youngish man befriends older sad reclusive elderly mean. They both add to the other's maturing and thoughtfulness. I listened to this on CD. Was not terribly fond of the reader but the story kept my interest. If possible, I would have given 3 1/2 stars.

After reading The Headmaster's Wife I was excited to read this one. Disappointing to say the least. Not sure how this book got so many 5-star ratings on Amazon. It's boring. While the author does do a good job describing the beauty of Vermont there is nothing else here to grab my attention. Both main characters are rather cliche & predictable. After reading page after page of nothing interesting happening- no character development -- I am just bored and don't really care about any of the characters. I'm not even going to waste my time finishing it. I guess from now on unless I can read a sample I'm not going to order a book and pay shipping only to toss it in my Goodwill bin.