At her mother’s insistence, Marguerite Westing lets herself be courted by wealthy Roger Gordon, a man she privately calls Mr. Boring. Although Margaret normally has a lot of spunk, she lacks the courage to tell Roger that she is not interested in him. Instead she lives a lie. The lies intensify when her family spends the summer of 1895 at Lake Manawa and she discovers sailing, a sport women just do not participate in. As time goes on, she even lies to herself about attractive Trip Andrews, her brother’s sailing instructor.
But she isn’t the only self-centered person with secrets. This sunny lakeside story soon becomes a tale of sad secrets, deception, and grief. Will truth and love win out? Will Margaret sacrifice herself to protect her father?
At first I was disgusted by high-spirited Marguerite’s self-centered, flippant prayers, her arrogant selfishness, and her many lies. By the end of the book, this young woman, supported by her praying chambermaid Lilly, has learned a few things about truth and caring for others, and has become a person I enjoy spending time with.
If you’re looking for a light and exciting summer story, this first novel by Lorna Seilstad might be just right for you. The characters are so believable that I’m looking forward to the second book in the Lake Manawa Summers series.
You can read the beginning of the novel here. Rest assured that Marguerite becomes a much nicer person as the story goes on, although she never loses her spunk.
Disclosure: This book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. and is available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
This is book number 47 in the 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge.