Ladies of the Lake by Cathy Gohlke

Cathy Gohlke’s book, Ladies of the Lake, has astute readers asking a plethora of questions from the get go. Why is Rosaline Murray no longer Adelaide? Why won’t she go to her daughter’s graduation? Why did she want to disguise her voice? What is Dot’s secret? What is Rolsaline’s veil for? Join Kate and Sheila as they join Addie on her tumultuous journey. “Dear God and Father of us all, we come to You heartbroken, grieving the sudden and terrible loss of Adelaide’s beloved parents. We grieve for the loss of their strong arms about her and the loss of the home where she was born and felt safe. Now she’s on a journey, Lord, into the unknown. Be with her Father. Let her know Your love and care. Bring others into her life to help her. Remind her daily in tangible ways that she does not travel this life alone…Hold her, guide her, Father. Bless her with courage and peace only You can give. Thank You for placing this dear girl, my new friend, in my path. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.” What a beautiful prayer from the lovely woman, Mrs. Simmons, that Adelaide aka Addie met on the train! Addie’s older brother, Lemuel, sends her off to Lakeside Ladies Academy in Connecticut after the sudden drowning of her parents at sea. At the young age of twelve, she is whisked away from Prince Edward Island enroute to a new country. Addie meets Dot, Ruth and Susanna who become dear friends. The girls graduate in 1910 and Addie and Dot remain at the school to teach. They are both in love with Stephen Meyer and as tension between the girls mounts so does the tension between townspeople toward the Meyers family because their family came from Germany. Fear fuels folks to throw bricks and hand out white feathers. Are you ready to read a gripping tale told by two narrators, Addie and Dot, in two time periods, 1911-1917 (past) and 1935 (present day)? “We are all scarred in one way or another.” Ruth Scars, inside or out, should not define us. Our identity shouldn’t be in what we’ve lost but in God’s plan for us. Happy reading dear friends!