Customer Reviews

The Tall Pine Polka Your Oasis on Flame Lake

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is a good read, although to me it was a little disappointing. After reading "Patty Jane's House of Curl," I expected a quirkier book, but built on the same bedrock of real life experiences and emotions as "Patty Jane." Don't get me wrong--"Your Oasis on Flame Lake" is not a bad book. It's well written and moving in spots. The characters have the ring of truth to them. Unlike a number of other reviewers, I didn't find the alternating narrative perspectives confusing. But "Your Oasis" lacks the occasional outlandishness that made Landvik's first work so enjoyable. Where "Patty Jane's" sparkles, this book merely glimmers.

A startling look into the lives of two couples and their children, and the "me me me" that infects most of our lives. Beautifully set on Flame Lake in Minnesota, with the four adults and one child alternating narration, this is a peek into how very different things look to each person involved. The reader is introduced to the incredible ego of BiDi; 12 year old Darcy, who "plans on being a world traveler someday, mostly for the experience but partly for the hats" (can you tell she was my favorite character?); the philandering but deeply committed family man Sergio (the "Ricky Ricardo of Minnesota); the lovable/irritating car salesman/wannabe lounge lizard Dick; and his wife Devera, who is going through plenty of internal crises - the narration really makes the story of the repercussions of a terrible attack in the small town of Flame Lake. Ms. Landvik gently unveils the characters, creates a believable story line, and treats us to a lovely and ultimately hopeful visit to the North Woods.

Oasis at Flame Lake is okay, but if you're expecting a book as wonderful as House of Curl, you'll be disappointed. There's just too much going on in this book for it to hang together; I felt as though I ought to take notes or draw up an outline to keep all the plot threads from getting tangled. In some books, multiple points of view work well, but in this case, it might have made the reading easier if Landvik had simplified, stayed inside one character's head, and cut out lots of the side stories. In the case of this book, less would have been more.
Perhaps pass on this one - but DON'T MISS Patty Jane yada-yada...

Granted I had very high expectations for this book written by Lorna Landvik considering how much I adored her first book Patty Jane's House of Curl. And granted it's hard to always measure up with two books in a row. But I never expected to be as disappointed as I was with this second offering by Lorna Landvik. As charming as her characters were in her first book and however compelling events were in Patty Jane's House of Curl, they unfortunately fell very flat in this her second title.

Essentially the book delves into the lives of two families brought together by friends who are now wives and mothers. The women, now in their 40's, have been friends since their high school cheerleading and prom queen days. Devara is a bit pudgier now still married to her high school sweetheart and the mother of two daughters. Her friend, Bidi, on the other hand has maintained her girlish figure, is married for the second time and the mother of a daughter who is the star hockey player on the once all male hockey team. And then there are the husbands, which include Sergio who adores his wife's daughter, but secretly yearns for one of his own and Dick who wants to open a nightclub in the basement of his home.

Your Oasis on Flame Lake offered little for me in the way of entertainment. Even the description of a harrowing experience and its consequences failed to move me emotionally. And unlike the characters from Patty Jane's House of Curl who still remain with me years later, these characters were almost wooden and less than memorable.

It may be regrettable now that I enjoyed Patty Jane's House of Curl as I much as I did. Not only didn't I like Your Oasis on Flame Lake but I also closed the book on Landvik's third title, The Tall Pine Polka Tree after almost 100 pages when the plot was going nowhere. I still have her fourth published book to read so there is some hope. But if that proves not to my liking I can always go back and reread Patty Jane's House of Curl and once again visit with old and dear friends.

This is a story of 2 families--Devera,Dick and their families and BiDi,Sergio and their family. Devera and BiDi go way back to school days together and have been voted "The Girls who have changed the least" -a title which pleases neither of them.Terrible events occur which upset the even tenor of their story book lives and while things sort themselves out eventually,I can't really understand how a nice woman like Devera ( the fact that she went off the rails briefly notwithstanding)can STAND that totally self absorbed,cruel tongued and completely nasty piece of work--BiDi!

This is a very well-written saga of two families who have grown up in the same small town where everybody knows everybody and their business too! Written through the narratives of 5 of the central characters we learn about their pasts and accompany them through their current travails. It is the stuff of good soap operas but so well written that it is a pleasure to read. I enjoyed this book more than "Patty Jane's House of Curl" (which I did enjoy very much). I am just sorry that it sat for so long on my bedside table before I eventually got to it.

I loved Patty Jane's House of Curl, but was disappointed by Your Oasis. I found the five voices used to tell the story to be contrived. The voices were so similar that I found myself having to look back to see who was speaking.

There were a couple of good plot twists and there is potential here. The book couldn't offend many or depress anyone, but it didn't provoke much emotional reaction either. Read Patty Jane's House of Curl instead!

Your Oasis on Flame Lake was a engaging read. It is the story of families, dreams and tragedy. The story is narrated by a cast of characters. Initially, the narration is hard to follow, but once you grasp it, each of the characters has their own distinct voice. The characters are lively, and sometimes quirky, but one can eaisly relate to their struggles in life. Your Oasis on Flame Lake deals with relationships ~ sibling marital, and friendships. It also examines infidelity, addictions, and violence. Landvick, does an excellent job of allowing the reader to experience the tragedy through the characrters eyes. It was reedeming to learn how each reconciles their difficulties. This was an excellent book, I will be seeking further titles by Landvick. The issues presented would easily lend themselves to a lively book-club discussion.

I read Patty Jane's House of Curl about a year ago, then pick up Your Oasis on Flame Lake. Landvik has a different character speaking in each chapter. It is very interesting, because as the story progresses, you are hearing it from a different point of view. Landvik did a great job capturing the characters personalities. I loved it.

I liked Lorna Landvik's first book, "Patty Jane's House of Curl," but "Your Oasis on Flame Lake" is even better. BiDi and Dev have been friends since high school; now they are married, with kids, and still living in their small Minnesota hometown. "Your Oasis" tells of the crises each faces within the short frame of a year or so: infidelity, a violent attack on BiDi's daughter, an addiction to pills, and more (I don't want to spoil the plot). There's a lot packed into the book, but Landvik skillfully shows the emotional impact of these events on both families. Landvik states in the reader's guide (at the back of the book) that she considers this a more thoughtful and less emotion-driven book than "Patty Jane"; but I think "Your Oasis" also benefits from its contemporary setting and the more compressed time period ("Patty Jane" takes place over a much longer period of years). The characters are believable and very real, like people you know. The dialogue is particularly well-done and rings true. Once you get a few pages in, it's a hard book to put down: smart, funny, touching "chick lit" that is a refreshing change from the urban professional scene of the post-Bridget-Jones genre.