Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed
Review: This was by far the worst book James Patterson has written. I usually love his books but was completely disappointed by "The Lake". Felt the storyplot and written language in book was very juvenile. I didn't like the "Jester" either.
Personally, I wish that Patterson would stick to his Alex Cross stories as they are by far the best.
Rating:
Summary: Very disappointing
Review: I've been an avid Patterson reader for many years but have watched with sadness as the quality of his work has declined. The Lake House is the worst so far. One reason: the writing is plain awful. Exclamation points are supposed to convince readers that something is exciting or important. The pages are filled by making two word (or less) paragraphs. Take these excerpts:"Chapter 36
Max was up very late that night, getting absolutely nothing accomplished, futzing about in her room. Anxious.
Uncomfortable.
Angry without reason.
Couldn't sit still.
Could not.
Sit.
Still." "Chapter 41
They were elated to be together again - the flock!
The tribe!
The family!" In The Lake House, Patterson has substituted pop culture for authorship, leveraging the public's appreciation for movies, games, and other books to do the writing for him, rather than using his own words to describe scenes. He drops names like Harrison Ford, Jodie Foster, the Panic Room movie, Mulder and Scully from The X-Files, medical thriller author Robin Cook, Abercrombie, American Eagle, Playstation2, Moby, Einstein Bagels, Tony Hawk, M&Ms, and more. He even works the Harry Potter phenomenon in by calling the readers Muggles. On the one hand, I marvel at Patterson's ability to publish what seems to be about 4 books per year. But after reading these works, I realize why: formula plot, no substance. I feel like the butt of an author's joke. Perhaps he's churning out his recent books as a form of ego experiment: seeing how fast he can write a book and still, on the basis of his name alone, make the bestseller list. I hope with the response to this book it will be clear that the experiment is backfiring.
Rating: 
Summary: a sequel with room for improvement
Review: After awaiting publication of this novel, I was disappointed to find it was not a sequel to last summer's "The Beach House." The text had too many juvenalities written into it, and the character of Ethan Kane was watered down; he could have given the reader a greater sense of fear. The ending was so sketchy and botched up that a wet band-aid would have held better. But the finale leaves greater room for a sequel than "When The Wind Blows," did, which may tie up the loose ends to this novel. I only hope that the next Alex Cross novel, "The Big Bad Wolf,"(Nov. 2003) and the new womens murder club novel, 3rd Degree (Mar. 2004) are much better.
Rating:
Summary: Lake House
Review: I tried to read the book and i just could not get into it. When it said Lake House, i thought it was going to be a story about kids that were brought together to the house but NOOOO theyare freakin birds...HELLO??? What was this man thinking..give me a break or should i say"beak"..Save YOUR MONEY$$$$
Rating:
Summary: aaawful
Review: I can't believe the garbage this man is writing. I can't believe there is a publisher out there who thinks this is worth publishing. Patterson could write a grocery list and everyone would line up, eager to spend the money and time to get through this drivel. His writing is continually vapid and juvenile. If you want to read a great book, you won't find it under the name of james patterson. i didn't even want to give this a star, but that is the lowest they allow.
Rating:
Summary: James Patterson at His Worst
Review: The story continues the tale of the bird children - beautiful children with super powers and the ability to fly. They escape the School. They are reunited with Frannie and Kit. They are chased by the Bad Guys. They uncover a lab deep in the bowels of Liberty Hospital where sci fi things are going on. They get captured. They escape. All is well. End of story. Who cares? I love to read James Patterson and have read every one of his books. That said, I have to say that this is the worst book he's ever written. It was boring, juvenile (it could be a teen book), simple, poor, transparent plot - I came very close to not finishing it - something I rarely do. I kept thinking that James Patterson had his teenager try his hand at writing.... Or, that he was tired and hired someone else to write the book..... What I don't want to think is that this is the best we can expect from him in the future.
Rating: 
Summary: Birds Of A Feather
Review: Dr. Frannie O'Neill is a gifted veterinarian and although she has never given birth to a child she is the proud mother of six unusual children. Children who are glorified yet viewed as freaks of science. They are unique because they have wings and they can fly. Frannie helped them escape from a horrible school and now she feels responsible for their care. Dr. Ethan Kane is the chief of surgery at Liberty General Hospital, a place where more than medical care is going on. His research is something that can affect the world and Frannie's children will greatly enhance his efforts. Frannie is opposed the experiments Dr. Kane wants to perform and this is the beginning of a medical and mental battle between these strong willed doctors who are becoming nemeses. THE LAKE HOUSE James Patterson's latest novel, is a venture into the supernatural, but as is his trademark he expertly combines suspense that will keep readers guessing as they anxiously anticipate how he will bring this adventure to a close. Patterson's grasp has reached me in a profound way and has me visualizing where his next venture will take me. The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers
Reviewed by Simone A. Hawks
Rating:
Summary: COULDN'T FINISH IT !!
Review: I think it's a crime to give up on a book, but this is one of those that I strugged with, then 2/3 of the way through, put it down & didn't look back. Patterson is one of my favorite authors, but this is so juvenile that I wouldn't have believed he wrote it had his name & photo not been on the dust jacket! I'm glad I didn't read the original because this one has no plot & the writing is stilted & unimaginative. I'm doubly glad that I just checked it out of the library & didn't buy it.
Rating: 
Summary: fun read, but sequel almost repeat of original
Review: Like most Patterson novels, this one raced along (on top of his usual short chapters and fast pace) to a relatively satisfying conclusion, although somehow it seemed like the last 15 miles of a 500 mile race were mysteriously eluded. But unlike the author's other efforts, there wasn't much original in this story. Not only is the cast identical (except for the villain) to "When the Wind Blows" (namely, Kit, Frannie, and the six bird-children), but the plot is virtually the same as well, substituting the evil "Hospital" for the evil "School" that hatched the kids in the first place. At the Hospital, a new practice called "shucking" removes all the organs of the unknowing subject "donor" at once so that in effect a total transplant to a "deserving" older wise man can extend the life of such a valuable human. The perpetrator of this miracle work is mad Dr. Ethan Kane, who takes an interest in the six bird-children for what they can add to his "resurrection" feats. The book culminates with the first 30 total transplants while Max, Kit and Frannie are fighting for their lives to escape their captors. If this sounds a bit like Dean Koontz and Robin Cook, move over, it is. We would urge you to skip the original story else it will probably spoil this one out of sheer similarity. We had read it, but fortunately don't recall it in detail from about ten years ago. But this one can stand fine on its own, as how the bird-children came to be, their relationship with Kit and Frannie, and their special powers (flying, hearing and visual acuity, etc.) are adequately explained. How the bad guys were so totally overcome near the end is conveniently glossed over, leaving us to feel a little hoodwinked as we came down the final stretch. So - a reworked fantasy plot, and a weak tail-end are offset by an entertaining, fast-paced book in the Patterson style; so on balance, average. This book is in no way related to his similarly entitled "Beach House", but that just might be the best place to read it!
Rating:
Summary: Save your money
Review: Why is it that authors who have a sucessful 'thing' have to go and try something completely different, and be so disappointing, as Patterson has done here. Why not stay with what you do best? This is sure not it.
This guy needs to get back to his basics, and stick with what made him a good writer, previously.
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