Rating: 
Summary: Blah
Review: Blah- that pretty much sums up this book, the sequel to "When the Wind Blows". Then again, supernatural stuff usually isn't for me- I just don't enjoy it. Of course, I always try, but it always seems so silly and fake. Which is kind of how this story came off.
The story is about a group of children that were genetically engineered to be half bird, half human. Their lives are in danger, along with the two people who discovered them in the previous book and became like mentors. Together they try to figure out why a certain doctor who owns a underground medical facility is after them, and to uncover what's going on at that facility. The characters are weak, as is the story and the ending.
While I love James Patterson's other novels like Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider- the Lake House has got to be one of his worst. I'd recommend skipping this one. In fact, if I'd read the reviews here BEFORE I started reading the book, I would have skipped it myself! At least it was a very quick read at under 400 pages with very short chapters.
Rating:
Summary: Same plot as original
Review: I am a big James Patterson fan. The scope of his writing style is amazing. I also loved the original book, The Wind Blows, in this 2 book series. It is an extremely well written, believable, heartwarming fantasy.
That said, The Lake House is nothing more than a poor rehash of the original story. The plot is the same, only the villian names are changed. Two points in the book really bothered me. Max and Oz, the oldest of the flying children are only 12, yet they make love and Max has 2 children (hatching them from eggs). I don't care if Max has bird genes which supposedly make her older than her 12 years -- she was still only 12 years old! It can't be justified by one sentence that states her bird genes make her the same age as Frannie. The second point is that a chapter must be missing from the book. The plot goes from Max and the children fighting the bad guys with overwhelming odds. No way can they win -- then suddenly Frannie is being wakened from an induced dream state to find that all the bad guys are gone and the children have triumphed. What happened? Where did the bad guys go? No explaination, just everything is suddenly OK.
The sequal to The Wind Blows could have been a great book but the Lake House just doesn't measure up. Enjoy the Wind Blows, don't bother with the sequal it will only disappoint you.
Rating: 
Summary: a joke, maybe...
Review: I do like Patterson's work. Too much "serial killer+profiler oriented", but it works well. And "First to die" was a real refreshing plot. But "The Lake House" seems to be a joke: out of the picture family romance, ridiculous plot... Barbara Cartland trying to combine thriller and passion story: this would give "the lake house". The positive points of this book: good to make you sleep early and ensures you to win a yawn contest...
Rating:
Summary: Simply Unreal
Review: I have never written a review for Amazon before, but I feel compelled to do so after reading this book. I read the large print edition, and there was so much missing in the book (such as character and story development), I thought my version had to be abridged, and a very poor effort at that. I could find no mention of it being a condensed book on the copyright page (or anywhere else on the book), so I came to Amazon to check out the facts. Imagine my surprise when reading the reviews to find that others felt the same way as I did. I really enjoyed When The Wind Blows, and waited anxiously to read another book about the children. I have read many of the books by James Patterson and find it impossible to believe that he really wrote this book. Sometimes I will accept less character development if the story is engrossing, but I can't accept a story line with holes as large and jagged as the Rocky Mountains. Really, really unbelievable, on many levels!
Rating:
Summary: Revenge of the Clones
Review: I really did enjoy reading this book's predecessor. At first, this book did not seem so bad... and then I read page 2. Seriously though, most of the book was tolerable (a FAR cry from what Patterson is capable of)... But I have never been so disappointed in an ending.Can you tell that Patterson had a minimum amount of writing he needed to do? I really felt that about 9/10 of the way through the book Patterson realized that he had almost met his quota for the month, and decided to chop the ending and make it as pathetically brief as possible. I was so disappointed by the way this book ends, and the lack of depth Patterson showed in writing this. He spreads the book in so many directions, and all of them are lucky to get a paragraph in the end to give them any summation.
Rating:
Summary: AWFUL!!! What Happened Here?
Review: I started reading this book and had to put it down right away. When I found out that a child had wings and was flying through the air, I thought, What? Patterson wrote this?
It was completely far-fetched and not even within the realm of possibility. Where was James Patterson? Did he write this in his sleep?
Rating:
Summary: GIVE ME PETER PAN
Review: It's sad to see a talented writer like James Patterson write such a trite, dull and laughable novel. I've loved his Alex Cross books and while I found WHEN THE WIND BLOWS whimsical and different, this follow up is a real dud.
First of all, enough flying narratives. Patterson fills the book with so many ridiculously redundant scenes of the kids flying around and then he has the audacity to bump one of them off. (Sorry for the spoiler, but I won't tell you which one). The whole concept becomes so frustrating that by the time they face the mad Dr. Ethan Kane, one is totally apathetic. Frannie and Kit are soporific to say the least. All the pop cultural references are amateurish and remind me of stories I wrote when I was in my creative writing class.
James, do us and yourself a favor: end this debacle and stick to Cross. Thank you!
Rating:
Summary: What a Trainwreck of a Book!
Review: Let me first say that i have read all but 2 of James Patterson books. I have shied away from "when the wind blows" and "lake house" for the longest time because the plot just seemed too far-fetched for me. When i finally read "When the Wind blows" i didnt think it was that bad of a book. It had me interested and i was able to quickly breeze through the book in a day.
I then thought i would continue the Journey of the flying kids in "the Lake house"....boy that was a big mistake. This book is a CARBON COPY of the first book. THe Hospital and the Evil doctor replace the School and Uncle Thomas from "when teh wind blows". Frannie is j ust as pathetic in this book as the prior one. Max is having preteen bird sex.
I couldnt wait for this book to be over with. Clearly Patterson just through this book out with no thought to his readers. There was ZERO charecter development, the book was predictable beyond comprehension. If you read "When the wind blows" you would be able to figure out what happens in "the lake house".
Hopefully "London Bridges" (patterson's new book) doesnt suck as bad as this book did.
On the bright side, i got this book as part of a Bulk purchase of THrillers and Mystery books so i only spent like 30cents for it. But still, James Patterson you wasted my time.
Rating:
Summary: A real flight of fancy...
Review: Like other current light novels, Patterson taps into the summer beach market with Lake House, revisiting the theme from his 1998 success, When the Wind Blows. The sibling bird/children from the prior novel are now embroiled are in a court battle that has become a media circus. The man and woman who have championed the children's rescue from "the School", FBI agent Kit Brennan and veterinarian Frannie O'Neill, have petitioned family court for guardianship. Unfortunately, the biological parents have intervened, challenging the guardianship, which would mean separating the siblings. Under the discretion of the court, the judge rules in favor of the biological parents. The heartbroken Kit and Frannie are deeply concerned about the safety of these young creatures, as a number of nefarious individuals seek to exploit and/or experiment with the children. The world is ill prepared for any aberrant life forms, even if they are only a curiosity. The children are particularly vulnerable to the evil intentioned, M & M loving, Dr. Ethan Kane, a genetic scientist who is preparing for "the Resurrection", his own personal experiment in life extension. Kane's primary target is Max, the oldest female, aged twelve, but with the maturity of an adult. Suddenly all the children are in danger as hired assassins move closer. Helping each other, they fly to safety once, but are later recaptured. Then ensues a battle for the preservation of "the flock", when Frannie, Kit and the kids are taken to Dr. Kane's "Hospital". His plans are well underway, happily harvesting innocent donor's organs. With mass audience appeal and international recognition, Patterson has established a niche market. By dipping into fantasy, instead of his formulaic mystery/suspense, Patterson may garner new fans of the Sci-Fi genre. Lake House is written in the abbreviated style that works for Patterson's fast paced mysteries, the text peppered with question marks, italicized words and exclamation points, a technique that doesn't allow for subtle definitions of characters. On the other hand, for those easily bored, Lake House is easy reading . Rest assured, we have not seen the last of this series. It is difficult to give an author's work less than three stars, but it is also necessary for each reviewer to establish his own criteria for the books reviewed. I look back on Patterson's earlier work, novels that I would look forward to reading in his particularly engaging style. Like many popular authors, constantly pressured by the market for more material, Patterson has turned out a huge number of books to meet the needs of his audience. I am willing to wait a little longer to read something of the same quality as his earliest novels. Luan Gaines/2003.
Rating: 
Summary: Not such a bad book
Review: My opinion of this book may be slightly colored to the fact that I have just recently begun reading Patterson. I like his style and the stories he tells, and I must admit that I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Although its predecessor, When the Wind Blows, is a much better book, The Lake House was still a good book. However, the last 50 pages or so are a bit of a let down after such an awesome beginning. Thus the three stars. If you like sci-fi thrillers, this book and When the Wind Blows are for you.
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