Rating: 
Summary: I loved this book!
Review: I was disheartened to read some of the reviews from this book. However, this doesn't take away anything away from my thinking. I loved this book from beginning to end. The ONLY thing that frustrated me is calling Lisa Heather after the fact. I loved this small town and all it's inhabitants and people sometimes really aren't what or who they seem to be. I haven't read any of Delinsky's other books, but won't hesitate to pick one up now!
Rating:
Summary: A CELEBRATION OF FRIENDSHIP AND LOVE
Review: If Jennifer Wiltsie weren't already a favorite reader, she'd quickly become one with this rendering of Barbara Delinsky's touching story set in Lake Henry, New Hampshire, during maple syrup harvesting season.Delinsky creates an inspiring heroine with Poppy who is now a paraplegic and confined to a wheelchair following a dreadful snowmobile accident that took the life of her companion. She struggles with both the past and the present. Another woman, Heather Malone, has been a resident of Lake Henry for more than a dozen years. The companion of a widower, Micah Smith, and his two daughters, Heather is thought of as quiet, reserved, thoughtful. Thus, it comes as a great shock when she is arrested for murder. Her arrest came about because of a remark made by writer Griffin Hughes to his brother, an FBI agent. Thus, Griffin feels compelled to solve the mystery surrounding Heather. Delinsky, as in the past, tells an absorbing story that is also a celebration of the powers of friendship and love. - Gail Cooke
Rating: 
Summary: Good story
Review: In the middle of the night, the FBI appear at Heather Malone's home with an arrest warrant claiming she is actually a woman named Lisa Matlock. Lisa Matlock is wanted for a 15 year old murder. The town of Lake Henry is shocked. Nice, gentle Heather could not possibly be this woman that they are talking about. But as people begin to question the assertions of the FBI, they also begin to question themselves. Nobody really knows much about Heather's life before she appeared in Lake Henry 14 years ago. Not Micah, the man that she's been living with for the past several years and with whom she's made a life and built a business. Not Poppy, the woman who counts herself as Heather's best friend. ... This book is actually two stories in one. The main story is really Poppy & Griffin's love story. The seconday story is Heather's plight. As much as I liked this book (and I really did enjoy reading it) I only gave it three stars for several reasons: 1) Poppy and Griffin's story is a welcome continuation of what was begun in Delinsky's earlier story set in Lake Henry, "Lake News." As such it is gratifying to catch up with Poppy again and see that she gets her guy. But, as nice as it is to see these two get together, their story wasn't as compelling as Heather's story. And because it wasn't as compelling, I became a little impatient at their passages because I couldn't wait to get back and see what new revelations there were about Heather. 2) For all that Heather was a major catalyst to the story, that is all that she remained. She had no voice in this book. She was, for all intents and purposes, mute. She refused to talk about her past, and even when she did finally give Poppy a crumb, it was just three words and she mouthed it silently. I am sure that that was a conscious decision on Delinksy's part to keep Heather silent, so that we learned about her from other people. This worked really well for Delinsky in "Coast Road" where her heroine is in a coma and her family reflects on her life so that the only way the reader sees this pivotal character is through other characters eyes. Although I liked that technique in "Coast Road" I didn't like it so much here. I wanted the hear Heather. 3) Call me a sucker for the Hollywood ending, but I wanted more closure. Heather's story was such a good one with a boffo surprise and a great ending. But that was it. It ended. I wanted follow-up, I wanted closure. I still have questions about what happened after she reunited with Micah and the girls. I love Barbara Delinsky. She is really one of the best writers of contemporary, character driven fiction out there. And she's at her best when she's looking at the effect one person has on a whole community, as she did in "The Passions of Chelsea Kane." This was book was a goody stroy. I think it would have been a great book if the Heather story had been the main focus and the Poppy story had been the secondary.
Rating:
Summary: LAKE NEWS REVISITED
Review: It was a pleasant surprise to find Lily and Lake News in Accidental Woman. I loved the book from the first page.
Poppy certainly did not let her handicap get in her way. Being a cat lover,I was pleased that she took to the handicapped kitten.
Rating:
Summary: A sequel to Lake News
Review: Peaceful Lake Henry is disrupted again when a local woman is arrested on a fugitive warrant - charged with being a woman who fled from a crime scene in California 15 years earlier. It had become a cold case, but now it is active again.
There are two main intertwined plots, one being the case of the woman charged, Heather Malone who has lived in Lake Henry for the past 14 years, and the other being a renewed relationship between Griffin Hughes and Poppy Blake while Griffin uses his resources to get to the truth of Heather Malone's case.
When you stir a pot, a lot of things come to the surface, and many details are revealed about various people's pasts. Most people have things buried, and sometimes it is better to bring them out into the light and move on with life. There are a number of sub-plots including Polly's past accident, Griffin's missing sister, and a past relationshiip of Polly's mother.
Along the way you learn a lot about making maple syrup from the sap of maple trees. It is apparent why the genuine product is relatively expensive. The early season light syrup is even more expensive, and is hard to find, but you can probably find a source using a Web search.
Rating: 
Summary: If You Enjoy Good Romances Books
Review: Preferring other genres today to romances, Barbara Delinsky is one of two romance authors I continue to read. And an Accidental Woman has all of her the elements which have made her a popular romance authors these days. And in this book as she did in For My Daughters, Delinsky adds a mysterious element as the book plays out while one of the characters is absent for most of the book. And as an added benefit readers of the previously published Lake News will be happy to return to this area and meet up once again with some familiar characters. During an early morning, Heather Malone, is escorted by the police from the home she shares with her significant other, Micah, and his two daughters. Charged with the murder of her former lover which happened years before, the townspeople of Lake Henry, New Hampshire are astounded. How is it possible the lovely woman they know and love could have been suspected of doing this? Or how is it possible that she could have done this. And then as the townspeople ask themselves how well do we know anybody, the stage is set for a wonderful look at relationships both in the past, present and future. A virtual stranger in Lake Henry only a number of years before Heather has become a well respected member of the community. Working as a waitress when she first came to Lake Henry, Heather virtually says nothing about her past which never bothered anybody before. And while she remains unmarried to Micah, they share a wonderful home and Heather provides great security for his daughters from a previous marriage. But as Heather is imprisoned and she refuses to shed any light on her innocence or guilt, there are others who believe she could never have done this heinous crime and set out to prove this to the authorities. Chief among them is Micah, the man who loves her dearly but now has to wonder where Heather came from and what is buried in her past. The there's Poppy Blake, Heather's best friend and one woman who thought she knew her well. A paraplegic, confined to a wheel chair as the result of an accident, Poppy sets out to do everything she can to clear Heather's name. But doing this will cause her to enlist the aid of a former lover, Griffin Hughes, who continues to love Poppy while she continues to deny herself his love. This is a good romance novel. While the ending follows the pattern of a true romance novel, we don't get there before there are a few surprises about who Heather really is and what happened to her all of those years before she found herself in Lake Henry. Now that I spent a couple of nice days visiting Lake Henry, I plan on returning by reading Lake News. I do hope I enjoy it as much as An Accidental Woman.
Rating:
Summary: Emotional Feel-Good Read
Review: Readers of Ms. Delinsky's LAKE NEWS are reacquainted with Poppy Blake, a resident of Lake Henry, New Hampshire. Paralyzed from the waist down in a snowmobile accident years ago, Poppy manages well enough on her own but is reluctant to let down her guard. When the FBI arrests friend Heather Malone for a murder that she supposedly committed, under a different name, fifteen years ago, Poppy is devastated. But she is no more upset than Micah Smith, Heather's companion whom she has loved for the past four years. And as a mother to his motherless children, Missy and Star, Heather has excelled. Micah doesn't know how he will survive while Heather awaits extradition to California, as she was his helpmate in their maple sugaring business and in his life. Enter Griffin Hughes, writer and friend of Poppy Blake. When learning of Heather's unthinkable arrest, he arrives back in Lake Henry to offer his help. At once wary and attracted, Poppy allows Griffin into her home as long as nothing he does is motivated by pity. Griffin's investigative contacts prove helpful as he aids attorney Cassie in her search for evidence to vindicate Heather. Ms. Delinsky delves deeply into the many facets of human emotion. No emotional stone is left unturned. From Micah's sense of anger over Heather's betrayal to Poppy's reluctance to forgive herself, the reader is given a bird's-eye-view into the thoughts and hearts of the players in this close-knit community. Add in the fascinating look at the winter maple sugaring process with the uniting of the residents of Lake Henry, and you have a truly feel good novel. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition
Rating:
Summary: MyShelf.com Book Reviewer
Review: Step into the peaceful valley of Lake Henry. Be blown away by the
trials and tribulations that it holds... Poppy Blake's closest friend, Heather Malone, has been arrested. It is up to Poppy to step in and take charge and to provide the support that Heather's family needs. Although confined to a wheelchair as a result of a snowmobile accident, Poppy refuses to let life's hardships stand in her way. Poppy's strength and courage is the foundation that bonds the family together. How will she feel when she learns that the person who has betrayed her best friend is the same person that she has developed feelings for? Secrets have a way of unrevealing, just when you least expect it. . . Writer Griffin Hughes first met Poppy while doing a news story
involving her older sister. He immediately was attracted to the
fiercely independent determination that Poppy displayed. How will he ever be able to tell her that, by a slip of a tongue, he is
responsible for his closet friend incarnation? From the moment you turn and read the first page in Barbara
Delinksy's AN ACCIDENTAL WOMAN, you quickly see that you are
experiencing one of the most touching and thought provoking novels in 2002. Always when I select a Barbara Delinsky novel, I
mmediately know that I am in for a very rewarding experience. By
reading this book, there is no way you can not back up and read
Heather's prior story. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED . . .
Rating: 
Summary: Might have to love these characters from elsewhere
Review: The story line was going well, but lost steam. The book was more about Poppy and Griffin (which was lovely) and sugar making (too much time given to it) than the "accidental woman". I did enjoy the book, but wish it gave more details about how Heather/Lisa got to where is she was. If it were written as a love story between Poppy and Griffin or stayed more on course with the Heather/Lisa plot, I would have given it 4/5 stars.
Rating:
Summary: HAD POTENTIAL
Review: The story line was going well, but lost steam. The book was more about Poppy and Griffin (which was lovely) and sugar making (too much time given to it) than the "accidental woman". I did enjoy the book, but wish it gave more details about how Heather/Lisa got to where is she was. If it were written as a love story between Poppy and Griffin or stayed more on course with the Heather/Lisa plot, I would have given it 4/5 stars.
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