Take One Part "The Secret History," Add A Bit Of "The Children's Hour," Then A Dollop Of "Heavenly Creatures," And You've Got "The Lake Of Dead Languages!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                              I had never heard of either this book, or Carol Goodman, until I picked this up, a few Sundays ago, at my local bookstore. The comparison to Donna Tartt caught my eye, as well as its promising premise--a remote girls' school setting, classical references to Latin, and a mystery.

                                As it turned out, this was the prefect "fun" book, after being so disappointed by "Against The Country," already covered on this blog.   "The Lake Of Dead Languages" may not live up to "The Secret History"--what ever could???--but is engaging and stimulating enough to get me, who was in a funk, due to situations outside here, back on the road to reading concentration.  In fact, it stimulated me classically; I had always regretted not going as far as I wanted in my foreign language study, but you know who all to blame for that--Mrs. Santamarina!!!!!!!!!!--but after finishing Goodman's book, I went to get a copy of Wheelock's Latin and The Workbook, so I can teach myself Latin (if unsuccessful, I will find a tutor) and right now I am reading Robert Fagles' translation of Virgil's "The Aeneid."  Yes, darlings, me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                               Now, as to Goodman's book.  You can't put it down, darlings, it presses all the right buttons, save one.  I figured out halfway through the book who the perpetrator was, but not why.  That made no sense to me considering the past; considering who the perp was in the past did not make sense that she would become the intelligent, confident woman she seemed to be in adulthood.

                                 That is as much as I can say, without revealing more, and I may be saying too much already!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                    But I can't say enough about Carol Goodman, and "The Lake Of Dead Languages."  This is the one to start with, girls, but I am curious as to what her other novels are like!

                                       You will be the first to know, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!