A View of the Lake is a book to be enjoyed with a cup of tea on a cozy deck chair.
A View of the Lake is a delightful book, sure to engage even those readers who don’t know Beryl Singleton-Bissell from the column she wrote for the Cook County News-Herald from 1998 to 2008. For those who know Beryl, the essays about her move to the North Shore may seem familiar—but it’s the familiarity of a dear old friend. This is the kind of book to be enjoyed with a cup of tea on a cozy deck chair—hopefully with one’s own view of the lake as a backdrop.
Beryl catches the reader on the very first page as she reports that her beloved husband, Bill, upon agreeing to travel a long driveway in Schroeder to find the seemingly-perfect house said, “Oh, Beryl, I think you’ve gotten us in deep trouble.”
The author of the beautiful memoir The Scent of God reels the reader in again with her elegant prose. Her page one description of the house at the end of that long driveway—The glass front door revealed a house that was filled with windows and those windows were filled with the Lake—are just the start of this book filled with lovely tales of the lake, the land, and the people of Schroeder and Cook County.
Whether the reader is a newcomer or someone who has helped newcomers overcome the challenges of living in remote Cook County, they will surely enjoy and relate to Beryl’s North Shore education. From bird feeders, bears, blueberry patches and black flies to thistle wars, winter travel, and the ubiquitous deer—in the yard and along the roadside— Beryl shares her experiences with gentle good-humor.
The book could be a primer for anyone considering a move to the North Shore, as Beryl documents the challenges as well. It’s not painless making the transition from urban to rural life and frequently married couples find that one or the other makes the transition more easily than the other. Such was the case for Beryl’s world-traveling husband. Beryl’s willingness to share how the house on the lake became home for both of them makes this an intensely personal book—as does the sharing of the loss of her precious daughter, Francesca, who was murdered in 2001.
However, A View of the Lake does not focus on the challenges or the loss, but on Beryl’s faith and the strength and joy she draws from her adopted community and the beautiful, ever-changing lake that fills the windows of her home.
A View of the Lake is available at local bookstores or direct from the publisher at www.lakesuperior.com or by calling toll free 888-244-5253.
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