Ladies of the Lake

Smith (The Red Hat Club) conjures up four mature sisters: Dahlia, Rose, Violet and Iris-each with her own distinct (and sometimes clashing) personality-in this entertaining yet realistic account of sisterhood. When their former dancer grandmother Cissy dies, she allocates her lakefront Georgian estate to the foursome with a contractual clause that forces the women to move from their tidy homes in Atlanta to her house in the mountains for 90 days, in a posthumous attempt to reconnect her granddaughters. With a plan-hazmat gear and all-in place to clean up the musty house before putting it on the market, the sisters get to work, their endeavor laced with humor, emotion, sisterly jibing and the occasional heated argument. The requisite romantic subplot featuring a strapping and wealthy mystery man flops in the romantic sense, but his role in unlocking the secrets to their grandmother's life at least gives him a reason to be present. Smith's convoluted descriptions border on fluff, but aside from a few small tumbles, Smith gives readers a lovely comedy with poise.