Larkspur Cove

By Lisa Wingate

Description:

Adventure is the last thing on Andrea Henderson's mind when she moves to Moses Lake. After surviving the worst year of her life, she's struggling to build a new life for herself and her son as a social worker. Perhaps in doing a job that makes a difference, she can find some sense of purpose and solace in her shattered faith. For new Moses Lake game warden Mart McClendon, finding a sense of purpose in life isn't an issue. He took the job to get out of southwest Texas and the constant reminders of a tragedy for which he can't forgive himself. But when a little girl is seen with the town recluse, Mart and Andrea are drawn together in the search for her identity. The little girl offers them both a new chance at redemption and hope--and may bring them closer than either ever planned. The book is told in two voices, Andreas's and Mart's.

Book Takeaway:

Well, to begin with, nosy neighbors are not necessarily a bad thing. God gives us neighbors for a reason—because we’re going to need them, sooner or later. There is also a theme of redemption and forgiveness in the story. Both Mart and Andrea are suffering from the shame, grief, and guilt of painful pasts. This determination to dwell in the past has trapped them in one place. Literally, by moving both of them to Moses Lake, God is pushing them to break free of the boxes in which they have imprisoned themselves. As is written on the Wall of Wisdom in the Waterbird Bait and Grocery in the story, If you have one eye on tomorrow and one eye on yesterday, you’ll be cockeyed today. Much of the story is about taking a fresh look at life.

Why the author wrote this book:

Larkspur Cove is based in part on a real-life experiences. During a family move some years ago, we lived temporarily in a relative’s lake house in a neighborhood that contained an eclectic mixture of people from all income levels and all walks of life. In the fifties, King’s Landing had been the place to be--a shady, luxurious street with a private resort near the shore. Now, the resort lay abandoned, and the street was home to a wide range of residents, including elderly couples who’d been there since they built their homes, and low-income families moving into decaying cottage houses. Despite the differences among the residents, the lakesiders were friendly, close knit, and well acquainted with each other. When you’re living in an isolated area, miles from the store, you have no choice but to get to know your neighbor when you need a cup of flour (or a can of bug spray). Over time, the life near the lake changes people. They take on the rhythm of the water and the seasons. They adapt to a slower, more relaxed pace. In a time when so many of us live lives that are stressful, overscheduled, and disconnected, life on the water seems tempting, comforting, alluring. It occurred to me that such a place would be the perfect location for God to knit together people from very different backgrounds.