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NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A poignant and tender story of love, loss, passion, and the fragile threads that bind families together from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Women.

“A beautifully simple, deeply compassionate story.”—Diana Gabaldon

Annie Colwater's only child has just left home for school abroad. On that same day, her husband of twenty years confesses that he's in love with a younger woman. Alone in the house that is no longer a home, Annie comes to the painful realization that for years she has been slowly disappearing. Lonely and afraid, she retreats to Mystic, the small Washington town where she grew up, hoping that there she can reclaim the woman she once was—the woman she is now desperate to become again.

In Mystic, she is reunited with her first love, Nick Delacroix, a recent widower unable to cope with his grieving, too-silent six-year-old daughter, Izzie. Together, the three of them begin to heal, and, at last, Annie learns that she can love without losing herself. But just when she has found a second chance at happiness, her life is turned upside down again, and Annie must make a choice no woman should have to make. . . .

Praise for On Mystic Lake

“Marvelous . . . a touching love story . . . You know a book is a winner when you devour it in one evening and hope there’s a sequel. . . . This page-turner has enough twists and turns to keep the reader up until the wee hours of the morning.”—USA Today

“Superb . . . I’ll heartily recommend On Mystic Lake to any woman . . . who demands that a story leave her in a satisfied glow.”—The Washington Post Book World

“A luminescent story . . . Kristin Hannah touches the deepest, most tender corners of our hearts.”—Tami Hoag

“Excellent . . . On Mystic Lake is an emotional experience you won’t soon forget.”—Rocky Mountain News

“Propels readers forward to the final chapter.”—The Seattle Times

Review

“A beautifully simple, deeply compassionate story.”—Diana Gabaldon

“Marvelous . . . a touching love story . . . You know a book is a winner when you devour it in one evening and hope there’s a sequel. . . . This page-turner has enough twists and turns to keep the reader up until the wee hours of the morning.”—USA Today

“Superb . . . I’ll heartily recommend On Mystic Lake to any woman . . . who demands that a story leave her in a satisfied glow.”—The Washington Post Book World

“A luminescent story . . . Kristin Hannah touches the deepest, most tender corners of our hearts.”—Tami Hoag

“Excellent . . . On Mystic Lake is an emotional experience you won’t soon forget.”—Rocky Mountain News

“Propels readers forward to the final chapter.”—The Seattle Times

From the Back Cover

Annie Colwater's husband has just confessed that he's in love with a younger woman. Devastated, Annie retreats to the small town where she grew up. There, she is reunited with her first love, Nick Delacroix, a recent widower who is unable to cope with his silent, emotionally scarred young daughter. Together, the three of them begin to heal. But just when Annie believes she's been given a second chance at happiness, her world is turned upside down again, and she is forced to make a choice that no woman in love should ever have to make. . . .

About the Author

Kristin Hannah is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many acclaimed novels, including The Great Alone, The Nightingale, and Firefly Lane. She and her husband live in the Pacific Northwest.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

From Part One

The true voyage of self-discovery
lies not in seeking new landscapes
but in having new eyes.
--Marcel Proust

Chapter One

Rain fell like tiny silver teardrops from the tired sky. Somewhere behind a bank of clouds lay the sun, too weak to cast a shadow on the ground below.

It was March, the doldrums of the year, still and quiet and gray, but the wind had already begun to warm, bringing with it the promise of spring. Trees that only last week had been naked and brittle seemed to have grown six inches over the span of a single, moonless night, and sometimes, if the sunlight hit a limb just so, you could see the red bud of new life stirring at the tips of the crackly brown bark. Any day, the hills behind Malibu would blossom, and for a few short weeks this would be the prettiest place on Earth.

Like the plants and animals, the children of Southern California sensed the coming of the sun. They had begun to dream of ice cream and popsicles and last year's cutoffs. Even determined city dwellers, who lived in glass and concrete high-rises in places with pretentious names like Century City, found themselves veering into the nursery aisles of their local supermarkets. Small, potted geraniums began appearing in the metal shopping carts, alongside the sun-dried tomatoes and the bottles of Evian water.

For nineteen years, Annie Colwater had awaited spring with the breathless anticipation of a young girl at her first dance. She ordered bulbs from distant lands and shopped for hand-painted ceramic pots to hold her favorite annuals.

But now, all she felt was dread, and a vague, formless panic. After today, nothing in her well-ordered life would remain the same, and she was not a woman who liked the sharp, jagged edges of change. She preferred things to run smoothly, down the middle of the road. That was where she felt safest--in the center of the ordinary, with her family gathered close around her.

Wife.

Mother.

These were the roles that defined her, that gave her life meaning. It was what she'd always been, and now, as she warily approached her fortieth birthday, it was all she could remember ever wanting to be. She had gotten married right after college and been pregnant within that same year. Her husband and daughter were her anchors; without Blake and Natalie, she had often thought that she might float out to sea, a ship without captain or destination.

But what did a mother do when her only child left home?

She shifted uneasily in the front seat of the Cadillac. The clothes she'd chosen with such care this morning, navy wool pants and a pale rose silk blouse, felt wrong. Usually she could take refuge in fashionable camouflage, by pretending to be a woman she wasn't. Designer clothes and carefully applied makeup could make her look like the high-powered corporate wife she was supposed to be. But not today. Today, the waist-length brown hair she'd drawn back from her face in a chignon--the way her husband liked it, the way she always wore it--was giving her a headache.

She drummed her manicured fingernails on the armrest and glanced at Blake, who was settled comfortably in the driver's seat. He looked completely relaxed, as if this were a normal afternoon instead of the day their seventeen-year-old daughter was leaving for London.

It was childish to be so scared, she knew that, but knowing didn't ease the pain. When Natalie had first told them that she wanted to graduate early and spend her last quarter in London, Annie had been proud of her daughter's independence. It was the sort of thing that seniors at the expensive prep school often did, and precisely the sophisticated sort of adventure Annie had wanted for her daughter.

Annie herself would never have had the courage for so bold a move--not at seventeen, not even now at thirty-nine. Travel had always intimidated her. Although she loved seeing new places and meeting new people, she always felt an underlying discomfort when she left home.

She knew this weakness was a remnant of her youth, a normal by-product of the tragedy that had tainted her childhood, but understanding her fear didn't alleviate it. On every family vacation, Annie had suffered from nightmares--dark, twisted visions in which she was alone in a foreign land without money or direction. Lost, she wandered through unfamiliar streets, searching for the family that was her safety net, until, finally, sobbing in her sleep, she awoke. Then, she would curl into her husband's sleeping body and, at last, relax.

She had been proud of her daughter's independence and courage in choosing to go all the way to England by herself, but she hadn't realized how hard it would be to watch Natalie leave. They'd been like best friends, she and her daughter, ever since Natalie had emerged from the angry, sullen rubble of the early teen years. They'd had hard times, sure, and fights and hurt feelings, and they'd each said things that shouldn't have been said, but all that had only made their bond stronger. They were a unit, the "girls" in a household where the only man worked eighty hours a week and sometimes went whole days without remembering to smile.

She stared out the car window. The concrete-encrusted canyons of downtown Los Angeles were a blur of high-rise buildings, graffiti, and neon lights that left streaking reflections in the misty rain. They were getting closer and closer to the airport.

She reached for her husband, touched the pale blue cashmere of his sleeve. "Let's fly to London with Nana and get her settled with her host family. I know--"

"Mom," Natalie said sharply from the backseat. "Get real. It would be, like, so humiliating for you to show up."

Annie drew her hand back and plucked a tiny lint ball from her expensive wool pants. "It was just an idea," she said softly. "Your dad has been trying to get me to England for ages. I thought . . . maybe we could go now."

Blake gave her a quick look, one she couldn't quite read. "I haven't mentioned England in years." Then he muttered something about the traffic and slammed his hand on the horn.

Review:

4.4 out of 5

87.27% of customers are satisfied

5.0 out of 5 stars An Impassioned Novel Of Self-Discovery, Forgiveness, And Most Of All Healing

C. · December 30, 2024

Let me start by saying that one of the highlights of 2024 for me was discovering this gem of an author! I am an avid reader and have had the privilege of reading many quality books, but no author has been as impactful as Kristin Hannah. Her stories and the masterful delivery of these stories is truly stellar! This story is no exception.Annie is a beautiful, caring, loving, and selfless wife and mother putting everyone’s needs before her own. How she is “rewarded” for being the dutiful wife becomes the catalyst for an awakeningthat takes her back to her roots in small town Mystic. Her generous spirit transforms the lives of an old friend Nick, and his traumatized daughter, Izzy. The story that unfolds is enlightening and empowering. Ms. Hannah has the ability to transport readers into the story and alongside the characters and the landscape. Her vivid, metaphorical descriptions of the environment create a movie for the minds eye. The characters are extremely well developed and their heartaches, joy, and struggles had me praying for their successful, deserving journey to ultimate peace and happiness.I have learned that Ms. Hannah’s stories demonstrate the resilience of women and the quest to find THEIR place in this world and the struggles of seeking autonomy.I HIGHLY recommend this book. It is memorable and will stay with me not only for a short period of time but literally for a lifetime. Many life lessons to learn. The conclusion will have you cheering for Annie!!

4.0 out of 5 stars Read this book!

P.S. · November 19, 2016

My Overall ThoughtsThis was the first book by Kristin Hannah that I have ever read. I’ve heard many great things about her over the years, just never got around to reading any of her books personally. I think On Mystic Lake was the perfect book to start with because it was definitely a great read, but it didn’t set the bar to exceedingly high. I don’t know about other readers, but I don’t want the first book I read by an author to be the absolute best one they’ve ever written because then all their other books just don’t seem as good and may cause me to lose interest. If that makes any sense. That being said, the book still exceeded my expectations!Please bear in mind as you read this review that I read this book about a month ago so I’m trying to refresh myself using my tweets and other things to bring back the emotions.On another side note, it’s been super hard to write this review without any spoilers.ProsDuring the first part of this book, I didn’t feel a strong connection to any of the characters– which is unusual for me because I typically get very attached to characters fairly quickly. However once the second part of the book started I sympathized with Annie so much it was unreal. The predicament she found herself in really struck a nerve with me and I felt my heart breaking for her. In the second part of the book, readers are also introduced to Nick and Izzy whom I fell attached to super quickly. They are the type of characters that you just can’t help loving. Along with this attachment to some characters came a strong dislike for others–the husband. I may be a little biased, but Blake is the typical man.I REALLY, REALLY LOVE the premise of this book. Mostly because I’ve found myself having to overcome this same struggle. Losing yourself in someone else (a relationship/marriage) and having to rediscover what makes you YOU after that part is ripped away from you. It’s amazing to watch (read) Annie blossom into her own person and find out things about herself that she never knew. I really like the person she turns out to be.However, in the end Annie does rip my heart out. The emotion that Kristin Hannah was able to draw out of me is truly amazing. I was so invested in this book and I just knew how it was going to end. BOY WAS I WRONG!!ConsThere weren’t many downsides to this book that I could point out. The major one for me was that I was extremely dissatisfied with the ending of the novel. Not only because of the decisions Annie made, but because I was left with way too many questions and unresolved feelings. I definitely felt like there should have been a sequel to it and there’s not–which is very disappointing.One More ThingSo I couldn’t figure out if this would be considered a pro or a con. I thought long and hard about it and decided to give it it’s own heading.Annie’s decisions. In the end, these were my biggest frustrations and it’s so hard to talk about without giving any details of the book away. My biggest thing is that Annie made so much progress on finding herself and what makes her HER and it just didn’t stick. I completely did NOT agree with her decisions. But the great thing about it was that it was thought provoking. I found myself thinking were the decisions she made realistic? To be honest, I would like to say they weren’t realistic at all– that people don’t actually make those same decisions. And that’s where I had to stop myself. I came to the realization that those same decisions are made every day by women in her same situation and its unfortunate because I felt like Annie definitely made the wrong decision. BUT, who am I to say or to judge?The book was seriously AMAZING! Check it out and share your thoughts with me!

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful story

T. · January 25, 2025

I loved the book and how well it is written. The story was humble and relatable. Highly recommend this book!

5.0 out of 5 stars Very enjoyable!

S.f.P.M. · February 6, 2025

It was a true storyline that mimics life in so many ways. The truth of a women surrendering everything for love.

3.0 out of 5 stars More of a typical HEA

E. · January 26, 2025

If you are a fan of romance with a third act break up and a HEA then this will be for you. If you are a fan of Kristin Hannah’s meatier works this will feel like sugarless candy. The story is good but the substance isn’t there- or it wasn’t for me, anyway. The development of minor characters doesn’t happen in the same way it does in other books of hers I’ve read. Not a bad thing, just not my favorite- and certainly not all bad that the characters get a happy ending- it reads like a soap opera from the 90’s, predictable but comforting, if not compelling.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good read

A.C. · February 3, 2025

Even though the ending was predictable I still enjoyed reading to see how things turned out for the main character. I do think the author uses too many unnecessary adjectives!

Stereotyped and syrupy

A. · September 5, 2019

Story told thousands of times: trusting wife betrayed, feels devastated, then realize that there has been something missing from her life for quite a while, reunites with an old boyfriend (himself heartbroken by his wife's death), falls in love with him and with his little daughter, discovers that she is pregnant by her wandering husband, who realizes that he had made a mistake, duty, blabla bla bla bla. Everyone is beautiful, deep and clever, etc. I had to skip some parts as the descriptions were repetitive and getting boring.Chick litt summer read

Best writer for a long time.

m. · August 2, 2019

Lovely book, great writer.People should write at least one book to see.

Incredible author

R.M. · October 30, 2024

Kristin Hannah always writes great stories that keep you enthralled from start to finish.This is about my tenth book of hers.

Alice95

A. · February 25, 2018

Es de esos libros que dejan poso y te quedas pensando en los personajes durante días. Me gusta mucho esta autora.

Thankyou Kristin

J.U. · September 1, 2016

I am an avid reader and there are maybe 4-5 Authors that I really like and Kristin Hannah is on top of the list. I Loved this book as I Love all of her books. I am very sad now because I have read all of her books and I just recently read them all again. Your talent is phenomenal and I cannot wait for a new book. Thankyou for making so many people happy.

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On Mystic Lake: A Novel

Name: On Mystic Lake: A Novel
Brand: Random House Publishing Group
SKU: U0345471172
Price: 9.43 BHD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.4 (11 reviews)

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