The Lake Villa

What a marvelous book! I learned so much about Cambodia, about Angkor Wat, the wars and conflicts the citizens suffered over the years, about some of the towns and villages, injustices and more. The story, despite being fictional, kept fairly close to history, which the reader will experience mostly through the eyes of Colette, a French expat woman who fell in love with the country and its peoples. Reading this book makes me wish I could visit Cambodia.

The story began in the later years of Colette's life and doubles back and forth from the earlier years of her arrival and marriage to Henri during the French occupation. Colette had lived mostly in Siam Reap. The two time frames stitch the story together from both ends threading an overall experience for the reader from the 1930's to 1995. There is some romance and some illicit bedrooms 'scenes' which a cautious reader may wish to be aware of. Other than that I feel this has been good exposure to seeing 'another' world other than from a 'pampered' one, one may have been brought up in. It's a good multi-cultural encounter.

~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~

February 2023

Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the complimentary review copy sent by NetGalley and the publisher.

Finished ✔️ The Lake Villa by Ann Bennett!

4 ⭐️’s
Publish Day: March 1st, 2023
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Story of secrets and love in war-torn French Indochina
Set in French Indochina in 1939
A woman’s journey to uncover long-buried secrets in French Indochina
Very eye open.
Well written
Holds a readers attention well.
Yes, I’d recommend it.

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The Lake Villa is a beautifully written story about a young Frenchwoman who is entranced by the extraordinarily beautiful Cambodian temple, Angkor Wat. Her enchantment with Angkor Wat leads to her leaving Paris in 1939 for marriage to Henri, the chief archaeologist excavating the temple, and her new life in Cambodia. Leaving aside the obvious horrors on colonial occupation, I learned so much about 20th century Cambodia. Bennett’s lush descriptions of people and places is emotional and, at times, gut wrenching but ultimately satisfying.

Thank you Net Galley and BooksGoSocial for this eCopy to review

I loved this book, the story was very moving following Collette's journey into her past and putting long held ghosts to rest. The descriptions were amazing, I felt like I was there and would love to visit Cambodia one day. Bennett's characters are well developed and I felt very connected to Collette. I loved the dual time aspect and felt just the right amount of information was given at each point.

I felt very sorry for Collette, I don't want to give too much away but luckily she finds her old friend Achariya who is able to help and support her.

The ending was wonderful, I'm just sorry the story came to an end

This was a great book! I loved it. It was completely absorbing. I couldn't read it fast enough.
I just reviewed The Lake Villa by Ann Bennett. #TheLakeVilla #NetGalley
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An atmospheric and intriguing story with fully developed and appealing characters who pulled you into their world.

This is the first book I’ve read by Ann Bennett. I really enjoyed her descriptive nature. She made the scenery and people come to life.
While I really enjoyed reading this book and plan to read more from this author, I did find it a little bit confusing in the way the timelines continuously jumped back and forth. I had to keep stopping to double-check which timeline I was reading. It didn’t stop me from enjoying the story, it was just a little bit confusing.

Loved the story and the history, I definitely learned something new. The writing seemed a bit rushed at the end, and could be tightened up a bit.

Thank you to the publishing house and author for allowing me to read this ARC novel.

Collette, a young French woman falls in love with Henri, Chief Archiologist excavating Angkor Wat, after marrying she starts her new life in 1930's Cambodia. The Lake Villa is a snapshot of an country struggling to navigate and find itself in an era of post-colonialism.

The character's were well thought out and all of them seemed like real people. The grammar was on point and the story flowed.

Would recommend.

This review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.

I could not put this book down and more importantly I didn't want too. I absolutely loved it and was captivated the whole time I was reading

A story of love and betrayal. A story about the beauty and struggles of Cambodia and the people of Cambodia.
This book is part historical fiction, part travelogue, and part mystery, addressing the harsh reality of colonialism followed by the barbaric Khmer Rouge. Well researched, well written. Highly recommended.

This book had a good storyline and lots of interesting people. I absolutely loved it! It was very interesting to see how the war affected the people of Cambodia. I really liked the bond Collette had with her house maid and how foolish she was when it came to a certain man.