Press kit for Star Lake Saloon and Housekeeping Cottages
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Star
Lake Saloon and Housekeeping Cottages Publication date of cloth edition
was September 2005
Publishers Weekly | Booklist | The Capital Times | The Isthmus "A diversion as pleasant as a quiet
summer day at the lakeshore" "Readers will enjoy how Rath has thrown in a bit of everything—mystery, family drama, love story, and comedy—and will certainly like getting to know Hannah as she fights big business, hot flashes, and her own resistance to this wild and lovely place."—from the Booklist review below "Rath's debut novel tells the story of Hannah Swann, a Wisconsin poetry professor who suddenly inherits a rustic lakeside resort in the north woods run by her enigmatic prodigal uncle Hal. Leaving her work and an affair with a married man behind in Madison, Hannah heads north, where an expected bit of paperwork and a few days quickly turn into months. A mining corporation is trying to buy the resort, and it has money and power and even Hannah's devious lawyer on its side. Hannah finds herself having to put her liberal ideals to work, giving up her old life to save the place with help from a cast of lively characters. Many of them, unfortunately, are caricatures, and Rath's action is often a bit overboard as well. But readers will enjoy how Rath has thrown in a bit of everything—mystery, family drama, love story, and comedy—and will certainly like getting to know Hannah as she fights big business, hot flashes, and her own resistance to this wild and lovely place."—Donna Seaman, Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved "The notion
that life in the North Woods of Wisconsin could save someone
from midlife ennui and misdirection may sound a bit far-fetched
or sentimental, but Sara Rath pulls it off in her novel "Star
Lake Saloon and Housekeeping Cottages." This light-hearted
family drama/mystery follows teacher and writer Hannah Swann
as she navigates through some serious life changes. Her quiet
life (complete with a married lover and a fascination with 19th
century women poets) transforms after her uncle—whom she
never knew and presumed was dead—actually dies. He bequeaths
her a run-down summer resort in northern Wisconsin. "If you like to imagine yourself into various roles in the hospitality industry—bed-and-breakfast proprietor, lakeside resort owner—you'll enjoy Sara Raths debut novel, Star Lake Saloon and Housekeeping Cottages (UW Press). Rath combines breezy humor with a little adventure, a little mystery and some serious politics. "The serious part came first,' says Rath of the story of Hannah Swan, a UW–Madison English professor who unwillingly inherits an "up north" resort from a reclusive uncle and then finds herself caught up between the locals who want to keep Star Lake a fishing resort and a mining company that wants to buy her out. Even so, a humorous edge crept in: "I always feel a need to be entertaining," says Rath. Readers can take the novel as "a story about a woman going through changes, mother/daughter relationships, wilderness conservation, a funny commentary on sexuality, or just as a fun story."—Linda Falkenstein, Isthmus , (Madison, Wisconsin) September 9, 2005 |
Cover image: Author's
photo Please direct any inquiries for further publicity materials to our publicity manager, phone: (608) 263-0734, email: publicity@uwpress.wisc.edu
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"The entire resort looked more forlorn
in sunshine than it had during rain. Just inside the door of
the Saloon were coat hooks she'd missed the day before, made
of severed deer legs bent at right angles, hooves up. More of
Ginger's artistry? Procrastinating, Hannah helped herself to
a can of Diet Pepsi from the cooler behind the bar. Then she
took a couple bags of salted peanuts and, to quell her anxious
stomach, swallowed a Valium with the soda. This was lunch. A
sunbeam glancing through the window near the bygone replace illuminated
the claret jukebox as if it were a honky-tonk jewel. It took
only a nickel to play one of the 75 rpm polkas. She emptied She tried to picture the bar bouncing with
activity, Ollie and Swede and their buddies (and their wives)
bobbing in time to the jukebox, drinking beer, playing sheepshead.
The Milwaukee Brewers might be playing on TV, or the Green Bay
Packers. A hamburger slapped on the grill would sizzle out from
the kitchen and more people would think they were hungry. Pretty
soon the whole place would pulse with accordion music and laughter
and the spit of hot grease would mingle with cigarette smoke
and spilled beer and we'd be having fun. We'd be having fun,
you bet! "Don't see many Madison folks up here. Milwaukee, maybe. Illinois, mostly. Lots of Illinois buyers looking for land, winterized cottages, condos, you name it." Schultz pronounced the "s" in Illinois so the name of the state rhymed with noise." "See what happens. Get a better feel
for what's going on." "What's your secret, Uncle Hal?"
she whispered. "And why have you involved me in your death
when you barely acknowledged me while you were alive? Hannah turned off the motor. Then she changed
to the middle seat, turned around, slipped the oars into the
oarlocks and began to pull. She checked her watch. They had already
been out for over an hour and rowing back against the wind would
take a lot longer than that. Hannah quickly tried to retrieve the glasses,
tipping the boat so it nearly capsized. At the same time she
dislodged an oar, which fell free and ooated away in the rapid
current. The dog leaped into the water to get the tennis ball
that rolled off the seat and bounced over the side. It was rather pleasant, the comforting
lap of the water against the boat, the birds trilling from the
edge of the forest on the shore, the warmth of the pale spring
sun. Hannah wondered if that was part of the attraction of fishing:
the calm feeling, a sedation, almost, induced by the soft rocking
motion, the silence. " To return to the web page for Star Lake Saloon and Housekeeping Cottages, click here. |
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E-mail: webmaster@uwpress.wisc.edu |