Bob at the Lake

by R. Murphy

What would happen if Roz, a crabby woman of a certain age, moved to the wintry shores of a New York lake—and got a ghost? And not just any ghost, mind you. Bob’s a ghost from 1920’s Manhattan, full of quips and over fond of his martinis, who swans around in a silk smoking jacket and makes Roz’s life very . . . well, let’s just say ‘complicated.’Especially after Roz meets David, the good-looking grape grower who lives up the hill. Join Roz, David—and Bob—as they navigate blizzards, cookie mazes, holiday shopping sprees, and the occasional power outage. (You know, all of those delightful challenges of a good, old-fashioned Northern winter . . .)

Genres: Romance

236 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2013

Reviews

[Kate Collier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roz Murphy's novel Bob at the Lake is the funny, touching story of a woman creating a new life for herself at the lake-- Crooked Lake in the Finger Lakes-- with the help of her personal ghost Bob. Murphy is a wonderful storyteller and she knows the Finger Lakes inside and out. While the characters and situations kept me turning the pages, the brilliant descriptions of the lake in all its moods mesmerized me. (Wait 'til you experience the ghost dance!). From the first surprising page to the last clever line, I enjoyed every minute of this reading experience and look forward to more books to come. Will the grapes come back? What's going to happen with David? What is Roz's next business venture?

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love that Bob

I loved this book so much I read it in one sitting. Roz is a little whiney to be the eldest sister but she grows on you when she finally gets she's in charge of her own life. Can't wait to read Bob at the Plaza when I get it.

[Diana Reeves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting

At first I thought the author was writing with a bit too much detail but then I realized that without the details the story would not have developed as well. The story engulfs you and you have to keep reading to see what Bob’s real purpose in Roz’s life is.

[Lucretia Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and fast read. I can't wait to read book 2 of the series.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was OK. A friend gave it to me since it was located in The Finger Lakes. The storyline contained a Ghost and I didn't like the ending..

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Everyone needs a ghostly friend. Next is Bob at the Plaza.

[Carrie Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not expect this book to have a life lesson that would apply to me, but it did. It was good and bad all at the same time.

[Laura Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having gone through the Great Recession, I felt so many connections in this book.

Roz purchased a second house on the shores of Crooked Lake in West New York and then everything fell apart. She got a divorce and the recession hit and her job went elsewhere leaving her with no choice but to live at the lake house and make a go of it with her freelance writing.

It wasn’t long before she met Bob, a ghost with a taste for martinis. Finding out why he was there and what it would take to make him go away was a rip tearing good time for me.

How do you take your ghost? Shaken or stirred?

I thought Bob, being a ghost, would be my favorite character. Not so. While I loved Bob and his humor, which was as dry as his martinis, Roz was the one I felt most connected to.

Being a woman ‘of a certain age’ myself, it was nice to have the protagonist portrayed by one also. It made it easy to connect with Roz and her thoughts and actions were that much more believable. She felt familiar, so like me.

I too have a tradition of spending the week between Christmas and New Years holed up at home, eating the goodies I got, drinking lots of tea, and reading, reading, reading. I too love Irish Breakfast Tea and white wines. But I don’t live in a lake house and I don’t have a Bob.

Roz took me along on her new journey of the Finger Lakes, introducing me to her strange next door neighbors, taking me wine tasting at the local wineries, and keeping me up all night to meet her writing deadlines.

“…it’s hard to describe a good wine; it’s as hard as describing a kiss.”

As the author places her in predicament after predicament I was waiting for her to call for help. And who’s she gonna call? Bob, that’s who. Granted he wasn’t always helpful, and could get her in even bigger pickles, like the time the display got broken in the store and she was kicked out, but sometimes he had good ideas. Roz just had to weed them out.

He can also be tender and quite debonair. Also light on his feet, and no, not from his martinis. Wait until you go to the ball on the lake.

What you get in Bob at the Lake is a story that reads like real life. There’s a character with some years and experience, a ghost who mixes delicious martinis, some local color, a slow blooming romance with a sexy grape grower, and laughs that keep on coming.

I received this book for my honest review.

[Christian Schwoerke · Rating 3 out of 5]

The comments serve for both novels, which are the first two in a trilogy of Bob novels, concluding with Bob on the Polka Dot Highway (as of this writing, Jan 2016, yet to be published).

These novels tell the ongoing story of Roz Murphy, a single woman of a certain age (35-ish, 40-ish), who has settled at what use to be her second, discretionary home in the Finger Lakes area of New York after losing her job in Tennessee. Money is tight and Roz supports herself with freelance writing for two national charitable non-profits, a la Red Cross. Early in the first novel, she meets Bob, her ghost, a hazy-memoried, martini-drinking spectre assigned to Roz to help her make up her mind about staying at the lake, and about some other thing that he can’t remember. Roz and Bob get along well, bantering and laughing a good deal. Roz meets a few folks in the area and begins to settle in, enjoying wine tastings at the many wineries in the area, tentatively beginning a relationship with a rugged, handsome, thoughtful grape grower. A trip to NYC with Bob hints at his identity being bound up with the Algonquin Hotel. By novel’s end, with Roz unsure about what’s to happen to her, Bob has been driven off by Roz’s sister (for her own good, so she’ll more time with the grape grower).

The second novel picks up at the same point, and after some months of anxiety about her finances, some canoodling with the grape grower, and another trip with the local chorus to NYC, she regains possession of Bob (after a verbal duel with Dorothy Parker). For every good thing that befalls Roz, something calamitous occurs, and she is still unsure about whether to stay or to move on and take steady employment some place. By novel’s end she is leaning towards departure, which means a brave break up with the grape grower.

The novels are written with a contemporary zing, a hip, tv-smart vernacular that includes some literary allusions. It’s all in good fun and is bright, shiny entertainment, most likely aimed at women of a certain age, rather than to old crusty guys like myself.

[Crossroad Readers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bob at the Lake was a cute, fun and light read. Roz has recently moved to her lake house in New York. She doesn't know many people in the area and spends much of her time by herself. Then she finds out that she has a ghost who has been assigned to her to help her make a decision in her life. The relationship Roz has with her ghost, Bob, was quite entertaining. The dialogue between Roz and Bob was so witty and amusing. I found myself laughing at many points in the story. I also liked seeing the relationship Roz had with her sisters and even though she was close with her sister she finds herself defending Bob to her. I must admit there were times that I felt bad for Bob, especially since he was such a likeable character.

Bob at the Lake was a book that I would highly recommend to anyone who wants to read a light and funny story about a woman and her ghost. There are many qualities about this book that made me love it! There is paragraph in particular in this book that I will never forget... It is quite possibly has become one of my favorite analogies. It has to do with unpacking and making frosting... It's so unique and I had never thought about it before but it's so true! The only complaint about this book that I have is that I wanted to read more! I would love to find out what else happens after this book ends. I look forward to reading more from Ms. Murphy!

Full review posted at http://crossroadreaders.wordpress.com

[Beverly Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kudos to Roz Murphy for a delightful read. Whether you are an avid paranormal reader or not, you'll find this debut novel--the first book in a three book series--humorous to the point of finding yourself laughing as you turn each and every page. Mix one crabby woman (newly settled in the grape-growing region of the Finger Lakes) and one very distinguished but martini-loving gentleman who just happens to be a ghost and you've got R. Murphy's recipe for one hilarious read. I look forward to the next two installments.

[Librarian Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is hands down one of the cutest books I've read recently. Told in the first person by "a woman of a certain age," I quickly identified with the main character and her attempt to make a new life for herself. Little did she know that she had her own ghost, Bob. He's been assigned to her to help her; however, neither of them know with what.

I could so see this as a movie--a la Cary Grant and Myrna Loy. Between Bob, Roz's well-meaning family, and David, the hunk of a grape grower, there are a lot of fun things going on. I'm looking forward to the next installment of this story.

[Mahrie Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ms Murphy hits to the heart of downsizing, regrouping and moving on. Having a ghost to ease the passage adds humour and sage wisdom. Family, money, reality and a good looking neighbour complicate life. This book starts slow but winds it way into your core. By the end I was revved up to read the sequel. Boomer lit plus.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really fun and fresh book. Lots of chuckles along the way.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an adorable little book from a local author in Penn Yan. It reads like a letter to a friend, and you want to believe that it's all true.