An interesting story looking at how you can be losing it all and what the community can or would do to help you. A complex bunch of characters, but nevertheless a good read.

really well writing family story that has quiet a few different aspects and issues without overdramatising it all. A very nice read overall.

Ice House is a novel that will make you understand and appreciate family, life choices, Scotland terrain and lifestyles, and the workings, challenges, and obstacles faced in a marriage. That is certainly quite a few topics to address in one novel but Laura Lee Smith does this in stellar fashion. Ice House is the story of an ice factory owned by a married couple that is living with the stress of an OSHA violation, a son/stepson with a heroin addiction, a previous marriage in Scotland that was ended with the intention of the spouse coming to America in order to give his son, who stayed in Scotland , the hopes of a better life from the money sent back to Scotland that would be used to help raise him. All of these themes are expertly addressed in one novel. You will come to know their characters, their financial and personal stresses, and the decisions that have made the characters what they are at this point in time. It is always easy to write a review of a novel of this sort because there are so many great things that can be said. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and hope that you do as well.

The writing is a little hard to get used to in the beginning and the story doesn't grab you straight away. But I have to say that I am glad I persevered with this book. It was an extraordinary expose on family and the ways we communicate, or don't communicate with each other.

The Ice House by Laura Lee Smith was a sweet enjoyable book. I've never read anything from this author before and I am glad I did. I found The Ice House a perfect book for your holidays. Easy to read with Humour. The characters I felt they were real in this lovely book, they showed great affection and kindness and you warmed to them.
This is a satisfying quick read.

But I will definitely read more from Laura Lee Smith's books.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book in return for an honest and fair review.

I picked up The Ice House once, read the first chapter, and wasn’t all that thrilled. Then I tried again, and I’m glad I did. The writing felt a bit clunky and uneven at the opening, but this quickly became a great read—relatable but somewhat quirky characters, all-too-real but stuff-of-nightmares situations (a brain tumor, a business that might go under, a livelihood that might be lost), and redemptions that felt real and not just convenient.

I was a big fan.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

I took a chance on this book knowing little about the story or the author. I'm so glad that I did! This is a wonderful story filled with subplots and great characters that I really cared about. I found myself pulled back into the book and wanting to pick it whenever I had a free moment.
I would suggest this book to readers interested in how families function during both good and bad times. It is the kind of book that makes you think about relationships and feelings. I know I was head over heals in love with this book and how it worked through the difficulties and unpredictability of life. It is one that I highly recommend.
My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.

I loved this book. So well written. I found this book unputdownable!!

Johnny MacKinnon is leading a good life, but suddenly changes start to occur. First, there is an accident in the ice factory (where he is the COO), and then comes the OSHA investigation, which may result in a fine so big that he and his wife will be forced to shut down the factory. To make matters worse, Johnny collapses on the factory floor, and after an MRI is told that he may have a brain tumor. Furthermore, he and his son have not spoken to each other in months.

Johnny is not happy with how everything has unfolded, but there is not much he can do about it. So instead of panicking, he decides to take a trip and visit his son and granddaughter, leaving his wife to take care of the lawyers and the investigation.
Full review available at: https://www.bookreporter.com/reviews/the-ice-house

Scottish-born Johnny is in crisis. Happily married to Pauline, Johnny is facing an investigation that could end the family business- an ice manufacturing company; he's not speaking with his recently drug-free son, Corran, who lives in Scotland; and he learns he has a potentially fatal health condition. While he and Pauline scramble to find any evidence that local drug dealers (and manufacturers) are responsible for the incident that has jeopardized the Ice House, Johnny realizes he needs to see Corran and meet his infant granddaughter- just in case. Accompanied by a neighborhood teen with his own challenges, an unlikely road trip begins.

While Pauline's story of being unable to come to terms with aging is a little lame, the other characters and their stories are more interesting and better developed. I enjoyed it for the concept and a couple of the characters in particular. The resolution to the Ice House case is well done.

The characters featured in THE ICE HOUSE are like most of us: definitely imperfect yet often audacious, pig-headed and volatile yet devoted and family oriented.

The MacKinnon’s, Pauline and Johnny , originally from Scotland now own an ice factory that is on the brink of disaster due to a negligence claim filed by OSHA. Meanwhile in Scotland, his first wife and their adult son, a recovering heroin addict, are experiencing some complications of their own.

Dilemma’s snowball on both sides of the Atlantic that illustrate that despite our most careful planning, there are potholes in the road of life and things don’t always turn out as we expected or planned.

Sub-plots abound as author, Laura Lee Smith explores the fallout of what happens when “man plans and God laughs” in her profound and tangled tale of regrets, survival, forgiveness and closure.

The Ice House by Laura Lee Smith is a highly recommended family drama ultimately about forgiveness in spite of differences.

Johnny MacKinnon, 53, and his second wife Pauline, 50, are the owners of the Bold City Ice Plant, an inherited ice house business, located in Jacksonville, Florida. Johnny, originally from Scotland, has a 30 year old son, Corran, still living in Scotland. Although Corran has visited Johnny in Florida for years, after his last visit, Johnny made it clear he was done with Corran, a heroin addict, after he stole from Johnny and Pauline. The estranged relationship between father and son isn't the only problem facing the MacKinnons. The ice house is facing astronomical OSHA fines following a leak of ammonia gas. While they are sure it was no accident and probably due to drug dealers in the neighborhood stealing the ammonia, they have no proof of this yet and have to find some ground for their appeal. The final straw is when Johnny is discovered to have a brain tumor that has to be removed. Johnny is put on medication and told to rest for two weeks before the tumor is removed.

Johnny, never very good at taking it easy, decides that he needs to visit Corran and try to mend their relationship because his tumor may mean this is his last chance to do so. It seems that Corran is now clean, according to Johnny's ex-wife, Sharon. Corran is also taking care of his nine-month old daughter by himself after his wife was sent to prison for smuggling heroin. Johnny returns to Scotland to see Corran, Sharon, and his granddaughter. And because he can't drive, Johnny takes teenager neighbor, Chemal, with him to act as his driver. This leaves Pauline alone to handle the upcoming OSHA trial, while worrying over Johnny's approaching surgery.

Smith has written an excellent feel-good novel in The Ice House. The writing really is quite good. There is a keen insight into all of the well-developed characters, making them real people with flaws and weaknesses along with strengths. She has managed to capture the shared feeling that time is slipping by for Johnny, Pauline, and Sharon, as well as with the rest of the cast of characters. Smith has chapters from the perspective of several characters, which helps create a complete picture of everyone involved in the various dilemmas facing the main protagonists and their personal problems. Life can be messy and complicated, and Smith captures this. At the same time, readers will care what happens to the motley group. While placing her characters in some dire situations, she also has several comedic moments along with the tender, heart breaking scenes.

But make no mistake about it, this is a novel with a message - relationships are vital and forgiveness of others (and yourself) is essential. This would be an excellent choice to read for escapism, especially when you want everything resolved. For me, there are a few flaws. The novel does tend to meander a bit too much and, for me at least, everything is too-tidily resolved at the end (which, after we've seen how messy life can be in the bulk of the novel, seems to be overly optimistic and unrealistic.)

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Grove/Atlantic via Netgalley.
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Laura Lee Smith's voice is one to remember in this well written novel. Family drama interwoven with themes of redemption and courage resonate, with characters you will not soon forget. Johnny MacKinnon has had many challenges running his ice business, but with medical problems looming, he is needing to reconnect with both his son and his wife. Heartwarming and sensitively written.

Wow, what a book. I often do not enjoy books like this but this one really grabbed me. It started off a little slow, and I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. The setting of the scene in the beginning was a little formulaic in its description of the physical scenery and the characters' appearances. But once we got to the story, it really got my attention. There are a lot of characters and a lot of perspectives in the narrative, and while sometimes that either muddies things, or the characters don't have a distinctive voice, the characters were written very well. I especially related to Pauline, as she's my age and had some other similarities in her experiences and perspective, but all the characters were believable and compelling, in my opinion. When you can write a middle-aged woman and a son dealing with heroin addiction and the middle-aged man equally well, that's impressive. The ending was a little predictable, but not necessarily so, and there's drama right up to the last page. I haven't read this author before, but now I want to go back and check some of her other work.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

First off, the blurb about this book is terrible. It doesn’t come close to doing the book justice. Which is why I refuse to summarize it because I’ll probably tank it, too. But I’ll tell you what it’s really about. It’s about family, love, connection, forgiveness, loss, and second chances. It’s about the lengths a parent will go to for their child, including letting go if it’s what’s best for them. It’s about different kinds of family, the kind you’re born to, the kind you marry into, the kind you make, and the kind you find at work (or church, or book club, or…). It is lovely. You must read it.

The author’s writing style is easy to sink right into. And even though the book is only moderately paced (it isn’t a thriller people), at no point did I feel bored. All of the characters were amazing, and I loved getting to see each of their perspectives as the story moved along. While the story itself spans a very short period of time – a couple of weeks or so – a great deal is covered in that time period: Johnny’s illness and how that affects he and his wife, as well as his strained relationship with his son, the OSHA fiasco that puts their business at risk, Johnny’s relationship with his ex-wife and her long-time second husband, Pauline’s feelings about aging and having never had a child, and the list goes on and on. It is lovely. You must read it.

Honestly, I don’t feel like I’m doing this book justice. It is so much more than I expected, and I love it when a book surprises me. This is one of those books that I put off for a bit not knowing what I was missing out on. If you have it on your TBR, I suggest you bump it up if you can. If you don’t have it on your TBR, you might want to reconsider. ;)

Strong, flawed, complex characters and a realistic yet heart-wrenching plot - this novel has a lot going for it and I think it will be very popular with book clubs and many other readers in the coming year.

A sweeping family saga about all the typical tragedies big and small that impact a family. This is told in such a beautiful harsh way that you will think about it long after you put it down.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Grove Press and Laura Lee Smith for the opportunity to read and review this book - I loved it!

This is the story of the MacKinnon family - Johnny hails from Ireland and immigrated to Florida, leaving behind his young son and wife. They parted on good terms and their son, Corran, frequently came to Florida. Johnny married Pauline, whose family owned an ice house, and they both headed up the company. Corran got mixed up in the heroin scene and Johnny & Pauline took an extra mortgage on their house to pay for rehabs. Their relationship blew up when Corran was accused of stealing Pauline's wedding ring for drug money. The two hadn't spoken since.

Back in Ireland, Corran now has Lucy, a baby whose mother is in jail for heroin. Corran is clean but has escaped to a remote island accessible only by ferry to avoid temptation. He's having a tough time dealing with Lucy by himself.

Then Johnny discovers he has a brain cyst, right when the ice factory is being investigated by OSHA for an accident that threatens to shut down the factory and their livelihood. Pauline is coping with her life choices now that she's getting older.

I loved all of these characters - especially Chemal, Johnny's next door neighbor. Every character and situation is relatable - you will laugh and cry. Highly recommended!

On the face of it, this could be a very depressing story- it's about a family beset with illness, business problems, addiction, single fatherhood, and economic dislocation. However, the MacKinnons, especially father Johnny and son Corran, deal with all of this with grace. The story moves back and forth between Florida and Scotland, where Corran, an addict who has relapsed multiple times, is trying to cope with his small daughter Lucy on his own. An OSHA problem at the ice house Johnny owns with his long suffering wife Pauline, as well as a brain tumor, is the impetus for Johnny and Corran to renew and hopefully rehabilitate their relationship. There are other wonderful characters as well, notably, Chemal. So much happens in this character driven novel that will make you nod your head in recognition. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Try this one for a well written and thoughtful novel.

First time I have read anything from Laura Smith and it was a great read. Johnny moved from Scotland to the US. He runs a factory with his wife but he is facing ruin following a mysterious accident. His son from a previous relationship lives in Scotland and they are not talking following the disappearance of his wife's wedding ring (or engagement!). His son is a drug addict but has been clean and avoiding big cities to bring up his daughter. Johnny collapses at work and what unfolds is not only a journey for him, but his neighbours son who acts as his chauffeur. Johnny travels back to Scotland to make things up with us son. I could go on but I won't! Throughout the book there are small pieces of self discovery. Really recommend the book.