Skip to main content

Listening Valley by D.E. Stevenson

When someone states that a book is their favorite book of all, especially when that someone is Jen Robinson, I am so gonna pick up that book. I mean, I have trouble even thinking about making a top ten list of favorite books of all. Break it down into different genres, and perhaps I could start whittling it down. Maybe. In the meantime, I truly would like to have read as many of the important-to-people, comfort-read books as I can. I like the fellow feeling it engenders. Plus, it makes me branch out and I invariably find little gems I otherwise would not have.

Listening Valley takes place in Scotland just prior to World War II. Tonia and her sister Lou grow up thick as thieves in a world apart from their extremely detached parents and the other kids in town. Tonia particularly is dreamier and more sensitive than the gregarious Lou. Whenever things become too much, she retreats to that quiet and calm place in her mind she dubs Listening Valley. There she can suss things out on her own time and make sense of them. When Lou runs off to get married at 18, Tonia is left alone, unhappy, and unsure of who she is and what she wants to be. When offered independence and the opportunity to leave her parents' home, she makes a difficult command decision and accepts an offer of marriage from a wealthy, but kindly older man. Soon Tonia finds herself in London amidst bombings and rationing and her life is suddenly filled with purpose as it had never been before. This time is not to last, however, and Tonia eventually finds herself back in Scotland attempting to refashion her life once more.

Above all, this is a sweet story about life and growing up, leaving home, and finding it again. I enjoyed watching Tonia become more at ease in her own skin over the years, so much so that she is able to not only take care of herself but others as well. These others include the funny and endearing inhabitants of Ryddelton as well as the boys of the RAF who congregate at Tonia's. Tonia herself is so very fragile in the beginning, but by the end I felt like she would be quite all right, come what may. That she was, indeed, someone who would "go out with you in any weather." That kind of transformation was gratifying to watch and the story as a whole both pleasant and touching. Thanks for the recommendation, Jen. This book is easy to love.

Comments

  1. I'm really touched that you took the trouble to track this book down, Angie. It definitely engenders "fellow feeling" for me. I'm so glad that you liked it! It's really impossible for me to be objective about this book, so it's heartening to see someone else come across it as a modern-day adult, and still appreciate it. I'm going to link to your review in my original review, so that others can get that dual perspective. Thanks for a lovely start to my morning.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm so glad I could help start your day on a happy note. I was tickled that my library had it and I thoroughly enjoyed it. What a lovely (and appropriate) ending.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I too am a D.E. Stevenson fan! The best part about liking her books is that there are so many of them. My favorite, at the moment, is The Blue Sapphire.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yeah, the number of books is definitely comforting, Charlotte. I also like the way many of the books are interconnected. A major character in one will be a minor character in another, etc. This lets you get a window on what happened next with a character, even after the book is finished. And it makes you feel, when you read multiple books, like you've really entered a universe.

    ReplyDelete
  5. See, I definitely need to pick up more Stevensons as I adore that about L'Engle's books.

    Charlotte, this is fun to find other Stevenson fans. I don't think I'd ever have come across her without Jen's recommendation.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Exactly! Stevenson is similar to L'Engle that way, and I think that it's SO fun.

    Most libraries have at least a few Stevensons. You might also try the large print section - there are usually a couple there.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Good idea. I have found several things in large print that I couldn't find otherwise.

    ReplyDelete
  8. This book has haunted me for many years. I read it when I was a preteen. Many years later, I still have poignant memories of Tonia and Lou and their love for chocolate eclairs, the RAF and Celia... I loved it and hope to track it down too. A real keepsake.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

You Might Also Like

Darkest Mercy Cover Art

I know you've likely seen this cover already, but it's frankly too pretty not to post. Also, it's Donia. And I love Donia. This is the cover for Darkest Mercy --the fifth and final book in Melissa Marr 's Wicked Lovely series. And just for fun, I thought I'd post all five covers side by side here now, both to show the arc of truly lovely cover art for a series, and to try to determine which one is my favorite. First of all-- so pretty . This series has just had consistently gorgeous covers and I love seeing that, especially for a series I've followed and enjoyed (I should say that has inspired the full range of human emotions in me--which can only be a good thing--even when I'm railing against some bit of nonsense Keenan got himself up to). Second, as far as my favorite goes, it's definitely down to either the cover of Ink Exchange or the one for  Darkest Mercy . I love them both. But I think, I think , I'm gonna have to go with Ink Exchange . Bec

Bibliocrack Review | The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

 Hi. Hey. Hello there. It's been a . . . well, you know what it's been. We're all still living this together. So I will simply skip to the fact that I couldn't not review this book here. Because reading it was something special. I knew nothing about Ali Hazelwood 's debut novel except that it involved women in STEM and that the cover made me smile. I decided to set it aside for myself as a reward. Work has been . . . punishing . . . for the last year, and I have been so exhausted every hour of every day. And so I determined to buy The Love Hypothesis  on release day knowing nothing about it. But when I went to the bookstore to get my copy, none were available. In fact, none were available anywhere for love nor money, in store or online. At first I was moderately disappointed. Then I told myself maybe it's not that great after all and I didn't necessarily need to feel this preemptive sense of loss. But it kept gnawing at me. The loss. And so I paused work an

Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols

I can't quit Jennifer Echols . Not that I really try that hard, but I read her new ones and often feel as though I'm still searching for that one in possession of that certain something that will make me feel the way  Going Too Far did. Like I couldn't put it it down. And definitely like I didn't hate either of the main characters after the fact. Well, I found it with Such a Rush . I read this 300+ pager in a single night, which clears up the question of whether or not I couldn't put it down. And I finished it definitely not hating either of the main characters. I didn't finish it loving them both unreservedly, though. I loved Leah with my whole heart from page one and that never changed. My feelings regarding one of the Hall brothers remain complicated. More to come on this in a bit. On a side note, I'm delighted that Such a Rush is Ms. Echols' hardcover debut. It's a meticulously designed book, a pleasure to hold in my hands as I stayed up way