Thursday, May 25, 2017

Mini Review: Valley of the Moon by Melanie Gideon

Title: Valley of the Moon
Author: Melanie Gideon
Series: Stand Alone
Published By: Ballantine Books (June 6, 2017)
Source: ARC Provided by the Publisher (in exchange for an honest review)
Genre: Women's Fiction/Time Travel
My Rating: 4 Stars!


Book Description:
The author of the critically acclaimed Wife 22 has written a captivating novel about a love that transcends time--perfect for readers of The Time Traveler's Wife, Time and Again, and the novels of Alice Hoffman. 
San Francisco, 1975. A single mother, Lux Lysander is overwhelmed, underpaid, and living on the edge of an emotional precipice. When her adored five-year-old son goes away to visit his grandparents, Lux takes a solo trip to Sonoma Valley--a chance to both lose herself and find herself again. 
Awakened at midnight, Lux steps outside to see a fog settled over the Sonoma landscape. Wandering toward a point of light in the distance, she emerges into a meadow on a sunny day. There she meets a group of people whose sweetly simple clothing, speech, and manners almost make them seem as if they are from another time. 
And then she realizes they are. 
Lux has stumbled upon an idyllic community cut off not only from the rest of the world but from time itself. The residents of Greengage tell a stunned and disoriented Lux that they've somehow been marooned in the early twentieth century. Now that she has inexplicably stepped into the past, it is not long before Lux is drawn in by its peace and beauty. 
Unlike the people of Greengage, Lux discovers that she is able to come and go. And over the years, Lux finds herself increasingly torn between her two lives. Her beloved son is very much a child of the modern world, but she feels continually pulled back to the only place she has ever truly felt at home. 
A gorgeous, original, and deeply moving novel about love and longing and the power that time holds over all of us, Valley of the Moon is unforgettable. 

Praise for Valley of the Moon .








A beautifully rich story told through time, both past and present with a love story that isn't your typical love story. 

Valley of the Moon was something unexpected, that swept me away into another time, both Lux's present and Lux's past. A story about a strong young women who doesn't quite fit into the time she was born, who is strong and fierce and hard working. A women that will steal your heart as you journey with her not only through time but through her struggles in the modern world and a world that is not her own. As she tries to come to terms with being a women, a mother, and a friend and leaving a man behind that she feels she is destined to be with.

Truly a remarkable story that will keep you turning the pages and wanting more. 








*All thoughts and opinions are my own and were not influenced by the author or publisher. I was not compensated for this review.*




30 comments:

  1. I always love the mix between past and present like that

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    1. I do too, if done right it really can be a great story.

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  2. This sounds like a lovely story, Ali. I'm not normally one for time travel sort of stories, but this sounds like it has a stronger focus on the characters, which I always love.
    Glad you enjoyed it! :))

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  3. This definitley sounds different. You have peaked my interest. I am going to look this up at my library.

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    1. Glad you are interested in it Heidi, hopefully if you decide to try it, you end up liking it too.

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  4. Sounds like a real page turner. I hope you have a really great Memorial Day weekend, Ali!

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  5. I love the sound of this story. You piqued my interest and I am curious to know the story unfolded. Great review.

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    1. Glad I could get you to take a second look at it!

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  6. This sounds so good Ali. And absolutely up my alley as I love time travel books usually. Great review! Thanks 🤗

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  7. That sounds like an emotionally charged story.

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  8. wow I'm glad I read your review because I love the sound of this, so different

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  9. You have me curious about the characters and town Ali.

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  10. Okay, definitely a book I want to read!

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  11. Oh wow this is going on my list right now!. It sounds like a retelling of a movie I saw a long time ago just can't remember the name of it LOL. Thanks Kindlemom

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    1. it reminds me of Brigadoon-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHJYqcjXsl8
      or Shangrila

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    2. Oh tat could be, it does sound really similar!

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  12. What a lovely cover and I'm intrigued by the time travel aspect! Glad this was a good read! Lovely review :)

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  13. For some reason, I'm kind of allergic to Women's Fiction. I read romances all the time, which are written for women, but Women's Fiction seems to be more thoughtful/morose/bittersweet a lot of the time. And for some reason I don't respond to that. Am I off target on that assessment of Women's Fiction?

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    1. No I agree, which is why I read very little of it as well. ;)

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  14. I haven't read The Time Traveler's Wife yet but I've watched the movie and enjoyed it. I can't say I'm totally into time warp or something but this one sounds really promising.

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    1. Time travel isn't fr everyone but this was pretty good so definitely worth it to try. ;)

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