Title: THE VALLEY OF LOST STORIES
Author: Vanessa McCausland
Publisher: HarperCollins Australia
Read: November 2020
Expected publication: 2 December 2020
My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Book Description:
Four women and their children are
invited to the beautiful but remote Capertee Valley for a much-needed holiday.
Once home to a burgeoning mining industry, now all that remains are ruins
slowly being swallowed by the bush and the jewel of the valley, a stunning,
renovated Art Deco hotel. This is a place haunted by secrets. In 1948 Clara
Black walked into the night, never to be seen again.
As the valley beguiles these four friends, and haunts them in equal measure,
each has to confront secrets of her own: Nathalie with a damaged marriage;
Emmie yearning for another child; Pen struggling as a single parent; and
Alexandra hiding in the shadow of her famous husband.
But as the mystery of what happened seventy years earlier unravels, one of the
women also vanishes into this bewitching but wild place, forcing devastating
truths to the surface.
My musings:
Vanessa McCausland shows that stories about women’s
friendships can really be spiced up with an element of mystery and a spooky
atmospheric setting – I loved this even more because her descriptions of the
Australian landscape were so vivid and relatable. I wasn’t surprised to read
that the place she describes in her latest book was inspired by a real valley
she visited with her daughter before writing the novel. I felt instantly
transported there!
Lovers of Liane Moriarty’s books
featuring female friendships will be pleased to hear that THE VALLEY OF LOST
STORIES offers an equally compelling
tale. Four women who are each facing their own challenges in their marriages
and motherhood role are thrown together in an impromptu holiday in a grand
hotel in a secluded valley near the Blue Mountains. And even though the trip was
meant to give them an escape from their present troubles, they soon find
themselves embroiled in a century old secret that has left its mark on the
abandoned mining town.
If you have read and loved
McCausland’s previous book, THE LOST SUMMERS OF DRIFTWOOD, then you will be
pleased to hear that the author uses her skills to create another beguiling
atmospheric backdrop to her latest book. Among the four different protagonists,
there will be one every reader will be able to relate to at some level, even if
it’s just the theme of female friendship dynamics. Although my kids have long
grown up, I could instantly recall those days of early motherhood, beautiful
and yet sometimes utterly exhausting and so very lonely had it not been for
some amazing friends who listened and understood. I appreciated the author’s
honesty without ever straying across the lines of soppy, whiny or preachy, as
each character stayed true to herself and utterly relatable. It’s not an easy
balance to achieve by any means!
Summary:
THE VALLEY OF LOST STORIES encompasses a mix of
genres that will appeal to a wide audience. Part mystery, part historical
fiction, all wrapped into a compelling story about female friendship and
motherhood against a spooky atmospheric backdrop. I thoroughly enjoyed reading
it and recommend it to anyone who is looking for a great summer read.
Thank
you to Netgalley and HarperCollins Australia for the free electronic copy of
this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.
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