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The Valley Trilogy
The Valley: The Valley Trilogy, Book 1
Left suddenly penniless, the Honorable Sophia Grafton, a viscount's orphaned daughter, sails to the New World to claim the only property left to her a tobacco plantation in the remote wilds of colonial Virginia. Enlisting the reluctant assistance of a handsome young French spy - at gunpoint - she gathers an unlikely group of escaped slaves and indentured servants, each seeking their own safe haven in the untamed New World.
What follows will test her courage and that of her companions as they struggle to survive a journey deep into a hostile wilderness and eventually forge a community of homesteads and deep bonds that will unite them for generations.
The first installment in an epic historical trilogy by Helen Bryan, the bestselling author of War Brides and The Sisterhood, The Valley is a sweeping, unforgettable tale of hardship, tenacity, love, and heartache.
What follows will test her courage and that of her companions as they struggle to survive a journey deep into a hostile wilderness and eventually forge a community of homesteads and deep bonds that will unite them for generations.
The first installment in an epic historical trilogy by Helen Bryan, the bestselling author of War Brides and The Sisterhood, The Valley is a sweeping, unforgettable tale of hardship, tenacity, love, and heartache.
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First published July 19, 2016
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About the author
Helen Bryan
19 books323 followersHelen Bryan is an American-born writer living in London for many years She qualified and practised as a barrister in England before giving up law to concentrate on a biography of fellow Virginian Martha Washington (MARTHA WASHINGTON FIRST LADY OF LIBERTY published by John Wiley in the USA in 2002 which won an Award of Merit from the Colonial Dames of America. WAR BRIDES (published by Penguin Books in the UK in 2007) is Helen's first novel. It features five young women, the war brides of the title, and is a multilayered saga of watime romances, a daring rescue plot, and long delayed revenge. It is now available on Kindle as well as paperback. A second novel, THE SISTERHOOD, will come out soon. Readers feedback and comments are welcome.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 177 reviews
July 19, 2016
Folks, I can't sugar coat it--this book was a mess. I was actually quite excited to read this book because, based on the summary, this was totally up my alley. Instead, it just failed on several levels. I'm not going to rant on about this book (as I have already done when telling people about it). But I do want to point out the 3 biggest problems that I had with it.
The first issue that I came across here is that there are some serious plot issues. As in, there really isn't a plot. The first 100 or so pages of this book shouldn't even exist. I could see a very short prologue of when Sophia first met Henri when they were children, as that actually has some bearing on the rest of the novel, but I really didn't need (or care for) Sophia's complete life history up to the point where she stands on a ship heading to the Colonies (where this book should have began). Any other pertinent information could have been revealed to the reader as the story progressed.
I never found a real plot here--there were whiffs of a plot, but then that story line would be dropped. There were story lines that just sort of appeared out of nowhere and then never connected to anything bigger. Probably most infuriating of all, Bryan ends the book with an entirely new story line, with new characters, that she never connects to anything or ties up. I guess she might have been trying to create a cliffhanger for the second book in the trilogy, but it only created frustration.
The second issue is that there needed to be far more editing. The writing was both overly florid and sloppy. The point of view, which was never truly omniscient, would jump between characters at odd places--like the middle of paragraphs--so much that it was hard to follow. Far too many times, characters would not be in a scene, and then just appear for no reason. There are frequently unidentified pronouns, so the reader can't even be sure which character is speaking! All these issues could have been prevented with tighter editing.
The final issue is one of my biggest pet peeves with Historical Fiction. There are things in this book that are, shall we say, historically inaccurate. I'm thinking specifically of Sophia's attitudes towards African Americans. We are told early on that she was taken to abolitionist meetings in England and was opposed to slavery, which is believable. However, she becomes a friend to the former slaves in her group in a way that just would not have happened in the 18th century. While Abolitionists didn't believe in slavery, that doesn't mean that they saw African Americans as equals. In fact, English Abolitionists would still have considered them to be an "inferior race." Yes, it is ugly--but it is true. When you take into account that this novel is based on Bryan's ancestors, this comes across almost as whitewashing ("well, my family was different..." sort of thing),which I find offensive. Slavery and the treatment of African Americans was a very dark, terrible thing--but to make light of it is disrespectful.
I'm very disappointed that this book failed for me, as I really do believe that it could have been wonderful.
I was given a copy of this book in return for an honest review. I received no other compensation for this post.
The first issue that I came across here is that there are some serious plot issues. As in, there really isn't a plot. The first 100 or so pages of this book shouldn't even exist. I could see a very short prologue of when Sophia first met Henri when they were children, as that actually has some bearing on the rest of the novel, but I really didn't need (or care for) Sophia's complete life history up to the point where she stands on a ship heading to the Colonies (where this book should have began). Any other pertinent information could have been revealed to the reader as the story progressed.
I never found a real plot here--there were whiffs of a plot, but then that story line would be dropped. There were story lines that just sort of appeared out of nowhere and then never connected to anything bigger. Probably most infuriating of all, Bryan ends the book with an entirely new story line, with new characters, that she never connects to anything or ties up. I guess she might have been trying to create a cliffhanger for the second book in the trilogy, but it only created frustration.
The second issue is that there needed to be far more editing. The writing was both overly florid and sloppy. The point of view, which was never truly omniscient, would jump between characters at odd places--like the middle of paragraphs--so much that it was hard to follow. Far too many times, characters would not be in a scene, and then just appear for no reason. There are frequently unidentified pronouns, so the reader can't even be sure which character is speaking! All these issues could have been prevented with tighter editing.
The final issue is one of my biggest pet peeves with Historical Fiction. There are things in this book that are, shall we say, historically inaccurate. I'm thinking specifically of Sophia's attitudes towards African Americans. We are told early on that she was taken to abolitionist meetings in England and was opposed to slavery, which is believable. However, she becomes a friend to the former slaves in her group in a way that just would not have happened in the 18th century. While Abolitionists didn't believe in slavery, that doesn't mean that they saw African Americans as equals. In fact, English Abolitionists would still have considered them to be an "inferior race." Yes, it is ugly--but it is true. When you take into account that this novel is based on Bryan's ancestors, this comes across almost as whitewashing ("well, my family was different..." sort of thing),which I find offensive. Slavery and the treatment of African Americans was a very dark, terrible thing--but to make light of it is disrespectful.
I'm very disappointed that this book failed for me, as I really do believe that it could have been wonderful.
I was given a copy of this book in return for an honest review. I received no other compensation for this post.
July 24, 2016
Deeply disappointing
It started with a glimmer of a storyline and then just rambled. Inaccurate historically , so that didn't add to what could have been charming .The main characters , at the beginning ,I hoped would be developed but it was not to be. They were dropped and replaced with new characters in an ad hoc fashion .The book concludes with a brand new unrelated character , presumably to start book 2 of the series .I won't be reading it.
It started with a glimmer of a storyline and then just rambled. Inaccurate historically , so that didn't add to what could have been charming .The main characters , at the beginning ,I hoped would be developed but it was not to be. They were dropped and replaced with new characters in an ad hoc fashion .The book concludes with a brand new unrelated character , presumably to start book 2 of the series .I won't be reading it.
January 29, 2019
There's more telling than showing in this story which definitely detracts from the enjoyment and I nearly stopped reading several times, but pushed on until the end. The story is a long ramble with far too much detail at times, but it did pick up and parts of the story were definitely enjoyaby. The last few chapters, however, were a jumble and the ending disappointing. It just stopped. This latter section should probably have been left for the sequel because it is set decades after the rest of the story and introduced new characters which left me confused as to how they related to the main characters. Overall I was left disappointed and probably won't be reading the sequel.
Read
July 25, 2016The story bored me and I DNF the book because the author spent an awful amount of time setting up the scene regarding Sophia's character and personality. I mean, Sophia was different than other girls in that time, I got it.
More than five pages (and I kid you not) were about Sophia's preparation for her first appearance in society. I was completely bored with the details of the dress and why she chose what she chose and yet was the most beaitiful girl at the party.
I never made it to thr ship or the colonies. Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this title.
More than five pages (and I kid you not) were about Sophia's preparation for her first appearance in society. I was completely bored with the details of the dress and why she chose what she chose and yet was the most beaitiful girl at the party.
I never made it to thr ship or the colonies. Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this title.
January 27, 2020
Immaculately researched. Captivating time, place, and characters. I highly recommend this to any lover of historical fiction.
July 5, 2019
This one started off wonderfully. I was so drawn to Sophia’s character and felt like the storyline was developing nicely. The first third was five stars for me. But then the arc of the plot pretty much disappeared, the writing style became more rambling and trite, and new characters were introduced suddenly and not developed or tied to the overall narrative. I felt like this was two books in one, each written by a different author.
January 24, 2019
Strange
Even though I enjoyed the book overall it was strangely written. At first it was fine but then it keep jumping ahead years at a time and skipping over a lot of the story line
Even though I enjoyed the book overall it was strangely written. At first it was fine but then it keep jumping ahead years at a time and skipping over a lot of the story line
July 22, 2016
2.5 stars
When I read the back cover blurb for The Valley, I was intrigued. When I found out that the book & series are based on the author’s family history, I was even more intrigued. And then I received the book in the mail – and while the official page count might be 606, my advance reader’s copy weighs in at a lofty 643. At that point, I was intrigued and more than a wee bit intimidated lol.
The first 100 or so pages could have been summarized a great deal more succinctly, in my opinion. The information found here was, I felt, largely superfluous or better suited for a prequel novel. Mostly narrative with precious little dialogue, these first several chapters set an unfortunately tedious tone for the book right from the beginning. When the narrative does finally make way for some dialogue, it’s really more of a monologue. Page upon page of narrative disguised as monologue. So… really … still narrative. Eventually, as more characters than just Sophia enter the book’s landscape, dialogue does actually take more of a solid hold and occasionally fights it way through the narrative to give us a brief respite.
Additionally, the part of the book that intrigued me – the part described in the back cover blurb seen above – doesn’t start until 230 or so pages in to the novel. At that point, I started to find the story interesting and became invested in the rather ragtag band of characters that were forging their way across Virginia to find Sophia’s valley. The hardships they faced, the dangers that waited for them around every turn – all of this made me appreciate even more those that have gone before me to make it possible for me to live in relative comfort today.
However, a couple of hundred pages later, new characters start popping in and out of the story. I found it difficult to keep up with them at that point, mainly because I’m already that many pages in and feel like we should be winding the story down, not continuing to add new facets to it. On top of that, there is an abrupt switch of character perspective in the last ~50 pages that threw me off and honestly just tamped out my lingering interest in what happened next.
The Valley is an epic novel to be sure. However, it’s not exactly the novel it advertises itself to be. Long stretches of narrative, most of which could be summed up in far fewer pages, bogs The Valley down in unnecessary tedium and superfluous detail. The main cast of characters proves compelling, though I wish more time had been spent here in development. New characters popping into the story at odd intervals disrupts what flow the story has achieved, and the only real plot resolves a good 200 pages (at least) before the novel does. Of the 600-plus pages, I really enjoyed the chunk in the middle and I feel that – if this had been the entirety of the novel – I would give it a much higher rating. If you are a fan of sweeping epic sagas, then you will probably enjoy The Valley in all of its epic glory, not just the middle third that I found the most engaging.
(I received a copy of this book in exchange for only my honest review.)
When I read the back cover blurb for The Valley, I was intrigued. When I found out that the book & series are based on the author’s family history, I was even more intrigued. And then I received the book in the mail – and while the official page count might be 606, my advance reader’s copy weighs in at a lofty 643. At that point, I was intrigued and more than a wee bit intimidated lol.
The first 100 or so pages could have been summarized a great deal more succinctly, in my opinion. The information found here was, I felt, largely superfluous or better suited for a prequel novel. Mostly narrative with precious little dialogue, these first several chapters set an unfortunately tedious tone for the book right from the beginning. When the narrative does finally make way for some dialogue, it’s really more of a monologue. Page upon page of narrative disguised as monologue. So… really … still narrative. Eventually, as more characters than just Sophia enter the book’s landscape, dialogue does actually take more of a solid hold and occasionally fights it way through the narrative to give us a brief respite.
Additionally, the part of the book that intrigued me – the part described in the back cover blurb seen above – doesn’t start until 230 or so pages in to the novel. At that point, I started to find the story interesting and became invested in the rather ragtag band of characters that were forging their way across Virginia to find Sophia’s valley. The hardships they faced, the dangers that waited for them around every turn – all of this made me appreciate even more those that have gone before me to make it possible for me to live in relative comfort today.
However, a couple of hundred pages later, new characters start popping in and out of the story. I found it difficult to keep up with them at that point, mainly because I’m already that many pages in and feel like we should be winding the story down, not continuing to add new facets to it. On top of that, there is an abrupt switch of character perspective in the last ~50 pages that threw me off and honestly just tamped out my lingering interest in what happened next.
The Valley is an epic novel to be sure. However, it’s not exactly the novel it advertises itself to be. Long stretches of narrative, most of which could be summed up in far fewer pages, bogs The Valley down in unnecessary tedium and superfluous detail. The main cast of characters proves compelling, though I wish more time had been spent here in development. New characters popping into the story at odd intervals disrupts what flow the story has achieved, and the only real plot resolves a good 200 pages (at least) before the novel does. Of the 600-plus pages, I really enjoyed the chunk in the middle and I feel that – if this had been the entirety of the novel – I would give it a much higher rating. If you are a fan of sweeping epic sagas, then you will probably enjoy The Valley in all of its epic glory, not just the middle third that I found the most engaging.
(I received a copy of this book in exchange for only my honest review.)
August 9, 2016
The Honorable Sophia Grafton is the spoiled only child of the Viscount Grafton. Her father wanted to ensure that the Grafton legacy would go on and focuses on Sophia being presented at court and having a season to secure a husband who will not only take the Grafton name, but live on the family estate with Sophia. Unfortunately, Viscount Grafton was granted a large estate in Virginia. Unfortunate as he has mortgaged the family estate to not only keep up their lifestyle but to make the Virginia land profitable. This has included building a home, purchasing slaves, and planting the first tobacco crop. After Viscount Grafton’s untimely death, Sophia discovers that all she has left is the property in Virginia and she is determined to make it profitable. Traveling to Virginia with a lady’s companion, Sophia discovers that it will take courage and hard work to tame her estate. Kidnapping a French Spy that she knew from her youth, Henri, Sophia heads west. Will Sophia find love in the wilderness? Will she be able to tame her estate?
When I first started reading The Valley, I literally couldn’t put it down. I was fascinated by Sophia’s story and her journey from a spoiled brat to a sophisticated young woman. I also loved her trip to Virginia and her daring trek into the wilderness to find her estate. I love pioneer tales and loved the adventure of the motley crew that headed west with Sophia. It was an exciting adventure story.
Then I could put the book down and had a hard time focusing on the second half of the book. The story focused away from Sophia and fixated on new characters that kept moving to the community. The very last section of the book skipped far ahead in the future to descendants of the main characters. I wanted to know what had happened to the main characters. I wanted to see the love story develop between Henri and Sophia over time similar to Claire and Jamie in Outlander. Instead they were less and less in the novel and it seemed that it should have been called the Valley where everyone’s dreams come to die.
I also wasn’t sure about the reality of the community they build in the wilderness with freed escaped slaves, Native Americans, and white Europeans all living together and intermarrying. It would be a wonderful community and the best of America, but is that realistic for the times? I’ve never read about a community like this before. I would have loved an Afterword that could have explained the research used and any such similar communities happening in American history.
Overall, The Valley starts strong as a tale of a young sophisticated woman growing up and discovering adventure in 18th century Virginia, but meanders and loses focus as too many characters are added in the second half of the novel.
Have you ever read a book that changed course half way through? Did you like it or not?
What is your favorite frontier adventure novel?
Book Source: Review Copy for TLC Book Tours – Thanks!
This review was first posted on my blog at: http://lauragerold.blogspot.com/2016/...
When I first started reading The Valley, I literally couldn’t put it down. I was fascinated by Sophia’s story and her journey from a spoiled brat to a sophisticated young woman. I also loved her trip to Virginia and her daring trek into the wilderness to find her estate. I love pioneer tales and loved the adventure of the motley crew that headed west with Sophia. It was an exciting adventure story.
Then I could put the book down and had a hard time focusing on the second half of the book. The story focused away from Sophia and fixated on new characters that kept moving to the community. The very last section of the book skipped far ahead in the future to descendants of the main characters. I wanted to know what had happened to the main characters. I wanted to see the love story develop between Henri and Sophia over time similar to Claire and Jamie in Outlander. Instead they were less and less in the novel and it seemed that it should have been called the Valley where everyone’s dreams come to die.
I also wasn’t sure about the reality of the community they build in the wilderness with freed escaped slaves, Native Americans, and white Europeans all living together and intermarrying. It would be a wonderful community and the best of America, but is that realistic for the times? I’ve never read about a community like this before. I would have loved an Afterword that could have explained the research used and any such similar communities happening in American history.
Overall, The Valley starts strong as a tale of a young sophisticated woman growing up and discovering adventure in 18th century Virginia, but meanders and loses focus as too many characters are added in the second half of the novel.
Have you ever read a book that changed course half way through? Did you like it or not?
What is your favorite frontier adventure novel?
Book Source: Review Copy for TLC Book Tours – Thanks!
This review was first posted on my blog at: http://lauragerold.blogspot.com/2016/...
dnf
October 24, 2016I want to first start off by saying that this is NOT a review – I did not read enough of this book to feel comfortable enough to call this a review. I completed just about 100 pages of this 600 page book before ultimately calling it quits – and for those of you that have been with me for awhile now you know how rare that is. In fact, it has only happened once before and that was with Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, which I did ultimately finish with the help of the audio version. I did not make the decision lightly as I am one of those from the camp that intends to finish every book I begin, but this one was just a mess from the start. Before ultimately making the decision to put the book down I was conflicted, but talking with several other bloggers who were reading it, were at a further page count than I was, and were still also struggling, I made the decision to quit while I was ahead. So, I wanted to share some thoughts and encourage you to leave comments on your thoughts on the book if you have read it.
My first issue was with the writing – it could use a serious editing job – and not just for small grammatical things either. There were entire sections of the novel (even just within those first 100 pages) that could have been purged and the story would have been better for it. There were even sentences that appeared almost word for word a couple paragraphs after they first appeared on the page, and this happened over and over. This book quite likely had no reason to be 600+ pages. The writing was weighed down and clunky and sentence structures were difficult on the ears, such as:
“Sophia felt herself happily in looks tonight and, observing the other girls and the fashionable ladies, saw that her own dress was much the prettiest.”
There are areas where there is a lot of detail – which would be great if it was something that mattered, rather than just superfluous comments about how the clothing appeared.
Quite frankly, those first 100 pages didn’t seem to matter to me at all and made no positive impression on me to keep reading. Considering that this is a sixth of the book, I would think that by that point there should have been something in the book that mattered to the plot and I should have been made to care about what was happening. I simply had no drive to pick up the book again. Additionally, if I hadn’t taken notes on this while reading I would have had no recollection of what happened in these 100 pages, which tells you how much it stood out to me. From what I gather from other reviewers, the story that was promised in the book blurb, which made me want to pick up the book to begin with, didn’t even begin to get moving for almost another 150 pages after the point in which I stopped! So that means it was almost a third of the way through the book before it really got anywhere – which makes me glad I put it down when I did.
I still find the premise intriguing and if it went through a much more rigorous editing process I might have had a chance of enjoying it.
My first issue was with the writing – it could use a serious editing job – and not just for small grammatical things either. There were entire sections of the novel (even just within those first 100 pages) that could have been purged and the story would have been better for it. There were even sentences that appeared almost word for word a couple paragraphs after they first appeared on the page, and this happened over and over. This book quite likely had no reason to be 600+ pages. The writing was weighed down and clunky and sentence structures were difficult on the ears, such as:
“Sophia felt herself happily in looks tonight and, observing the other girls and the fashionable ladies, saw that her own dress was much the prettiest.”
There are areas where there is a lot of detail – which would be great if it was something that mattered, rather than just superfluous comments about how the clothing appeared.
Quite frankly, those first 100 pages didn’t seem to matter to me at all and made no positive impression on me to keep reading. Considering that this is a sixth of the book, I would think that by that point there should have been something in the book that mattered to the plot and I should have been made to care about what was happening. I simply had no drive to pick up the book again. Additionally, if I hadn’t taken notes on this while reading I would have had no recollection of what happened in these 100 pages, which tells you how much it stood out to me. From what I gather from other reviewers, the story that was promised in the book blurb, which made me want to pick up the book to begin with, didn’t even begin to get moving for almost another 150 pages after the point in which I stopped! So that means it was almost a third of the way through the book before it really got anywhere – which makes me glad I put it down when I did.
I still find the premise intriguing and if it went through a much more rigorous editing process I might have had a chance of enjoying it.
March 12, 2017
This book. Just... no. I don't know what was going on here, but this was one of the most boring books I have read in a very long time. It was reminiscent of books that are much older, and drone on and on, with details of someone's son, of someone's son, of someone's son, and then that someone's neighbor. Seriously. I hate to say it, and I listened to the first 25% of the book, thinking it was probably at least halfway over, and when I stopped to look at the progress after a few days, I was stunned. Only 25% into it and nothing had happened yet. The timeline on this one was so weird. The book jumps into this one event, and then it totally halts progress, and rewinds, and goes down an entirely different path. It's like, once upon a time, this girl went to a ball and she was all dressed up and met the king and princess! And then it's like, no just kidding. This is the story of her dad and his boring life, and how he met her mom, and how they were together, and eventually, how she came into the world. Then how she grew up into a petulant, spoiled little child, and then a spoiled little teenager, and then a spoiled, more grown teenager. And then we're into the storyline, lots of talk about how smart her dad is financially, which turns out to totally not be the case... And we are just supposed to go with it? What the heck?
And then it takes a turn, which we know just from reading the back of the book. But this doesn't happen right away. No it still hasn't happened by 25% into the book. We are still droning on about dresses and manners and boys, but in the least possible engaging or exciting manner. And then she takes this descent into poverty and shitty, manipulative people (and come on, she's a socialite in London... you don't think she's encountered deception and manipulation ever, at all, before in her life?) And then she's rescuing slaves and trucking across the Virginia wilderness, hauling her trunks of pretty dresses along while they all starve (and oh by the way, years later, her dresses she had made when she was what, 16, 17? still fit after all of this) I stopped listening to the audiobook, and picked up my Kindle, just so I could fast forward through the book as much as I was able to, and skimmed the plot from about 25% of it, onward, through the ending. Even though it took me an hour instead of several hours to finish it, it was still uneventful and droned on and on.
Come on. This book was awful. It was too boring to even fall asleep to, since you are always, ALWAYS just waiting for something to happen, hoping that something will.
SPOILER ALERT. It doesn't.
And then it takes a turn, which we know just from reading the back of the book. But this doesn't happen right away. No it still hasn't happened by 25% into the book. We are still droning on about dresses and manners and boys, but in the least possible engaging or exciting manner. And then she takes this descent into poverty and shitty, manipulative people (and come on, she's a socialite in London... you don't think she's encountered deception and manipulation ever, at all, before in her life?) And then she's rescuing slaves and trucking across the Virginia wilderness, hauling her trunks of pretty dresses along while they all starve (and oh by the way, years later, her dresses she had made when she was what, 16, 17? still fit after all of this) I stopped listening to the audiobook, and picked up my Kindle, just so I could fast forward through the book as much as I was able to, and skimmed the plot from about 25% of it, onward, through the ending. Even though it took me an hour instead of several hours to finish it, it was still uneventful and droned on and on.
Come on. This book was awful. It was too boring to even fall asleep to, since you are always, ALWAYS just waiting for something to happen, hoping that something will.
SPOILER ALERT. It doesn't.
July 19, 2016
Sophia Grafton who, after the death of her English viscount father, inherits an estate in serious financial difficulty because of a tobacco plantation in the remote wilds of the colony of Virginia. Sophia has no other options than to travel to the colony, take over the property and use proceeds from its crop to pay off her father’s debts. The story follows her journey from England to Virginia by ship and then onwards through the wilderness to the plantation.
Along the way Sophia meets an old acquaintance Henri, who is working as a spy for the French government. Henri reluctantly accepts a lucrative offer to help her get to the plantation with her other travel companions, a group of escaped slaves and indentured servants looking for a better future.
The group’s journey is one of courage, hardship and endurance as they struggle and fight to survive the harsh wilderness. Eventually they reach the plantation but it turns out to be nothing like Sophia was expecting. Stuck in the middle of nowhere the group has no choice but to make the best of it and over time establish a close community of homesteaders.
The story is well written covering a historical period that is very interesting, giving insight into the early years of the colony of Virginia and the issues, dangers and challenges faced by the early settlers. It also sheds light on the sad consequences that such settlement had on the native populations, the hardship the indigenous people endured because of it.
Disappointingly, the book is seems hurried towards the end. The main story concludes around 1790 but then two rushed chapters are added, set in the 1830’s, which seem lacking in background information. In those chapters while it is clear its characters are descendants of the people in the main story it is difficult to follow the thread and keep track of who was who. The addendum didn’t add any value to the main story. An epilogue in the form of a general historical summary would have worked better or perhaps the additional chapters should have been left to begin the next book in the series.
Overall this is an interesting story with engaging and likeable characters that show real courage and strength. The book gives you an insight into life in the early days of the Virginia colony. Fans of historical fiction should enjoy it.
Review copy provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Along the way Sophia meets an old acquaintance Henri, who is working as a spy for the French government. Henri reluctantly accepts a lucrative offer to help her get to the plantation with her other travel companions, a group of escaped slaves and indentured servants looking for a better future.
The group’s journey is one of courage, hardship and endurance as they struggle and fight to survive the harsh wilderness. Eventually they reach the plantation but it turns out to be nothing like Sophia was expecting. Stuck in the middle of nowhere the group has no choice but to make the best of it and over time establish a close community of homesteaders.
The story is well written covering a historical period that is very interesting, giving insight into the early years of the colony of Virginia and the issues, dangers and challenges faced by the early settlers. It also sheds light on the sad consequences that such settlement had on the native populations, the hardship the indigenous people endured because of it.
Disappointingly, the book is seems hurried towards the end. The main story concludes around 1790 but then two rushed chapters are added, set in the 1830’s, which seem lacking in background information. In those chapters while it is clear its characters are descendants of the people in the main story it is difficult to follow the thread and keep track of who was who. The addendum didn’t add any value to the main story. An epilogue in the form of a general historical summary would have worked better or perhaps the additional chapters should have been left to begin the next book in the series.
Overall this is an interesting story with engaging and likeable characters that show real courage and strength. The book gives you an insight into life in the early days of the Virginia colony. Fans of historical fiction should enjoy it.
Review copy provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 22, 2016
The cover of The Valley by Helen Bryan ignites a certain longing for the beauty of memories, of stories and of life. Yet, the story itself did not translate the same imagery as the cover. I'm not one to abandon a book, nor am I one to read the synopsis right before or during the reading of said book. With The Valley, I had to keep re-reading the back description every hundred pages or so, to see if what I'm expecting would indeed happen. Unfortunately, the author's writing does not sit well with me. It seems choppy and I just couldn't get into it at all. There were too many superfluous lines that just seem unnecessary to get the story across. However, that's just me. A novel of 643 pages, in my eyes needs to be telling much more than a story. It needs to include character development with the appropriate level of activity, reaching one or more climax to a turning point in the overall story. And yet, The Valley falls short, mostly because I find it dry, and many times tempted to not finish it. However, I have to admit that, even though I did finish, I skimmed versus my usual thorough indulgence in a historical novel. With that said, my review is just that - my review, and may not reflect those who really enjoy a historical novel that depicts the time during the formation of the "New World."
This review first appeared on Just Commonly blog.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, through TLC Book Tours for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. For my review policy, please see my Disclosure page.
This review first appeared on Just Commonly blog.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, through TLC Book Tours for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. For my review policy, please see my Disclosure page.
August 7, 2016
The Betsy Wisdom docked at Yorktown in September 1754. Sophia Grafton was on board. She was heading for a plantation in Virginia called Wildwood. Her father had heavily mortgaged their London home thinking that Wildwood would provide a good crop of tobacco. It did not. The lawyers that were settling Lord Grafton’s estate had to let the London house go. Sophia determined that she would go to Virginia; learn about growing tobacco; and how to transport it to England for profit to pay off the debt her father had left.
In the New World, she faces many hardships, difficult winters, and a far more primitive life than she was used to. She reconnects with Henri de Marechal, a man who knew Sophia when she was just a child. He was a spy for the French government. He has agreed to help Sophia to get to Wildwood.
This is quite a long book (over 600 pp). In my estimation, it is much longer than it needs to be as it has a lot of mundane information to fill the pages. It took quite a while, for instance, to get to the heart of the story. We first learned about Sophia Grafton from early childhood and how she grew into a young and very attractive young lady meeting young men that her father would prefer her to marry. The dialogue was delightful and very fitting when it was utilized. However, much of the story was told through narration. This is the first of a trilogy and does have ‘hangers’ intending to lure the reader to continue with books 2 and 3. The historical aspect was an interesting take on young America, but I’m not sure it includes actual history. I did a google search for the Betsy Wisdom and came up with nada. Rating: 3 out of 5.
In the New World, she faces many hardships, difficult winters, and a far more primitive life than she was used to. She reconnects with Henri de Marechal, a man who knew Sophia when she was just a child. He was a spy for the French government. He has agreed to help Sophia to get to Wildwood.
This is quite a long book (over 600 pp). In my estimation, it is much longer than it needs to be as it has a lot of mundane information to fill the pages. It took quite a while, for instance, to get to the heart of the story. We first learned about Sophia Grafton from early childhood and how she grew into a young and very attractive young lady meeting young men that her father would prefer her to marry. The dialogue was delightful and very fitting when it was utilized. However, much of the story was told through narration. This is the first of a trilogy and does have ‘hangers’ intending to lure the reader to continue with books 2 and 3. The historical aspect was an interesting take on young America, but I’m not sure it includes actual history. I did a google search for the Betsy Wisdom and came up with nada. Rating: 3 out of 5.
December 20, 2016
This novel is a historical fiction of a young English woman living in the mid 1700's literally forced from her home in England when her father, who is given land in Virginia by the king for his services to the crown, has put them in financial straits. Sophia discovers this upon her father's death. Then she discovers her father has appointed a guardian for her, only he lives in America. She hasn't married and thus must go to America and seek his protection. The story continues to relate her experiences in a very young America just prior to the Revolution and shortly thereafter. This is Book 1 of Bryan's trilogy. It is a well researched and believable novel. I hope to read the next two books. I have a strong interest in genealogy, which may help my interest in this novel.
September 12, 2017
A coming of age story apart from the vast history it covers which in itself was a story. Sophia is an heiress to a tobacco plantation in Virginia and this is the only asset she has left after she finds herself left bankrupt in England. With the help of a French man who is very reluctant to go with her, lots of slaves both free and indentured she sets out to claim her land.
The road to Virginia is hard and troublesome but Sophia is determined that she and her band will make a life for themselves. How they set up camp, marry (all of them) have families, make a settlement and town of a barren landscape is very descriptively and told in detail. The history of slavery, the treatment of slaves even free men was horrendous and was distressing to read about even years later.
The story goes on and on and could have been trimmed a bit. Maybe the telling of it was necessary for the plot but the main story of Sophia got side lined as numerous other characters also had a fairly large role to play and each of their stories added to the main.
It took me a while to get through this book and I felt bad because it had been on my Kindle for a very long time.
The road to Virginia is hard and troublesome but Sophia is determined that she and her band will make a life for themselves. How they set up camp, marry (all of them) have families, make a settlement and town of a barren landscape is very descriptively and told in detail. The history of slavery, the treatment of slaves even free men was horrendous and was distressing to read about even years later.
The story goes on and on and could have been trimmed a bit. Maybe the telling of it was necessary for the plot but the main story of Sophia got side lined as numerous other characters also had a fairly large role to play and each of their stories added to the main.
It took me a while to get through this book and I felt bad because it had been on my Kindle for a very long time.
June 20, 2019
What an amazing story. Oh my goodness. I loved every moment of this book. I traveled with our heroine and watch how she changed. I so admired her strength and resourcefulness. I would put this as one of the best books I have ever read. I learned so much about the settling of this great country. Our earliest ancestors went through so much to give us the great country we have today.
Left suddenly penniless, the Honorable Sophia Grafton, a viscount’s orphaned daughter, sails to the New World to claim the only property left to her name: a tobacco plantation in the remote wilds of colonial Virginia. Enlisting the reluctant assistance of a handsome young French spy—at gunpoint— she gathers an unlikely group of escaped slaves and indentured servants, each seeking their own safe haven in the untamed New World.
What follows will test her courage and that of her companions as they struggle to survive a journey deep into a hostile wilderness and eventually forge a community of homesteads and deep bonds that will unite them for generations.
Left suddenly penniless, the Honorable Sophia Grafton, a viscount’s orphaned daughter, sails to the New World to claim the only property left to her name: a tobacco plantation in the remote wilds of colonial Virginia. Enlisting the reluctant assistance of a handsome young French spy—at gunpoint— she gathers an unlikely group of escaped slaves and indentured servants, each seeking their own safe haven in the untamed New World.
What follows will test her courage and that of her companions as they struggle to survive a journey deep into a hostile wilderness and eventually forge a community of homesteads and deep bonds that will unite them for generations.
March 3, 2017
Wow, really dissatisfied with this novel! So much potential.
I was enjoying the book until about the last quarter at which point little developed characters were being introduced too quickly. The timeline sped up and I had a difficult time keeping track of even those characters about which I cared. The book is called epic but in my opinion, an epic novel allows the reader to become invested in all of the characters with character development through aging each generation with subsequent generations becoming the predominant players. The speed with which this novel is concluded and then
the introduction of a totally new major character without back story is off-putting. I would have enjoyed this much more if it were told at a more leisurely pace.
I received this novel from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
I was enjoying the book until about the last quarter at which point little developed characters were being introduced too quickly. The timeline sped up and I had a difficult time keeping track of even those characters about which I cared. The book is called epic but in my opinion, an epic novel allows the reader to become invested in all of the characters with character development through aging each generation with subsequent generations becoming the predominant players. The speed with which this novel is concluded and then
the introduction of a totally new major character without back story is off-putting. I would have enjoyed this much more if it were told at a more leisurely pace.
I received this novel from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
September 29, 2016
The Valley is the story of Sophie Grafton, the orphaned daughter of an English viscount. When she discovers that she has lost her home and is penniless, she is forced to travel to America to start a new life in colonial Virginia.
This story of the first settlers during the 18th century and the hardships and dangers they had to face was well-written. The beginning of the book was a bit slow, but I found that the author did a great job with this story of a courageous woman. The characters were great and the story kept me interested from start to finish. If you enjoy reading historical fiction, this book is a good choice. This is the first part of a trilogy and I can’t wait for more.
An advanced copy of this book was provided by the publisher, via NetGalley.
This story of the first settlers during the 18th century and the hardships and dangers they had to face was well-written. The beginning of the book was a bit slow, but I found that the author did a great job with this story of a courageous woman. The characters were great and the story kept me interested from start to finish. If you enjoy reading historical fiction, this book is a good choice. This is the first part of a trilogy and I can’t wait for more.
An advanced copy of this book was provided by the publisher, via NetGalley.
October 20, 2018
This was a long, long book. Overall, I enjoyed the storyline and details of history woven into fiction. However, some of the parts were ridiculously detailed and took forever to get to the point, with some overly flowery narratives with way too many adjectives. This book covers quite a time span so I'm surprised that right out of the gate it's #1 in a Trilogy. This book itself could have been broken into 2 or 3. Some of the scenes were a bit difficult to follow, jumping around a bit. But, overall I enjoyed it and read through to the end. I don't know if I'll go back for another round though.
November 29, 2016
A great beginning to an eighteenth century trilogy. It's along the same lines as the Into the Wilderness series by Sara Donati, although the characters in this trilogy are slightly less appealing to me. I had some trouble with how easily the main character got married and went to bed with a guy that she didn't even love. It happened, of course, but fitting together just struck me as too easy if we were meant to know that they hardly even cared about each other. In spite of that issue, I still plan to continue reading this trilogy.
May 5, 2017
I debated between 2 stars and 3. The story was fine but I feel the editing job was poor. The first 100 pages were slow and could easily been cut in half. Then two thirds of the way through it's as if the author realized she had been rambling for too long and had a lot more to cover so there were big jumps in time. The jumps in time did not sit well with how drawn out the beginning was. I will read the rest of the trilogy because I enjoyed the characters.
October 3, 2020
I so want to like this book. I has everything I love in a good story......Except it goes over and beyond the story, so bad I sometimes got confused about who is this person? How did they get in the story? Wait, it's so and so's great great grandchild? Wait did we skip something? And the beginning was kind of off a bit... Think the book needed edited down to one story.
October 24, 2016
Such a long build up
I have read Helen Bryan's work before and enjoyed them immensely but the build-up this time was quite crippling. This installment ended well with a great place to pick back up but it took a while to get there...
I have read Helen Bryan's work before and enjoyed them immensely but the build-up this time was quite crippling. This installment ended well with a great place to pick back up but it took a while to get there...
January 12, 2017
A gripping story of an English woman and a French man coming to America separately but end up together on a dangerous trip to claim the woman's inheritance. A story of life, love, family and people no matter what skin color coming together for a life.
September 30, 2017
While this was an interesting story, like other reviewers I agree this book needed to start on the boat to America. There where soooo many pages that didn't add to the story. It was a pager turner as they left Thomas but a struggle to finish.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 5, 2018
A little disappoint. I thought the story line as gonna be what I like to read, but it didn’t much sense. I could see where the author leading the reader. The story became wordy. Went off on tangents, the painter, the Gypsies. Not sure I would read any sequels
November 30, 2017
It was ok but I couldn't WAIT for it to be over. It was like the author didn't know when to stop and just kept going.
June 12, 2018
Mmmm..
It was okay... informative book. I did not feel overly involved with the characters when reading. Great story of survival.
It was okay... informative book. I did not feel overly involved with the characters when reading. Great story of survival.
January 29, 2019
Rambling story. Really not worth the time. Didn't follow any storyline to a conclusion which is a shame because there were potentially good storylines.
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