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A View From The Mountain
From Indonesia to Holland, comes the extraordinary life of one young woman who defies social norms... and carves a better life for herself and other women.
1902. In tropical Malang, Indonesia, Anna's family owns a coffee plantation. But despite their opulent lifestyle, shy, sensitive Anna has always felt like an outsider. Haunted by dreams of another life, she craves the acceptance of her mother and self-absorbed sister, Lily.
Facing discrimination for the color of her skin, Anna wants to change the lives of Javanese girls through education. Despite the hurdles in her way, she pursues the life of a teacher.
But as the war looms, and her marriage turns deadly, Anna will need to draw upon her inner strength and bravery to not only survive; but to unearth the truth of her past.
1902. In tropical Malang, Indonesia, Anna's family owns a coffee plantation. But despite their opulent lifestyle, shy, sensitive Anna has always felt like an outsider. Haunted by dreams of another life, she craves the acceptance of her mother and self-absorbed sister, Lily.
Facing discrimination for the color of her skin, Anna wants to change the lives of Javanese girls through education. Despite the hurdles in her way, she pursues the life of a teacher.
But as the war looms, and her marriage turns deadly, Anna will need to draw upon her inner strength and bravery to not only survive; but to unearth the truth of her past.
440 pages, Paperback
Published September 25, 2020
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23 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 8, 2020
Set against the spectacular backdrop of the Dutch East Indies, Alex Dalton’s historical romance, ‘A View From The Mountain,’ will have you questioning what you are willing to do to protect the ones you love and if your dream is big enough to withstand the hurdles of life.
Anna’s family owns a coffee plantation in Malang, on Java, a part of the Dutch East Indies. Raised with household staff and luxuries many of the islanders can only dream of, the girls, Lily and Anna, have many opportunities for success. Lily, a feisty and extremely social older sister with good looks and blond hair, resents her younger sister and goes to great lengths to make life difficult for her. Anna, two years younger, is everything Lily is not; she has dark hair, brown eyes, and light brown skin. Anna can hold an intelligent conversation, is her father’s favourite, and has an enviable relationship with her nanny. From a young age, Anna knows that she’s different and that’s the very catalyst that propels her dream to make a difference in her world. You’ll read about her aspiration of becoming a teacher in order to help the disadvantaged Javanese children. In Anna’s colonial world, discrimination is a way of life and she battles it successfully to make a difference. You’ll see that same attitude displayed as she struggles to make a better life for her children and her grandchildren.
Written in a memoir style, Dalton’s novel is based on the real life experiences of her mother and grandmother in Indonesia between 1902 – 1946. It’s a character driven novel following the protagonist from her childhood to her life in a retirement home in her 90s. Central to the theme of this account is the role secrets play in family dynamics and the amount of love needed to work through them. Not only are readers made aware of the discrimination between the haves and the have nots on this island, they are privy to the hardships these Indonesians experienced during the second world war. You’ll be rooting for Anna as she faces her fears and stands up for herself, experiencing strength and gaining the endurance needed for the next hurdle. How easy it would have been for her to give up countless times, yet she picked herself up, dusted herself off and headed off again in the direction of her dreams. We could all learn from her tenacity.
With such a beautiful book cover, featuring the author’s grandmother and Mount Bromo, and with the knowledge of the types of beautiful souls who inhabit this island, who wouldn’t want to travel to and explore this beautiful part of the world? Thank you for allowing us a peek into your history and an opportunity to become strengthened as we pursue our own dreams in a pandemic world.
Thank you Alex Dalton and NetGalley for this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Anna’s family owns a coffee plantation in Malang, on Java, a part of the Dutch East Indies. Raised with household staff and luxuries many of the islanders can only dream of, the girls, Lily and Anna, have many opportunities for success. Lily, a feisty and extremely social older sister with good looks and blond hair, resents her younger sister and goes to great lengths to make life difficult for her. Anna, two years younger, is everything Lily is not; she has dark hair, brown eyes, and light brown skin. Anna can hold an intelligent conversation, is her father’s favourite, and has an enviable relationship with her nanny. From a young age, Anna knows that she’s different and that’s the very catalyst that propels her dream to make a difference in her world. You’ll read about her aspiration of becoming a teacher in order to help the disadvantaged Javanese children. In Anna’s colonial world, discrimination is a way of life and she battles it successfully to make a difference. You’ll see that same attitude displayed as she struggles to make a better life for her children and her grandchildren.
Written in a memoir style, Dalton’s novel is based on the real life experiences of her mother and grandmother in Indonesia between 1902 – 1946. It’s a character driven novel following the protagonist from her childhood to her life in a retirement home in her 90s. Central to the theme of this account is the role secrets play in family dynamics and the amount of love needed to work through them. Not only are readers made aware of the discrimination between the haves and the have nots on this island, they are privy to the hardships these Indonesians experienced during the second world war. You’ll be rooting for Anna as she faces her fears and stands up for herself, experiencing strength and gaining the endurance needed for the next hurdle. How easy it would have been for her to give up countless times, yet she picked herself up, dusted herself off and headed off again in the direction of her dreams. We could all learn from her tenacity.
With such a beautiful book cover, featuring the author’s grandmother and Mount Bromo, and with the knowledge of the types of beautiful souls who inhabit this island, who wouldn’t want to travel to and explore this beautiful part of the world? Thank you for allowing us a peek into your history and an opportunity to become strengthened as we pursue our own dreams in a pandemic world.
Thank you Alex Dalton and NetGalley for this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
October 7, 2020
A story that spans two countries, three generations, and everything from the beauty of human connection, to the cruelties of war. It’s about the small kindnesses that count; the seams that form between family that can mend or break entirely; and what it means to grow up uncertain and afraid, and to learn strength the hard way. I would recommend this book for people who want to make sense of the past, and feel inspired for the future.
November 17, 2020
3 stars
Review by Alysia Broussard
Up All Night with Books Blog
Late Night Support Group
I'm going to be completely honest with you, I did not finish this book. The only reason being, I couldn't get interested in the storyline. I think you would enjoy this book if you enjoy historical books. This story is about the author's family history, Alex Dalton does a great job of portraying the characters though, which I did enjoy. I think going into this story I felt that it would take a different path than it did. That's okay, not every book is for everyone. I am most definitely not saying this book was bad, by any means. It just wasn't my cup of tea as they say.
**ARC received in exchange for an honest review**
Review by Alysia Broussard
Up All Night with Books Blog
Late Night Support Group
I'm going to be completely honest with you, I did not finish this book. The only reason being, I couldn't get interested in the storyline. I think you would enjoy this book if you enjoy historical books. This story is about the author's family history, Alex Dalton does a great job of portraying the characters though, which I did enjoy. I think going into this story I felt that it would take a different path than it did. That's okay, not every book is for everyone. I am most definitely not saying this book was bad, by any means. It just wasn't my cup of tea as they say.
**ARC received in exchange for an honest review**
November 23, 2020
A View From The Mountain by Alex Dalton is the coming of age story of Anna, a young girl growing up in Dutch Colonial Java. As a little girl she doesn't quite fit in, her papa dotes on her, while her mother and sister are distant or cruel. The book starts in 1902 and continues through WWII. Most of the book is written from Anna's perspective, but you will find a few chapters towards the end from her daughter's perspective. This is a well written book and the characters are engaging. It was an enjoyable and fun book to read, thank you #NetGalley for allowing me to give my honest opinion on #ViewFromTheMountain.
July 6, 2022
Anna is a young girl who is doted on by her father but never feels accepted by her mother and is bullied by her older sister. The family moves from Java to Amsterdam, where Anna is treated badly. She retaliates and has her fingers smashed by the school principal, just a few days before her piano recital. She forms a strong bond with her Oma but is happy when they move back to Java.
The story continues with Anna standing up to her sister and family secrets are revealed. Anna goes back to Holland to live with her Oma and goes to university. The book chronicles her adult life, meeting her husband and having a family. She deals with adversity and life is not always easy.
The protagonist switches near the end of the book and we see things from Anna’s daughter, Evelyn. This was original and added another layer to an already interesting and moving book.
Merged review:
Anna is a young girl who is doted on by her father but never feels accepted by her mother and is bullied by her older sister. The family moves from Java to Amsterdam, where Anna is treated badly. She retaliates and has her fingers smashed by the school principal, just a few days before her piano recital. She forms a strong bond with her Oma but is happy when they move back to Java.
The story continues with Anna standing up to her sister and family secrets are revealed. Anna goes back to Holland to live with her Oma and goes to university. The book chronicles her adult life, meeting her husband and having a family. She deals with adversity and life is not always easy.
The protagonist switches near the end of the book and we see things from Anna’s daughter, Evelyn. This was original and added another layer to an already interesting and moving book.
The story continues with Anna standing up to her sister and family secrets are revealed. Anna goes back to Holland to live with her Oma and goes to university. The book chronicles her adult life, meeting her husband and having a family. She deals with adversity and life is not always easy.
The protagonist switches near the end of the book and we see things from Anna’s daughter, Evelyn. This was original and added another layer to an already interesting and moving book.
Merged review:
Anna is a young girl who is doted on by her father but never feels accepted by her mother and is bullied by her older sister. The family moves from Java to Amsterdam, where Anna is treated badly. She retaliates and has her fingers smashed by the school principal, just a few days before her piano recital. She forms a strong bond with her Oma but is happy when they move back to Java.
The story continues with Anna standing up to her sister and family secrets are revealed. Anna goes back to Holland to live with her Oma and goes to university. The book chronicles her adult life, meeting her husband and having a family. She deals with adversity and life is not always easy.
The protagonist switches near the end of the book and we see things from Anna’s daughter, Evelyn. This was original and added another layer to an already interesting and moving book.
October 7, 2020
A gripping tale that spans a generation during wartime in Indonesia under Dutch colonial rule, this coming-of-age novel is based on the real life experiences of the author's family—and is all the more powerful for it. A must-read for lovers of historical fiction and stories of strength through adversity.
November 18, 2020
A gripping tale that spans a generation during wartime in Indonesia under Dutch colonial rule, this coming-of-age novel is based on the real-life experiences of the author's family—and is all the more powerful for it. A must-read for lovers of historical fiction and stories of strength through adversity.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews