Searching for Happy Valley: A Modern Quest for Shangri-La

by Jane Marshall

A global quest to comprehend the meaning of “Happy Valley” on three continents and how these mountain communities continue to survive in a world that constantly challenges the very notion of “happiness.” Over her 17-year career as a travel writer, Jane Marshall has wandered the planet, always in search of wild, high-altitude, off-the-beaten-track places. During her travels she discovered something profound. On three continents, separated by vast oceans, she found hidden valleys known locally as “Happy Valley.” Her to discover what makes them happy and learn from their Indigenous keepers. The happy valleys share common characteristics. They are geographically isolated and protected by walls of mountains; they are home to rare and endangered plants and animals; they exist outside of protections zones ― which gives them autonomy but also makes them vulnerable; their Indigenous populations name the land after human and divine body parts; and women are seen as powerful. Inside these Happy Valleys a balance between humans and nature has been struck. Sleeping on ridges, in caves, and in the traditional homes of local people, Marshall makes gruelling journeys to the heart of the happy valleys as she strives to comprehend the deep peace she feels within them. In a world facing environmental devastation, illness, and unprecedented mental anxieties, Marshall’s book offers an alternative. She immerses herself in the land and forms deep connections with its people so she can learn sustainable ways of living their Indigenous populations have honed over millennia. From a goat herder’s hut in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, to a Sundance ceremony with the Blackfoot/Soki-tapi people of Alberta, and ultimately to her dangerous pilgrimage in Nepal where she reaches the heart of a sacred land studded with treasures hidden by a famous yogi, Jane Marshall takes readers on the greatest adventure of The search for Shangri-La and the wisdom that can save the planet and our own hearts.

Genres: Adventure, Nature

280 pages, Paperback

Published May 16, 2023

About the author

Jane Marshall is a travel writer and adventurer. She has two traditionally published books and has written for newspapers, magazines, websites, blogs and diverse companies and organizations for over a decade. She is the Director and Co-Founder of The Compassion Project, a Canadian Registered Charity that offers free health care and education in the remote Himalayan valley of Tsum, Nepal. You can find Jane on the trails and mountaintops around her home in the Bow Valley in Alberta, Canada on Treaty 7 land.

Reviews

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many of us live in a fast-paced and frenetic world and we know, deep down, that no amount of money can buy happiness. It is precisely this place where our modern systems fall apart that Jane Marshall proposes we turn to ancient ways of life and Indigenous knowledge to point the way to a better future — for ourselves and the planet. Searching for Happy Valley is a poignant, beautifully written, and immersive story of Marshall’s journey into three sacred valleys to discover not only where their monikers come from but also what we will hear when we can humble ourselves enough to truly listen. In the face of an environmental crisis, rising mental health issues, and widespread loneliness, Marshall’s findings offer us hope. This book is as much a call to decolonize our narratives as it is an encouragement to lace up our boots and renew our connection to the land and our fellow humans so that we all might thrive.

Note: I received an advance ARC for this book and offered a review only once I had read it in its entirety.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marshall’s Searching for Happy Valley was an insightful look into how we can learn from indigenous people, connect with the earth, and connect with each other. Her story is not self-helpy but instead shares her experience visiting these happy valleys without requesting others do the same. She is so humble, oftentimes noting her discomfort at sharing other cultures’ stories, before being encouraged by people in those communities to share.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jane writes with a genuine passion and respect for the special remote places left and the people who take care of them. This book takes you on a journey full of culture, spirituality, and general wonder of earth and people like Jane who are brave enough to explore places must of us only dream of.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

SEARCHING FOR HAPPY VALLEY …… a captivating read, beautifully written and packaged. It is the cover that first captures your attention. A sapphire blue river quietly slips into the mist and disappears into a deep, lush valley. You are enticed further as your fingertips trace along the silky texture of the cover. There are mysteries to be discovered here.
The reader becomes the silent, unseen companion as author Jane Marshall gently but firmly takes you by the hand. Through her words, you are introduced to indigenous peoples first in Morocco, then Southern Alberta, and finally, as though you have been preparing for the final precarious epic journey all along the way, deep into the valleys and mountains of Nepal. The frenetic world of consumerism, technology and politics slowly but surely peel away. You are left with life re-discovered in all its purity and simplicity ---and its fragility.

[William Gowans · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful read. Jane Marshall invites the reader into an intimate journey with her family to lands near and far. From the highlands of ancient Morocco to the vast southern plains of Southern Alberta and ending with a journey through the Himalayas of Nepal Jane shares her quest for understanding of the ancient but still relative cultures of the indigenous peoples. She immerses herself, her husband Mike and their two young children into these cultures that few of us in mainline North American tradition know of or truly understand. Driven by a powerful urge for understanding and guided by the amazing people who bring her into their world to show her the deeply important local sites and traditions that are sacred to their past and present way of life, Jane brings us along on a 'Quest' indeed. There is a lot to learn here. Jane's writing is thoughtful, insightful and conjures up the reader's imagination into their own search for places that pull on the heart and leave us in awe of our world's past and present.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book felt like getting to know a new friend. It was such a beautiful read that both resonated with the familiar while seeing through another's eyes. The author spends the better part of the book in Nepal, but the part that opened things up for me was the time she spends in southern Alberta. Growing up there, there was a familiarity to these places and a connection to the land, places that have felt sacred since I was a child. At the same time, this section opened something new in me, gave new eyes to a place I know and a sense I feel. The whole book does this...giving a point to reflect on about the importance of honouring place, nature, our own place in it all.

[Mike Seibel · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read, with descriptive writing that really transports you alongside Jane on an epic journey to three very different parts of the world. This story is also about reflection and growth, touching on topics everyone can and should engage with.
A real pleasure to read!

[Patrice La Vigne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admire Jane’s bravery to connect with the indigenous cultures and challenge herself to connect with ancient ways of living. I have so much respect for Jane's goals through this book, and I learned so much from her journey.