Wow. A touching and beautiful story. Take a little of the mystical realism of The Light Pirate, a little adventure from The Midnight Library, a little intrigue from The Starless Sea, a little of tragedy of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, and a lot of unconditional love from The House on the Cerulean Sea and you may get Where the Forest Meets the Stars. We don’t always know whose magic will change our lives, but being open to the possibilities of the universe helps!
I love this book. Glendy Vanderah artfully brings us to the stars and back with characters who are vivid and strong. Sensitive, difficult topics surrounding the origin of trauma were handled with care. They weren’t used voyeuristically, but as background to understand the story. Instead, bonds of chosen family as well as emotional and physical healing through nature and love are explored. Just beautiful.
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A 4-star Tribute to the Southern Illinois That Worth Your Time
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," said Margaret Wolfe Hungerford in her book 'Molly Bawn'. I will dare to rephrase her quote, saying that the book is in the reader's experience. If we can, or we can't relate.I thought I am the perfect match for that book. I am an Illinoisan, a father of the kid who is the same age as the book's central character. I hiked Southern Illinois a lot, and all the toponyms used in the book are my regular destinations. Even worse, I do the birdwatching and I have an academic background. BUT...As a full-grown male, I rarely read the bestsellers marked as "#1 in Women's Fiction". It was an accident, I swear! Amazon Kindle is to blame. However, from page one, I was carried away by the slow-paced, delicate, intriguing plot. In the beginning, the book resembles the best works of the Grandmaster Clifford D. Simak. The fellow readers who treasure his "Way Station" or "All Flesh is Grass" might agree with me. That is a hell of a compliment from the hardcore SF fan.After half of the book, I felt that my overall impression reminds me of the daily coronavirus graph, fluctuating somewhere around 3.5 stars of 5. Up-down-up, masks on. Something was wrong, like the author got a bit of advice from the experience editor—and followed it meticulously.Ursa is the best character; she pulls the whole book's payload like the freight engine through the winter Rockies. I like the lack of details that describes her so that the reader can follow their imagination. Closer to the end of the book, she was the only character who wasn't the complete cliche.Seriously, why? The author is undoubtedly gifted; I hope she will continue her literary career. For Shakespeare's sake, why did she pulled all those levers simultaneously?Depressed, but handsome neighbor? Check. Childhood trauma? Double-check. Adultery? Check. Passed away parents? Check. Same-gender marriage? Check. Evil CPS people? Check. Cancer? Check.It's way too much for the single book, as its initially fresh, classy plot became a kaleidoscope of modern society's diecast models.I also can't buy some of the plot twists (the concealed father, for example, and Jo herself). Putting the highly educated, intellectual, self-sustainable people into the fool's shoes destroy the contrast between the mystery and the reality.Do I recommend the book? Yes, definitely. By reading that, you support the promising author and entertain yourself with a good page-turner. It would be 3.5 stars but the _quark thing_ made it a solid four.Mrs. Vanderah, thank you for your work.Illustration from my archive: Garden of the Gods, Shawnee Forest (did I said that I love these places?)
Top reviews from other countries
Pranav Sharma
An Enchanting Journey Where the Forest Meets the Stars
Reviewed in Canada on September 27, 2023Jen Osborn
A beautiful, soul nourishing story
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 4, 2024
Chiara Elissa Torres Bayley
Beautifully written
Reviewed in Spain on January 28, 2024