From the cover through to the very end - this is a beautiful story. I love the memoir style and I always really enjoy a historical romance, but this was especially great. It's been a while since I read it the first time and I have recently read it again because I enjoyed it so much. There were several interesting changes and I did feel like it was always moving forward.

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.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

1902: Anna wants something more for her life than to follow tradition and get married. 1983: elderly Anna reminisces about her life.

A very kind and gentle story. Lots of background information on Indonesia and their customs.

2.75☆

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.