What a fantastic story. Violet leaves Scotland to seek out her fiancée but all is not what it seems when she finds him. The storyline follows their journey from 1920’s as well as Daisy who seeks out to find details of her Great Aunt but gets more than she bargains as the time is 2020 and world lockdown begins. Thanks to Fiona and her publisher. Thanks also to NetGalley.

Travel writing and historical events are blended together in this beautiful and inspiring story told over two timelines.

1927. Violet is a student at the Edinburgh School of Gardening for Women and she clearly an early journaller, writing down her thoughts on life as well as documenting her work at the school. Once she realises she's pregnant and not yet married, she decides to escape the school before it's too late. She embarks on an epic journey to Nepal to be with the father of the child, a fellow student from the gardening school (the male part of it...).

2020. Daisy has come across Violet's journals and when she finds herself divorced and the children have flown the nest, she decides to follow her dream of retracing the footsteps of her great-great-aunt Violet. I normally dislike Covid being part of fiction books, but in this one, Fiona Valpy has skilfully used it to strengthen the story, to make it more believable.

Lovely feel-good story with botanics thrown in as well.

This absolutely wonderful story was a joy to read, it was inspirational and emotional. The story starts with Violet who in 1927 enrols at the Edinburgh School of Gardening for Women and her fight to be accepted in training as a female gardener and her entry to the collage, the dismissal of her choice from her family who then gave her an ultimatum to stop and return home to marry well.. Violet meets Callum another gardener who accepts her in the role and they become friends and more. This book spans from Edinburgh to Nepal, it follows Violets life and the choices she makes and with the duel time line which is excellent follows her great, great niece Daisy following in her footsteps. I don’t want to give more away but the book takes you to the places Violet and Daisy go to and you can only imagine the hardship Violet endures.
There is a link at the end of this book where the author takes on the journey herself and I loved watching it and seeing some of the places both Violet and Daisy went to and the trek they made. Please take the time to click on the link after reading the authors notes as it is really worth the watch.
An amazing book and I can whole heartedly recommend it.
My thanks as always to NetGalley and publisher Lake Union Publishing for the early read.

The Sky Beneath Us is so beautifully written! The alternating POV stories come alive with passion, determination, love, and sacrifice as two strong women, many years apart, forge their way into Nepal’s harsh, unforgiving environment - ultimately with surprising outcomes.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Fiona Valpy's The Sky Beneath Us is a delightful dual-timeline story about a resilient woman who sets out on a journey through Nepal during the pandemic to uncover the mysteries of her family's past, and perhaps, rediscover herself in the process. What an ambitious undertaking of a novel, executed brilliantly! It's well-researched, fascinating, gripping, emotional; and most of all, rich with wisdom that touched my heart. Valpy is at the top her game. Brava!

It was a colorful book. A colorful surroundings, the Himalayan people. The journey.
In this book we follow violet in the past and daisy in current time. We are following their journey, their healing and finding yourself. I really enjoyed this book. It was atmospheric and interesting. Most of all I loved learning about the sherpas and their way of living. Minus in this book is the covid story, i am still not ready to read about it. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

Perseverance, courage and discovery. These are standout themes amongst these pages that yield an inspiring story.

“She said life is like trekking: it’s hard sometimes, but just keep putting one foot in front of the other, until you finally reach a place where you can see the sky beneath you.”

Violet is a trailblazer, boldly taking very different paths for a woman during her period of time in history. Not only does she pursue a male-dominated career in the field of botany, but she also falls in love with someone in a lower class system, both despite the lack of support from her family. To follow her heart and her passions, she finds herself carving a new life in the mountains of Nepal.

Fast forward decades upon decades later, Daisy, a descendant of Violet’s, is inspired to find out what happened to her long lost kin and takes a trip to Nepal. After a difficult divorce, she has really lost her sense of self and this challenging adventure might be just what her soul needs. To make the situation more complex, the world finds itself in unprecedented times with the Covid pandemic. As with so many of us, this time brought Daisy many difficulties but also some unexpected blessings.

One of the elements that really shines through in this story is that there is such a strong sense of place. The beauty and dangers of Nepal are painted so clearly that you feel like you are hiking through the valleys and mountains with both Violet and Daisy. In addition, the Nepalese hospitality and spiritual beliefs further enrich the reading experience. What a treat for a reader!

I am thankful to Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is a touching, endearing story. I encourage you to put the kettle on, pour yourself a cup of tea and let the pages transport you to Nepal.

(3.5 stars rounded up)

“The Sky Beneath Us” is by Fiona Valpy. This is a dual timeline (1920s and 2020s) book connecting Violet (1920s Scottish gardener in training) with her great-great niece Daisy (divorced mother of twins). Violet wrote letters to her sister, which Daisy found and became obsessed with following in Violet’s footsteps to not only travel to Nepal to discover Nepal, but also to find out what happened to her great-great aunt once the letters ceased. Let me say that the cover is fantastic and the background of this happening in Nepal I found extremely interesting - especially a non-Everest story. The first half had a lot of background filler that, at times, became way too detailed in the minute for me. Things did pick up in the second half - once Daisy and Violet were in the same town, albeit at different times. I found the descriptions of Nepal (plants, mountains, people) to be very interesting. Do read the author’s notes in the back of the book for information about how Ms. Valpy got her information - and who is real and imagined. Overall, this was an enjoyable book - and I rather liked doing armchair traveling to Nepal.

Violet Mackenzie-Grant is happy her parents have allowed her to study at the Edinburgh School of Gardening for Women, and she has no idea what's install for her and she will take a huge risk. Violet leaves Scotland and travels to Nepal and a little settlement called Phortse in the Himalayan Mountains. A stunning place, the Sherpa people are lovely, and Violet can’t believe she’s seeing the wild rhododendron bushes and more.

The Sky Beneath Us has a dual timeline and it's set in 1927 and 2020 is told from Violet and her great-great-nieces Daisy's points of view and it's easy to follow and understand.

Daisy Laverock found her great-great-aunt Violet's letters and journal’s years ago, they came to an end and she always wanted to travel to Nepal and find out what happened to her. Daisy and her mum Lexie planned on going together and Covid breaks out and she’s already on the plane. Daisy arrives alone, she planned on trekking to Mount Everest, asking about Violet along the way and the pandemic changes her plans. Daisy takes inspirations from her great-great-aunt, she meets two Sherpa men, who are returning to their village and to isolate and are willing for her to go with them.

I received a copy of The Sky Beneath Us by Fiona Valpy from NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed reading about Nepal, Himalayan Mountains, plants that I didn’t know originally came from the area and the stunning scenery, teahouses, the Sherpa people, their way of life, religious beliefs and culture, and how they lived in high altitudes and Violet's legacy. Reading about Covid was hard and it brings back all the bad and scary memories of that time.

A captivating narrative about family, uncovering the truth, solving a hundred year old mystery, both Violet and Daisy are inspirational and strong women, they overcame challenges, hardship and adversity. The cover of The Sky Beneath Us is gorgeous, perfect for this novel and five stars from me. Daisy and Lexie, are characters from Ms. Valpy's previous book, The Skylark’s Secret, and I highly recommend both.

I'm a huge fan of Fiona Valpy, and I pretty much devour everything she reads, and this of course was no exception. Nobody writes historical fiction like Fiona Valp does, and it was absolutely wonderful to be back with a story of hers. She's such a talented writer. I was enthralled and captivated by this story, and by the end of it I wanted to weep because I don't have anymore Fiona Valpy to devour.

This book was a little slow, especially the first half, but I'm glad I read it. The ending was great. 3 1/2 stars rounded up.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

The Sky Beneath Us by Fiona Happy

1927. Violet Mackenzie-Grant is embarking on her dream of studying at the Edinburgh School of Gardening for Women. She doesn’t yet know that it’s a journey that will take her to Kathmandu and beyond, deep into captivating landscapes and cultures that are worlds away from everything and everyone she’s left behind in Scotland.

2020. Daisy Laverock has dreamed of retracing the footsteps of her great-great-aunt Violet ever since discovering her long-lost journals, whose accounts of plant hunting in the 1930s inspired Daisy’s own career. Divorced, and facing an empty nest, Daisy decides to embark on the trip of a lifetime. She arrives in Nepal, ready to start trekking in the shadow of Everest. But fate, and the pandemic, have other plans
I absolutely love books by this author and have to date read them all , love like dual timeline One and the characters within it and the way the main characters ( Violet in 1927 and Daisy in 2020 )
Brilliant.

A dual timeline set in Edinburgh 1920's and Kathmandu 2020's. For me the setting in Nepal was interesting. Never having been there, this novel opened a new world to me and it was fascinating. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I have read others by this author and like her writing style. I connected with both Violet and Daisy's stories, but wish there had been more about Violet. I thought the way the beginning of the pandemic was portrayed was spot on. This was the first book I have seen or read that was set in Nepal, so I found that very interesting. After checking out the author's website I saw it was also well researched. Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read the ARC. Definitely recommend!

I want to go to Nepal! I think that is enough as a recommendation, but I will write a bit more. The story was captivating on both levels, present and past. The characters are lovable and I could identify with them. The pandemic is present but not in a scary or overwhelming way. Nepal is shown as a very nice and interesting country without usual one dimensional European point of view. I can recommend this book highly!

This was the first book I’ve read in which part of its timeline takes place during 2020 at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. However not a “stuck at home” story as many of us were during those first weeks, Daisy, a divorced mother entering empty-nest stage of life, is on her way to Kathmandu and ends up unable to travel back home because of the pandemic. Through Daisy’s journey of tracking down the past thanks to her great-great-aunt Violet’s journals from when in 1927 she was a student of Edinburgh’s School of Gardening for Women, Daisy is able to connect with family history that was unknown.

Through this story I learned a lot of interesting information regarding the Sherpa people and their way of life as well as botanists and how they ventured into dangerous places to make discoveries.

Thanks to Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Outstanding! One of the best books I have read - thank you Fiona Valpy!

Not usually a title I would pick (I prefer WW1/WW2 fiction) but I was drawn to the storyline as my Dad watched and read lots about Everest and mountaineering when I was child. The Sherpas have always fascinated me and whilst I knew their way of life was hard until I'd read this book I don't think I realised how hard. The storyline both past and present that was spent in Nepal was beautifully written. Reading I kept searching the internet for place names so I could truly picture them, the same with the names of flowers. The portrayal of the Buddhist religion again made me want to learn more and gave me an even greater respect for it.

The storyline has lots of twists and turns and keeps the reader engaged. The characters were all easy to like and relate too. Living through the Covid era many memories for some are still raw but the author reflected on it accurately and with compassion.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. I've read others by the author but this one is by far the best. Once again thank you!

Thanks also to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this Arc copy.

What a beautiful story The Sky Beneath Us by Fiona Valpy was. Set in two different time periods, it describes the life journies of both main characters as they make their way to the Himalaya to find themselves and family. I didn't want it to end. 5 stars!

Set in the foothills of Mount Everest, Nepal, this dual timeline book is just stunning.

In 1927, Violet heads to Nepal to follow her sweetheart, Callum, only to find heartbreak.

Almost 100 years later, in 2020, just as the Covid pandemic is taking hold, recently divorced empty nester Daisy and her mother are headed to Nepal, armed with Violet’s journal, planning to follow in her footsteps up the mountain. But the pandemic has other ideas and Daisy ends up alone in locked down Nepal. As she becomes ingrained in the Nepalese way of life, she finds that far from being alone, she has a bigger family surrounding her than she could have ever imagined.

I loved this beautifully written book, with characters I could completely relate to, breathtaking descriptions that took me right to the mountain and a story that highlights the strength and resilience of women.

4.5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Fiona Valpy and Lake Union for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Fiona Valpy’s Under the Skies is a riveting novel that tells the story of two women, Violet Mackenzie-Grant and Daisy Laverock, on a journey of self-discovery across Scotland and Nepal. When faced with challenges such as a pandemic and adversity, they draw strength from each other’s determination and the stories they share.

This book is truly a gem. It takes you through the stunning landscapes of Nepal, telling the parallel adventures of Daisy in 2020 and her great-great-grandmother Violet in the 1930s. It’s like taking two epic journeys at once! The adventurous spirit of the story is captivating, and Daisy’s solo trek and Violet’s historical journey kept me enthralled from beginning to end. Their warm connection, resilience, and the family secrets Daisy uncovers are deeply moving and relatable. Fiona Valpy’s vivid descriptions made me feel like I was right there with them, experiencing every moment.

Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC