"The Valley" by Helen Bryan is a captivating historical novel that seamlessly weaves together the lives of two strong-willed women across different timelines. Set against the picturesque backdrop of Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, Bryan skillfully unfolds a tale of love, loss, and resilience.

The narrative alternates between the 18th-century journey of a young immigrant, Mary, and the 20th-century struggles of her descendant, Nicole. As secrets from the past come to light, the novel explores the enduring power of family bonds and the impact of hidden histories on future generations.

Bryan's prose is evocative, painting a vivid picture of the valley's beauty while delving into the complexities of the characters' lives. The author's meticulous research is evident, providing a rich historical backdrop that enhances the authenticity of the story.

"The Valley" is a poignant exploration of the human spirit, resilience, and the ties that bind us across time. Helen Bryan's storytelling prowess and her ability to seamlessly connect the past and present make this novel a compelling and emotionally resonant read for fans of historical fiction.

I love this series. Sweeping frontier sagas are one of my favorite book genres that I simply cannot get enough. Since this book came out I have purchased the follow up books. Frontier history has always fueled my love of American history and all that stems from it.

A coming of age story apart from the vast history it covers which in itself was a story. Sophia is an heiress to a tobacco plantation in Virginia and this is the only asset she has left after she finds herself left bankrupt in England. With the help of a French man who is very reluctant to go with her, lots of slaves both free and indentured she sets out to claim her land.

The road to Virginia is hard and troublesome but Sophia is determined that she and her band will make a life for themselves. How they set up camp, marry (all of them) have families, make a settlement and town of a barren landscape is very descriptively and told in detail. The history of slavery, the treatment of slaves even free men was horrendous and was distressing to read about even years later.

The story goes on and on and could have been trimmed a bit. Maybe the telling of it was necessary for the plot but the main story of Sophia got side lined as numerous other characters also had a fairly large role to play and each of their stories added to the main.

It took me a while to get through this book and I felt bad because it had been on my Kindle for a very long time.

Goodreads and Amazon review up on 12/9/2017. Review on my blog 18/10/2017. Also linked to my FB page.

Here is a review by Angela: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1918318774

Unfortunately I couldn't get into this one. Perhaps I just wasn't in the right mood for this book, but what started out well soon turned into a ramble and I felt as though the characters lacked development. I think plot was put before character, but there didn't seem to be much plot either. Not for me I'm afraid!