The Light Through the Leaves
- Downloads：5770
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-18 08:31:07
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Glendy Vanderah
- ISBN：B08HB3HLKD
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Jen Beauchesne
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Couldn’t put this book down！
Christine McLoughlin
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UnputdownableWhat an interesting book， it has some amazing stories and Lots of twists and turns。 They it was all pulled together was beautiful。 Only problem？ I couldn't out it down ， so I ended up reading late into the 🌙🌙🌙！ UnputdownableWhat an interesting book， it has some amazing stories and Lots of twists and turns。 They it was all pulled together was beautiful。 Only problem？ I couldn't out it down ， so I ended up reading late into the 🌙🌙🌙！ 。。。more
Kristina Rieder
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A Triumph of Love and AcceptanceAn engaging story of a family torn apart by abduction， and the amazing power of love， forgiveness， and acceptance。 A book which will be difficult to put down。
Diane Rench
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Loved itI absolutely love Glendy Vanderah's books。 They have twists and turns， heartache and laughter， starting on page one continuing thru to the end。 She uses a lot of imagination and is very heart warming。 Loved itI absolutely love Glendy Vanderah's books。 They have twists and turns， heartache and laughter， starting on page one continuing thru to the end。 She uses a lot of imagination and is very heart warming。 。。。more
Jene
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The Light Through the Leaves by Glendy Vanderah was such a beautifully written book。 The descriptions made me feel like I was in the woods and felt so real to me。 I loved these characters， flaws and all。 The book is a epic tale of redemption and love and I finished it with such a feeling of satisfaction。 Highly recommend！！Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review。
Paula Rodgers horning
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Twists and turnsThis story swoops you up and takes you here and there， expertly tying up into a neat bundle at the end。
Tanaya
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Teary eyed and heartbroken and joyfilled and mesmerized。 This book was delightfully difficult to read。 Difficult subject matter was brilliantly explored in this book。 Redemption is beautiful， and this novel showcased the happiest of endings！ Bitterness， addiction， abandonment， homophobia， death， deception， fear， and love all intertwined in this incredible story。 Raven is a hero of her own life！
Micki Johnson
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A Story of a Family Tragedy， Addiction， Love， & ReunionThis book has a good storyline， great characters， but the “spirit of the earth” theme was very strange and hard to get into。 It’s difficult to go through having a child abducted and to deal with the grief of blaming yourself。 The sadness of losing a child will never go away， but with time you have to work thru the pain and continue to live through the heartache。 I can not imagine a mom walking away from the rest of her family out of guilt， f A Story of a Family Tragedy， Addiction， Love， & ReunionThis book has a good storyline， great characters， but the “spirit of the earth” theme was very strange and hard to get into。 It’s difficult to go through having a child abducted and to deal with the grief of blaming yourself。 The sadness of losing a child will never go away， but with time you have to work thru the pain and continue to live through the heartache。 I can not imagine a mom walking away from the rest of her family out of guilt， fear， shame & heartbreak。 Families are meant to stick together and help each other thru anything that comes our way。 From this tragedy comes 2 love stories and a family that is reunited。 。。。more
Cathleen Wheeler
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I’ve read and enjoyed this author before and she didn’t disappoint。 Nearly all the characters are complex and well developed。 The plot is unique and not as far fetched as I thought at first。 Raven/Viola is the fantastic character at the heart of the book and so endearing。
Julie Greene
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4。5⭐️ This was a bit of a roller coaster ride with a lot of drama and unexpected （but sort of cliche） turns。 I loved it because it was also very different and the detail and story lines were interesting and ones that resonated with me for whatever reason。 Female strength， overcoming trauma， guilt， connection to nature， family dysfunction， you name it。 Lol。
Sheila
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Maybe I have been reading too many “hard” true stories because surprisingly I thoroughly enjoyed this book。 I did go on an emotional roller coaster ride with it and there are some hard pages to digest without judgement in this book but overall a very good story， predictable but good。 I thought the ending lacked after the intense ride but overall I gave it a five which I never do。 Maybe it is sequestered life making me soft。。。。
Gail McKerrow
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WonderfulReally loved this book。 Very believable characters and a storyline that you just didn’t see coming 。 Highly recommended 。
Charmaine Smith
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Amazing read！This story had me from the start。 It was so well written that I felt like I was there for every moment。 I hope there are more like this！
Mariia Manko
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If you want to see all the variates of feelings - they are here in this book。 'They buy fancier cars and bigger houses， but it never makes them feel better。 They just keep getting more depressed until they die。' - the philosophy of life is also here。And Never enough reading ！ If you want to see all the variates of feelings - they are here in this book。 'They buy fancier cars and bigger houses， but it never makes them feel better。 They just keep getting more depressed until they die。' - the philosophy of life is also here。And Never enough reading ！ 。。。more
Karisma
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It started off so well and had so much promise but there were just far too many narratives that I couldn't help hut roll my eyes to。 It was also annoying how neatly everything was tied up just to have an ending。 It started off so well and had so much promise but there were just far too many narratives that I couldn't help hut roll my eyes to。 It was also annoying how neatly everything was tied up just to have an ending。 。。。more
Nicci Netter
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Lovely storyI really enjoyed this story。 I haven’t read much in the last few years and it really pulled me in。 I will be looking for more from this author。
KYLE MILLER
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Vanderah's "Where the Forest Meets the Stars" was one of my favorite books last year and I expected to admire and enjoy "The Light Through the Leaves" just as much。。。 but I was disappointed。 While her debut novel was relatively straightforward and simple， her sophomore book is needlessly complicated by too many characters and far too many annoyances。 When this is released on audiobook， I'll try it again and will update my review and rating if my opinion changes。 Vanderah's "Where the Forest Meets the Stars" was one of my favorite books last year and I expected to admire and enjoy "The Light Through the Leaves" just as much。。。 but I was disappointed。 While her debut novel was relatively straightforward and simple， her sophomore book is needlessly complicated by too many characters and far too many annoyances。 When this is released on audiobook， I'll try it again and will update my review and rating if my opinion changes。 。。。more
Kristi
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This looked like a great read with an interesting story。 I got it as an Amazon First Reads。 I didn't finish it because I'm being careful about language and sexuality。 This looked like a great read with an interesting story。 I got it as an Amazon First Reads。 I didn't finish it because I'm being careful about language and sexuality。 。。。more
Alice Haylock
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I really loved the themes and settings of this book， and for the first 2/3rds the characters were interesting and believable， but in the final third its almost as if the author gave up and just wanted to be done with it。 All the way through the dialogue is contrived， often to the point of being cringey; not so bad in the first couple of sections as the characters don't talk much， but towards the end of gets pretty unbearable。 A shame as it was very enjoyable at first。 I really loved the themes and settings of this book， and for the first 2/3rds the characters were interesting and believable， but in the final third its almost as if the author gave up and just wanted to be done with it。 All the way through the dialogue is contrived， often to the point of being cringey; not so bad in the first couple of sections as the characters don't talk much， but towards the end of gets pretty unbearable。 A shame as it was very enjoyable at first。 。。。more
Beth H
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Interesting read。 Ellis accidentally leaves her infant daughter for a few minutes after being distracted， and that was all the time it took for baby Viola to be abducted。 Ellis spirals from there with a broken marriage， pills & alcohol addiction， and a judgmental mother-in-law。 She gets a divorce and leaves her husband and two young sons and sets off on a journey alone。The story switches in sections between Ellis and then to a young girl named Raven。 Raven and her mother live a very secluded lif Interesting read。 Ellis accidentally leaves her infant daughter for a few minutes after being distracted， and that was all the time it took for baby Viola to be abducted。 Ellis spirals from there with a broken marriage， pills & alcohol addiction， and a judgmental mother-in-law。 She gets a divorce and leaves her husband and two young sons and sets off on a journey alone。The story switches in sections between Ellis and then to a young girl named Raven。 Raven and her mother live a very secluded life in the trees of Washington state。 Raven has been sheltered from nearly all aspects of the outside world and is very in tune with nature。 Some curious boys in the woods open Raven's eyes to friendship， connections， and everything else that she is potentially missing out on。 The story grows from here as both Ellis and Raven make new discoveries。 There are some interesting revelations made throughout the story。 。。。more
Trinda Cartwright
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Outstanding！ Several times I thought I had the story figured out。。。each time I was wrong！
kara elizabeth nielson
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Must readOnce I started this book I couldn't stop until I finished it。 From beginning， middle， to end I was ensnared in this unforgettable story。 A story I will never forget and that has made me an instant fan of this magnificent author！！ Must readOnce I started this book I couldn't stop until I finished it。 From beginning， middle， to end I was ensnared in this unforgettable story。 A story I will never forget and that has made me an instant fan of this magnificent author！！ 。。。more
Smelvie
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I agree with other reviewers who felt that this story went awry in the last 1/4 of the book。 I was interested and intrigued until it seemed like the author was trying to present and solve every possible issue ranging from alcohol/drug abuse， her father’s sexuality， her brother’s employment problems， etc， etc。So quickly reconciling this teenager with her new-found family after years of emotional manipulation was unrealistic。 Delivering a baby outside under a tarp after a hurricane。。。 really？ Sorr I agree with other reviewers who felt that this story went awry in the last 1/4 of the book。 I was interested and intrigued until it seemed like the author was trying to present and solve every possible issue ranging from alcohol/drug abuse， her father’s sexuality， her brother’s employment problems， etc， etc。So quickly reconciling this teenager with her new-found family after years of emotional manipulation was unrealistic。 Delivering a baby outside under a tarp after a hurricane。。。 really？ Sorry， this was a big disappointment， after previously enjoying this author’s work。 。。。more
Peggy Jantz
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I could not stop reading this book。 When the unthinkable happens， a mother leaves her family and travels alone in her grief and guilt。 There was so much mental anguish in this book that I had no idea what would happen next。 Another very good book from a very good writer
Calla
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Beautiful story， lots of story lineReally enjoyed this book， and fell in love with every character。 There were a lot of different plots which came together at the end， but the place was a bit overwhelming at times。 Definitely recommend。
Lora Conrad
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An upbeat take on a damaged family Enjoyed the characters of Ellis and Raven。 A long but positive exploration of complicated family dynamics with love and power of nature in there too。
Kayla
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Lost and Found LoveEllis struggles after losing her baby and heads to nature to heal her grief。 Raven is isolated in the woods with her mother and learns about the healing powers of nature。 I liked how this book incorporated nature in Ellis and Raven's lives。 Although they were miles apart they had similar upbringings and always turned to nature for comfort。 And it is nature that brings them together。 Lost and Found LoveEllis struggles after losing her baby and heads to nature to heal her grief。 Raven is isolated in the woods with her mother and learns about the healing powers of nature。 I liked how this book incorporated nature in Ellis and Raven's lives。 Although they were miles apart they had similar upbringings and always turned to nature for comfort。 And it is nature that brings them together。 。。。more
Katherine
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Really just。。。didn't care at all for this book， particularly the writing style。 I was intrigued because I had somewhat liked Where the Forest Meets the Stars， and this seemed like the highest rated + most interesting premise of the Amazon First Reads that month。My biggest gripe is with the writing style。 So many sentences in the book are just。。。really thoughtlessly placed and add no value; if anything， they just make the writing incredibly cringey。 This is especially pronounced with Ellis's stor Really just。。。didn't care at all for this book， particularly the writing style。 I was intrigued because I had somewhat liked Where the Forest Meets the Stars， and this seemed like the highest rated + most interesting premise of the Amazon First Reads that month。My biggest gripe is with the writing style。 So many sentences in the book are just。。。really thoughtlessly placed and add no value; if anything， they just make the writing incredibly cringey。 This is especially pronounced with Ellis's storyline， because Raven's thoughts are much more simply stated （like a child would）， and the more simple writing style probably suits Vanderah better。Time also skips way too quickly， missing many important pieces of the narrative。 Ellis loses her baby and leaves her remaining 2 children 6 months later， and this is all within the span of a couple dozen pages。 Raven's first and last visit to Jackie's house happens within the span of just a few pages， with absolutely no indication of how many visits have been in between （I was genuinely confused when I read that part）。 I didn't find this play with time to be useful in a poetic， nonlinear way—it was much more that it was frustrating to skip over some high-profile parts of the story。Lastly， there are just some plot holes and things that don't make sense。。。Ellis's struggles with addiction are not explored in any meaningful way， just used as a plot device。。。Raven goes immediately from not knowing what "divorce" means or how to play board games to knowing exactly how to play tackle football。。。The kids often don't talk like kids at all。。。I felt I knew what was going to happen at the end as soon as Part 2 started， and by the looks of the reviews I think most people felt the same。。。The whole thing just feels extremely contrived and lacking in substance， like the other reviews that mention its "Hallmark movie feel"。I hate not finishing books， but I just didn't see this one doing anything for me。 。。。more
Elaine Milligan
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Loved it！
Jocelyn
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