THE LIGHT THROUGH THE LEAVES by Glendy Vanderah - Review & Giveaway

 

THE LIGHT THROUGH THE LEAVES (LakeUnionPublishing) by Glendy Vanderah takes off with a bang and you can't stop reading. It's a complex story of forgiveness, love, loss, grief and the healing power of the human spirit to carry on.

Ellis Abbey Bauhammer discovers her husband, Jonah kissing another woman and drives away quickly so her three children don't see. Since she was a little girl, she has found comfort in the forest, near the trailer park she grew up in, so that's where she takes her kids to calm down. Just as they are ready to leave, the older boys, River and Jasper start fighting over tadpoles. Ellis puts her newborn daughter, Viola down on the ground in her baby carrier and tries to separate the boys. Shortly after, they drive away, but without little Viola. They return and realize in those few short minutes, Viola has been taken. This all happens in the first nine pages of the novel and there are four hundred and seventy-eight to go. I didn't know if I was going to be able to handle it.

Vanderah is a brilliant writer. She creates flawed characters that you can't help but root for as they struggle to move forward. There's mental illness, drug abuse, attempted rape and other subjects not for the timid. But there's this overwhelming atmosphere of love and nature through the novel.

I could continue and tell you more about this book, but you must read and experience it yourself. Vanderah captured the hearts and imaginations of readers with her first novel, WHERE THE FOREST MEETS THE STARS. She delivers another very special story in THE LIGHT THROUGH THE LEAVES.

Glendy's words:

I grew up in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of two public school teachers. A born naturalist trapped in a big city, I studied every creature of my parents’ tiny, wild-grown backyard. Reading, especially animal stories, was an equal passion that led to my love of writing.

Realizing a childhood dream, I left the city to major in Ecology, Ethology and Evolution at the University of Illinois in Urbana. In field biology courses, I discovered my compulsion to catch snakes and salamanders wasn’t as weird as I’d thought. During one of those classes, my first wobbly view of a vivid blue Indigo Bunting through binoculars was the moment I decided to focus on avian biology.

While working as a field biologist, I studied writing, poetry, and literature for several years. But birds eventually won over writing, and I completed a Master of Science degree. My thesis topic focused on another gorgeous blue bird, the small but magnificent Cerulean Warbler.

I have worked as an endangered bird specialist, and also served as an assistant editor for a scientific journal. I married an ornithologist who fully understands my nature-nerdiness. We left Illinois when he accepted a position at University of Florida. Since we moved, raising three children and having little time for biological work has brought me back to writing. We now live in the Florida countryside with as many birds, butterflies, and native flowers as we can lure to our little wildlife sanctuary.

www.glendyvanderah.com

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing we have one copy to giveaway. Just tell about your relationship with nature. We'll choose a winner soon. Good luck.

GIVEAWAY: USA only please

To purchase  THE LIGHT THROUGH THE LEAVES