Listening Valley

by D.E. Stevenson

Book Overview

In Scotland on the eve of World War Two, Tonia and her sister Lou grow up as thick as thieves in a world apart from their detached parents and other children. But when Lou runs off to get married at eighteen, Tonia is left alone, unsure of who she is and wants to be. She accepts an offer of marriage from a kind but older man, and is soon in London amid bombings and rationing, her life filled with purpose as never before. However, when tragedy strikes,...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0030204461
• ISBN13: 9780030204463
• Release Date: January 1978
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
• Weight: 1.01 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Life Just Before and During WWII in Scotland and England

Raised in an uncaring and thoughtless family, the heroine develops confidence, self-esteem and courage to fight for her own life. Everything about the characters, the setting, and the plot, including the girl's marriage as a teenager to a man older than her father, reflects the culture and mores of this fascinating time. Pleasant, amusing, and a continuation of some of the characters from "Celia's House", it is one of D. E. Stevenson's more enjoyable books.

Younger Woman Marries an Older Man...

A very shy girl meets an older gentleman, a friend of her father's. Romance does not begin at once, but older man realizes she is not appreciated by her family. She has a younger, prettier sister who her parents tend to dote on, leaving the older girl feeling awkward and unwanted. Her marriage to this older man is successful. The young girl becomes a woman with the help of a caring, loving husband. He helps her to get to know herself and adquire self-esteem. The story is very touching.

Listening Valley

Innocent, gentle story; spiritual overtones. The heroine is likeable, though shy. Gives the reader a feeling of what it was like to endure WWII in England and Scotland. I especially liked the historical aspects, getting inside the mind of someone who lived there.