Rating: 
Summary: Lyrical beauty
Review: I have read every novel Mr. Kay has published to date. "The Valley of Light" is hands down my favorite. I reside in the Clay County of the book and Mr. Kay has captured our beautiful mountains and lakes with stunning clarity. The characters ring true to the adults of my childhood. People of this region do truly care about each other and lend a hand or a home cooked meal when its needed. They feel each others tragedies and triumphs. I regret that time and progress has changed the intimacy protrayed in this wonderful novel. His prose is magnificent and a pleasure to read. I couldn't put it down but also dreaded its coming to an end. I have praised it to all friends and family and recommended it heartily. However, they will have to find their own copy, nobody is borrowing mine. I shan't take a chance of losing it.
Rating:
Summary: The Valley of Light
Review: I have read every novel Mr. Kay has published to date. "The Valley of Light" is hands down my favorite. I reside in the Clay County of the book and Mr. Kay has captured our beautiful mountains and lakes with stunning clarity. The characters ring true to the adults of my childhood. People of this region do truly care about each other and lend a hand or a home cooked meal when its needed. They feel each others tragedies and triumphs. I regret that time and progress has changed the intimacy protrayed in this wonderful novel. His prose is magnificent and a pleasure to read. I couldn't put it down but also dreaded its coming to an end. I have praised it to all friends and family and recommended it heartily. However, they will have to find their own copy, nobody is borrowing mine. I shan't take a chance of losing it.
Rating:
Summary: Spiritual Journey
Review: I just read in the marvelous "Rodan of Alexandria" paper in The Urantia Book this quote which reflects so well on Terry Kay's excellent new book "The Valley of Light," "Life is not real to one who cannot do some one thing well, expertly." Noah, the main character, is a veteran who has returned from the horrors of World War II. His parents are dead. His brother is in jail. He was never good at book learning, but God did give him one great talent. He can fish. When he puts his hands on the water, he pictures them and attunes himself to their world. Although it seems magical to those who cannot do the same thing, the fish respond to Noah. He catches fish where others thought none existed.This is an excellent book. The characters are as deep as the waters in which Noah fishes. The journey begins with a guy named Hoke telling Noah about the Valley of Light, the fish and the people there. Noah sets off on this journey. We learn that Noah has a 6th sense, sometimes feels an invisible hand that touches him, as it does when he first sees Eleanor Cunningham. We learn about Eleanor's history, her husband who died by the Lake of Grief, her talents at reading and words, her feelings of being in a marriage that was not quite right. We get deeply into the world of Taylor who runs the general store, his divorce, his love of people and ease at conversation. He befriends Noah and gives him a job. Thus, all of the people are in place who have brought this group to this moment. We see the people who have died and feel the power of their influence as it remains among the living. Events unfold at a leisurely, contemplative pace, but with great care. Kay's language is superlative as when Noah relates about the "gunsmoke angels" from the war. By the time the tale concludes, we have shared a spiritual journey with Noah and the many characters. We have tasted their tribulation, but also have a sense of peace that things are right in the universe. This is a wonderful book. Bravo!
Rating:
Summary: A Brilliant Story
Review: I saw this among the selections for my bookclub and decided to read it ahead of time ~~ and this is definitely one of the best books I've read in 2004. It is way more than a fishing story (though I thought it was at first ... ) and it's a story about people, broken dreams and beauty.
Noah came to the Valley of Light, a little area in the Carolinas, in his travels. He had heard from his old friend about the lake there ~~ where there is this big mean bass there and no other fish around. Noah meets the townfolks and several of them are helped by his presence ~~ and for a short week, he becomes one of them.
It's a beautifully written novel ~~ full of light and grace as Noah remembers the war and as the other characters move forth into new lives. This is definitely one of the better reads and one I highly recommend for any time ~~ a trip to the beach, to the cottage, or for sitting by the fireplace. It's a book that is guaranteed to take you down memory lane and perhaps discover new things to think about.
10-20-04
Rating:
Summary: More than a "fish" story!
Review: I'm a Georgian, familiar with the name/reputation of Terry Kay, but a first time reader of his work. I'm also a writer myself, so I found myself enthralled by the author's ability to make me see every tiny part of the story with words that were mesmerizing in their beauty and originality. I don't fish, but I now wish I did. I've visited Lake Chatuge and environs many times and now I will "see" below its watery areas a whole new world.
Rating:
Summary: More than a "fish" story!
Review: I'm a Georgian, familiar with the name/reputation of Terry Kay, but a first time reader of his work. I'm also a writer myself, so I found myself enthralled by the author's ability to make me see every tiny part of the story with words that were mesmerizing in their beauty and originality. I don't fish, but I now wish I did. I've visited Lake Chatuge and environs many times and now I will "see" below its watery areas a whole new world.
Rating:
Summary: The Finest Terry Kay Novel Yet
Review: In Terry Kay's latest novel, The Valley of Light, the author has returned to what I believe is his first love -- the hill country of the South in the post-World War II period, the late 1940s. The writing evokes the time and place: mellow and serene, yet mysterious and suspenseful. The best place to read this book would be in a rocker on a screened-in back porch, or on a front porch swing. Even better, beneath a tree next to a lake. The quiet hero is a mystical fisherman with a gift that sets him apart. But fishing, as both sport and food source, is only the axis for the story; the man's "gift" is its body and soul. In fashioning his hero, Kay again turns to the returning war veteran (as he did in "The Runaway") and gives him a name that is associated with water and wandering: Noah. References to the Bible and The Grapes of Wrath reinforce the image. Noah is to fishing what Tiger Woods is to golf and Lance Armstrong is to cycling, only more so. When an old man suggests that Noah should dip his hook in the waters of a place called "The Valley of Light," Noah is soon on the road, seeking out the monster fish the man spoke of. When he arrives, the reclusive Noah becomes more involved with people than he has been in years. But his gift brings him both notoriety and grief, moving him closer to the inevitable confrontation with the monster that waits for him within the dark waters of The Lake of Grief. As always, Kay's book is filled with interesting characters, mainly the widow Eleanor, who has one eye on Noah and one on store owner Taylor, but who mainly keeps her sights on escaping the valley altogether. Will she choose Noah, Taylor, or the road? What really happened to her husband, an apparent suicide? Will Noah win the fishing tournament, ending the long reign of local fisherman Littleberry Davis? As you turn the pages to find out, you are treated to streams of prose poetry. Kay's descriptions are some of his finest ever. He makes people and scenery both come to life. And, as a bonus, the surprise ending is designed to bring a smile to your lips, and hope to your heart. I loved Terry Kay's "Taking Lottie Home," thinking he would never have a better one. Now I think "The Valley of Light" is his finest. Which makes me wonder what his next one will be like.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Book
Review: Terry Kay is an excellent writer. His description of the area of NC-GA, is very true. His characters are very true. Whe I read VALLEY OF LIGHT, I read 100 pages very quickly. Then, I decided to slow down and savor the writing which is so beautiful. I will suggest this book to many friends and library patrons.
This is not the first book by Kay I have read, but it may be my favorite...well, THE RUNAWAY is a wonderful book; I would have to toss a coin for my favorite.
Rating:
Summary: Lyrical beauty
Review: The author of my favorite novel, To Dance With The White Dog, does not disappoint us with this lyrical novel. He paints the emotions and the scenes until we feel it in our hearts. A must read!
Rating:
Summary: Completely Delightful
Review: This was one of the top five books I have had the pleasure of reading over the past several years. It was an absolute delight.
I was raised in an area such as the setting of this book, during the time the story takes place (a small boy at the time). Mr. Kay has hit it absolutely perfectly. The story is haunting. The prose wonderful. He absolutely knows his characters, and I suspect does or did know them personally. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. The only thing that could make it better would be a cup of coffee with the author on a Saturday morning. I cannot wait to read his previous work now, and hope he comes up with more like this one in the future.
Thank you Mr. Kay!!!
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