Rating: 
Summary: Tugged at my Heart
Review: After reading a very negative review on the book, I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading. Since Janette Oke has been a favorite author of mine for many years, I took a chance and bought the book anyway.As the younger sibling of a Hemophiliac who spent many weeks in the hospital during my growing up years, Dana's Valley hit very close to home. I could relate to Dana's younger sister completely. Erin's mixed feelings were very real - I've been there. If you haven't walked through the Valley of the Shadow of Death with a family member or close friend, this book may not be for you. But if you have, have a box of tissue handy!
Rating:
Summary: Hits Close to Home!
Review: After reading a very negative review on the book, I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading. Since Janette Oke has been a favorite author of mine for many years, I took a chance and bought the book anyway. As the younger sibling of a Hemophiliac who spent many weeks in the hospital during my growing up years, Dana's Valley hit very close to home. I could relate to Dana's younger sister completely. Erin's mixed feelings were very real - I've been there. If you haven't walked through the Valley of the Shadow of Death with a family member or close friend, this book may not be for you. But if you have, have a box of tissue handy!
Rating:
Summary: Perspective of the Valley
Review: Dana's Valley explored a family's struggle in a very real way. Through the eyes of Erin, we see the family in a very real and human way. Each person has needs that must be met and the authors have presented in a subtle but positive way how they are met. I fell in love with the characters and cried when they cried. This is a book for anyone who has gone through a valley.
Rating:
Summary: Worth your time
Review: Don't listen to the editoral review. This book is worth your time. I found it so realistic that I wrote the letter the authur, asking if it were based on a true story. Sorry no reply yet.
Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put it down!!
Review: I am a big fan of Janette Oke and have read nearly all of her books. I bought this book a few months ago but hadn't had a chance to read it until this week. Once I started it, I couldn't put it down. I thought that the characters were very real and believable and I found myself wanting to get to know them as I got more into the book. I finished it in a little over a day because I didn't want to stop. I cried at certain points of the book and at the end. Janette Oke never fails to entertain and to minister to her readers.
Rating:
Summary: When Life and Beliefs Collide
Review: I just finished reading this book in a few hours time. I simply couldn't put it down and I used a half a box of tissues along the way. I thought Dana's Valley was extremely well-written. The Oke writing team captured perfectly the emotions and frustrations of cancer and it addressed them honestly without sugar coating. My Mom died of cancer 6 months ago and my husband spent alot of time in the hospital following a spinal cord injury. I loved this book because it captured some of the feelings I experienced as a Christian trying to make sense of the trials God allows in our lives. Sometimes, like Erin, we are so blinded by our immediate circumstances that we miss the overall picture of how God is working in our lives to accomplish great things. I've read alot of non-fiction books about understanding why God allows trials, but I felt like this fiction book helped me alot more than some of the non-fiction books I've read. I know this story will stick with me. It's not one you can easily forget.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely loved this story!
Review: I listened to the audiobook--the reader was fantastic--it was very hard to listen to and drive because it was so sad and I couldn't see to drive for crying. Although it was sad, it was also uplifting and spiritual. I felt sad and happy at the same time. I intend to buy several copies to give to my family. It was a real moving story. I also intend to buy more books from the author!
Rating:
Summary: A Tear-jerking page turner!
Review: I thought this book was very realistic and thought-provoking. It weaves an incredible story of faith, anger, love, death, and God's provision through the struggle of a young girl with lukemia. There are several parts in the book where I was crying so hard I couldn't turn the page. I think the authors did a great job of personalizing the story; and they made me feel like I was the one watching my sister die. I don't agree with the reviews that it wrapped up to neatly in the end; I think the reactions of the family members were normal. It would not be uncommon for someone to be angry at God for taking someone they love, and then realizing that God can use all situations for good. While this book is very sad, there is an important lesson to be learned within its pages.
Rating: 
Summary: Not bad
Review: I was very surprised that the reviewer from Publishers Weekly didn't like this book. I thought this was a wonderful book.
I thought this book gave a really good idea as to how a family struggles when a family member is seriously ill, as is the
case with Dana. The book was told from Dana's sister's point of view, to give insight about how family members cope with an
illness like cancer.
The book showed Dad, who is struggling with finances and has to make some tough decisions. There is Mom, who is exhausted
from taking care of Dana and the other kids in the family. There is Corey, the baby of the family, who feels left out and
just wants a puppy. There is older brother Brett, who ends up distancing himself from the family. And then there is Erin,
whose point of view the book is told. She is taking care of Corey while her mother takes care of Dana. Erin reaches a point
of frustration, feeling angry at God for Dana's illness, feeling like her teenage years are robbed by the illness, missing
out on her basketball tournament to take care of Corey when Dana got sick, etc.
The only thing I didn't like about the book was that I did feel that Erin was "punished" a little bit for her anger. She had
a right to feel angry. Her sister was sick, she missed out on her teenage years, and a lot of the burden was placed on Erin.
It might have been good to include a scene in the book, where Mom and Dad express appreciation for Erin's hard work and
acknowledgement on how hard things are on her. A serious illness can affect a person deeply.
All in all, I enjoyed the book. I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Thought provoking
Review: Many tears were spilled over the pages of this book. When our children and loved ones are healthy and everything is okay in our world, it is easy to ignore the devastation cancer and terminal illness wrecks on a family. Reading Dana's Valley will bring to mind all the people you personally know who are suffering from cancer and how their families deal with the toll the illness takes on so many lives. Once I got into the story, it was hard to put down. The story is told through the eyes of Dana's sister, Erin, who struggles with every emotion, even jealousy that her parents are willing to give up everything to be there for Dana. None of us can begin to imagine the weariness, grief, frustration, doubt, and loss unless we have faced the same situation. But Dana's Valley will make the reader mindful of the suffering others endure every day. It was a beautiful story with an appropriate ending.
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