Dana's Valley

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: 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: 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: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Love and sickness
Review: This book deals with Erin's family and how they went through difficult times when her sister, Dana was diagnosed with cancer. It was especially difficult for Erin and her sibblings as her parents had to pay full attention to her sister and neglected the rest of them and how each one of the family members need to come to term with Dana's illness. It was especially hard for Erin because Dana was her best friend and it was heartbreaking to see someone you love and care is slowly deteriorating and is suffering every day.

Slowly, Erin lost faith in praying and in God as she believed it was useless since so many people prayed for Dana and yet Dana was not recovering. It was touching for me, how Dana restored Erin's faith and how the family was able to go through Dana's illness with prayers and faith in God.

Also, I think this book gives a good picture on how it's like to have a family member who is being diagnosed with cancer as it drains out everyone who loves the patient. One of the quotes in the book said something like cancer is like a magnet, it draws one closer to God.

Rating:
Summary: A Tear Jerker.....
Review: This was a wonderful book. It does start out a tad slow, but believe me, once you get started, you won't want to put it down!! By the time you get to the end of the book your heart will be in your throat. It was very well written and I would highly recomend it to anyone and everyone.

Rating:
Summary: a wonderful story of God's healing power
Review: Very unlike typical Janette Oke, Dana's Valley is a wonderful modern-day story of a family struggling with the illness and death of their child. Oke and daughter Laurel have a way of making the reader empathetic with each and every family member, be it the angry, resentful older brother, or the exhausted, heartsick mother. The journey that the Walsh family takes through fear, denial, acceptance, and, finally, resignation will keep you riveted throughout. I could not put the book down.