Deep in the Valley

Rating:
Summary: A heatfelt book
Review: I would have to agree with a previous review that this story was not truely a romance. Our hero and love interest Jim played a very minor role. The story focuses on June and the people of Grace Valley. However, the lack of romance did not take away from the book. I felt drawn into the town of Grace Valley and it was a wonderful experience. I thought that too many characters would make it hard to keep track of who was who but it did not happen. It made it all the more real. I would recommend this book but not as a romance but as a heart warming story that will touch you and maybe think about moving to a small town like Grace Valley.

Rating:
Summary: WONDERFUL
Review: In her late thirties in Grace Valley, California, Dr. June Hudson wonders if she will ever find a lasting relationship. She would like something similar to that shared between her dad and her mom who died nine years ago. Even as she speculates that no one is available for her, June interviews a new doctor, John Stone, to share the overwhelming workload, but he has a past that makes him seem shaky.

Beneath the surface of the small Mendocino County town lies different extremes of sexual harassment. Gus Craven is physically and mentally abusive towards his wife and children. Gary Baker not only hits his spouse Christina, he demands she remain model thin even though she carries his baby. Even the married pastor makes plays for females and has had affairs. Can June and company idly sit by while her gender is under attack? She is also beginning to fall in love with an undercover Drug Enforcement Agent.

DEEP IN THE VALLEY is a complex look inside relationships in an isolated small Northern California town. The story line is enjoyable yet scary because the large cast of charcaters seems genuine. Although the ending lessons the impact of the problems of spousal and child abuse, and the need to bring medical attention to remote areas, the plot works because fans care about the vast ensemble. Robyn Carr provides readers a powerful, thought-provoking work of contemporary fiction that centers on some members of our population living their lives under constant terrorist activity.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: 5+! A great wrier pens a fantastic novel
Review: In her late thirties in Grace Valley, California, Dr. June Hudson wonders if she will ever find a lasting relationship. She would like something similar to that shared between her dad and her mom who died nine years ago. Even as she speculates that no one is available for her, June interviews a new doctor, John Stone, to share the overwhelming workload, but he has a past that makes him seem shaky.

Beneath the surface of the small Mendocino County town lies different extremes of sexual harassment. Gus Craven is physically and mentally abusive towards his wife and children. Gary Baker not only hits his spouse Christina, he demands she remain model thin even though she carries his baby. Even the married pastor makes plays for females and has had affairs. Can June and company idly sit by while her gender is under attack? She is also beginning to fall in love with an undercover Drug Enforcement Agent.

DEEP IN THE VALLEY is a complex look inside relationships in an isolated small Northern California town. The story line is enjoyable yet scary because the large cast of charcaters seems genuine. Although the ending lessons the impact of the problems of spousal and child abuse, and the need to bring medical attention to remote areas, the plot works because fans care about the vast ensemble. Robyn Carr provides readers a powerful, thought-provoking work of contemporary fiction that centers on some members of our population living their lives under constant terrorist activity.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Good Book, Not a Romance Novel Though
Review: Since others have provided a synopsis, I won't here. I enjoyed this book. Learning about June and her medical practice, as well as all the other fully-developed characters gave me (a life long city dweller) a taste of both the pros and cons of small town life. June's investigation of her partner, John, provided some suspense. I could talk about many other characters here as well. This book's gritty look at the reality of how women are still treated today prompted a discussion of it with my husband.

With all that being said, I reviewed this book mostly because I feel it is misleading to call this book a romance novel. In order for me to consider a book a romance novel, there must be more than three or four meetings between the protagonists. There must be tension between the characters and, in the resolution of the tension, both partners should compromise to be together, not just one character. June's love interest was actually a relatively minor character in this book. It was less about a romantic relationship and more about the relationships in an entire town.

Rating:
Summary: Deep in the Valley
Review: The characters are delightfully human and a bit quirky; living in the kind of small town atmosphere many of us now dream about, but haven't got the time to find. A very fine read indeed!

Rating:
Summary: WONDERFUL
Review: What a terrific read. A very real small town tale with a cast of well developed characters. Did not want the book to end. Am looking forward to reading her past and future books.

Rating:
Summary: A reader from Texas
Review: What a wonderful, wonderful book!!! The storyline is totally unexpected--heartwarming, honest, and caring. You'll wish that Grace Valley was a real place and that you could live there.