The Valley (The Valley Trilogy) Paperback – July 19, 2016

Oh how I wish I had paid attention to some of the other reviews! I did actually almost stop near the beginning, but I wanted to like the book, at least a little, so I continued on. It's a hodgepodge of a story! By the time you get to the end, you barely even remember the beginning, nor is there really a sense of purpose for this mixed up story.I enjoy a complex, well written novel that incorporates multiple perspectives from various characters, but this... This flounders in the tedious narrative which is given to needless detail. The story ends- that's the good part. By the time you arrive at the end, well, you've been thru several lifetimes of settlers in a new world. I'm sure there are other novels out there that would give greater enjoyment and pleasure. If you don't believe my review, read some of the other dissenting reviews.Seldom do I rate a book so low, but this one lacked so much, that I had to.

For me, being someone who enjoys and reads a lot of historical fiction, I thought and expected to enjoy this a lot more than I did, but overall, I just felt that this one was just okay. I wasn't sure at times where the plot was going, and at times found myself wondering if there was one. I didn't care about Sophia or Henri very much, she seemed shallow and vain for the first half of the book, and he came across as a caricature of sorts, and it made him appear in much the same as Sophia. When I found out this was to be a series I was excited and then I read it, and I can honestly say, I have no desire to read the other books when and if they are released.

I was really looking forward to reading this trilogy since I'm a huge history buff. However, the first third of the book could have been condensed to about 50 pages ... too much superfluous information. I loved the main characters, Sofia & Henri. They continue through most of the book; but, once Sofia passes there's basically no information about what happens with Henri until he passes too. Too many new characters introduced that had no connection ... and definitely not enough information about the half dozen continuing characters starting about two-thirds of the way through the book. I absolutely hated the ending ... so much so that it's doubtful I'll read books 2 and 3.

This book has a character all its own and at first thought it was going to be too light for my taste. Then I began to go with the flow of the writer and to enjoy her style. I realized later that the life of Sophia's earlier years in England lets you understand her reactions to events she was later to encounter in America. We take the history of this era from facts, but people isolated as were the early settlers received news seldom and even then it was old news and not always accurate.This book made you feel that, if we had tried, we could have learned to live in peace with the Indians with each respecting the others' property and lifestyles. But the white intruders finally took away all property from the Indians and sent them out West to reservations. My biggest complaint is that it said this was the first of 3 books, but I could not find Book 2 and 3.

THE VALLEY, by Helen Bryan, takes the reader on a "survival journey" of weaving life's hard knocks into a durable tapestry of what it means to "become family.". She builds bridges across cultural and ethnic differences - while never excusing prejudice, hate, and social superiority. Her plots take u predictable turns - without losing a stich or thread from her intended work. Her historical knowledge of setting in colonial America transport the reader into personal involvement with each character's struggles & challenges. The reader is always left wondering: what comes next. Bryan leaves you hungry for he next book in her trilogy.

I was delighted initially, that an author had undertaken to write about this early period of history in the Virginian colony. I thought the book the main problem with the book was that it tended to encompass too many events and people over too long a period. Perhaps the author fell into the trap of not knowing what to leave out. Many events were described in detail, sometimes very interestingly, but not necessarily in a way that furthers the plot. Multiple characters are introduced throughout the book but most remain rather one dimensional. There is very little plot development....the book mainly portrays life and the interaction of the Virginian settlers with each other, and with the surrounding indigenous Indians. It's a bit like a tapestry, but a cluttered one. I wanted to like the book and finish it but was unable to. I also felt there was some racial stereotyping in the book. All the black characters seemed honest, good, dependable hard-working folk. Many of the white characters in the book are portrayed as downright evil, cruel, lazy, lying, morally blind, incompetent or just flaky and unreliable (in the case of the Frenchmen). The main character, Sophia, is white, but she was certainly not likable at the beginning of the novel, and I found I did not grow to like her as the novel progressed. She showed a capacity to manipulate at times, and lacked the ability to really love all her children equitably, which disappointed me in her as a character.

I really enjoyed the book in the beginning. I got to know the characters as they developed and grew. Since this was the first book of a trilogy I was disappointed when the book jumped ahead in numerous places leaving me feeling like I missed so much of the characters life's. It felt rushed. When the book ended I was having a difficult time caring as I really didn't know the current characters. It didn't leave me with the desire to read the next book. I gave it 3 stars as I thought the author wrote very well and brought me into the period of time but wished she had filled in some of the missing periods of time.