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mbenzz's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. I've only read one other book from Ms. Landvik (Angry Housewives, which I loved!), and I certainly wasn't disappointed with this novel. It's a light story that follows Joe Andreson from the age of 17, all the way into his late 40's. The core of the story is about his love/hate relationship with Kristi Casey, head cheerleader and most popular girl in school, who grows up to be a famous evangelist with a very large fan following.
Joe, on the other hand, has taken a less public path, choosing to stay in the town where he graduated, and take over the Haughland Foods grocery store, living a quiet life that's disrupted every few years when Kristi comes crashing back into it, then disappearing again for months or years.
Now, my only issue with the book is that it was extremely difficult to keep track of time. Sometimes a few months would pass with the start of a new chapter, other times it was a few years, but one thing was certain, I was never really sure of WHAT year it was, especially toward the end of the book...and with the cast of characters growing more and more as the book progressed, it made it all the more impossible to keep track.
Overall though I really do recommend this book. It's a great weekend read that doesn't require much thinking, and the characters are, for the most part, all pretty likable (though I do think Joe was a BIT sensitive for a guy...I mean, I've never known a man to cry as much as he seemed to), and contrary to what another review said, this book is definitely NOT all about sex. It's about a teenage boy with hopes and dreams, and a crush on the most popular and unattainable girl in school, and the story of how his life plays out, and where exactly she fits into it.
Joe, on the other hand, has taken a less public path, choosing to stay in the town where he graduated, and take over the Haughland Foods grocery store, living a quiet life that's disrupted every few years when Kristi comes crashing back into it, then disappearing again for months or years.
Now, my only issue with the book is that it was extremely difficult to keep track of time. Sometimes a few months would pass with the start of a new chapter, other times it was a few years, but one thing was certain, I was never really sure of WHAT year it was, especially toward the end of the book...and with the cast of characters growing more and more as the book progressed, it made it all the more impossible to keep track.
Overall though I really do recommend this book. It's a great weekend read that doesn't require much thinking, and the characters are, for the most part, all pretty likable (though I do think Joe was a BIT sensitive for a guy...I mean, I've never known a man to cry as much as he seemed to), and contrary to what another review said, this book is definitely NOT all about sex. It's about a teenage boy with hopes and dreams, and a crush on the most popular and unattainable girl in school, and the story of how his life plays out, and where exactly she fits into it.
book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
Joe's life takes some unexpected turns, but he has the best view from Mount Joy. In my opinion, this is not her best work, but I still love Landvik.
Joe's life takes some unexpected turns, but he has the best view from Mount Joy. In my opinion, this is not her best work, but I still love Landvik.
violetcat's review against another edition
3.0
I really liked how the book started with Joe as a senior in high school in the early 70s. The story then follows his life, plus his family and friends, up to the present. I got really bored with the book about 2/3 of the way through. There just wasn't much conflict, and the life of a typical middle aged man just doesn't interest me much. I was disappointed in the ending because I wanted to know more about what happened with Kristi.
katemoxie's review against another edition
1.0
I have really enjoyed Lorna Landik's other novels, but 125 pages in I just couldn't summon up interest in the characters to bother reading another 200+ pages. Disappointing.
bikes_books_yarn's review against another edition
3.0
This is my third Lorna Landvik book and probably the one I liked the most. I read Angry Housewives Eating Bon-bons because my dental hygentist told me I would love it. The Second one I read was Patty Janes House of Curl which I read because my mom wanted to know what I thought of it. I had pretty much decided to not ever read another Lorna Landvik when the book club I decided to join picked this as the first read. *sigh* I know - Poor me. :)
So this one is the story of Joe Andreson. We tune into his life when he is a mere seventeen years old and it's the 70's. Joe and his mom are forced to move to the Twin Cities from some random small town because Joe's dad died in a plane accident and they just can't make it where they are living anymore. They move to The Cities and Joe's mom gets a job at the school as a music teacher and Joe procedes to live the American Teenager Life. He joins the Hockey team and is elevated to star status in the school. He hangs with the art hippy. He gets blow jobs from his girlfriends best friend in the AV office. You know - typical stuff.
We follow his life through the struggling college years - these chapters drip with "What should I do with my life??? I don't know! But it has to be BIG.". He still works at his highschool job - at the local grocery store. The manager is a good friend and when his M.S. gets too debilitating Joe is there to help out. Good old Joe. His Manager friend dies and leaves Joe the store. He is working there feeling all restless when his hippy art friend from high school (Darva)shows up with baby in tow. They all live together and although they love each other they don't LOVE each other. We follow their lives together for a time and then Darva dies and Joe becomes Dad to Darva's baby Flora. He is sad for a few years and has some thoughts and does some stuff. Then the love of his life walks in the door. More stuff happens. People die and people make babies and get married.
Thankfully this book also had a contrast character in Kristi Casey - The blow job princess I mentioned a paragraph or two back. She is the only true complex character in the book and kept this from being a book one could liken to milk toast. Her motivations are mysterious and she is the only chaotic element in the book. She brings much needed tention and drama into this story.
The other things that sort of bugged me about this book (which sort of goes with the last paragraph/rant) is that Joe is such a feelings driven cry baby that I seriously wondered if he was going to come down with some sort of disease diagnosis at the end of the book. I have to wonder if a man reads this book what his thoughts would be on the character of Joe. Does he strike anyone as a woman's fantasy rather than a credible character?
All that aside I found the book to be an easy read and it wasn't nearly the chore I thought it would be when I committed myself to reading it. And the local references are always fun in a novel.
So this one is the story of Joe Andreson. We tune into his life when he is a mere seventeen years old and it's the 70's. Joe and his mom are forced to move to the Twin Cities from some random small town because Joe's dad died in a plane accident and they just can't make it where they are living anymore. They move to The Cities and Joe's mom gets a job at the school as a music teacher and Joe procedes to live the American Teenager Life. He joins the Hockey team and is elevated to star status in the school. He hangs with the art hippy. He gets blow jobs from his girlfriends best friend in the AV office. You know - typical stuff.
We follow his life through the struggling college years - these chapters drip with "What should I do with my life??? I don't know! But it has to be BIG.". He still works at his highschool job - at the local grocery store. The manager is a good friend and when his M.S. gets too debilitating Joe is there to help out. Good old Joe. His Manager friend dies and leaves Joe the store. He is working there feeling all restless when his hippy art friend from high school (Darva)shows up with baby in tow. They all live together and although they love each other they don't LOVE each other. We follow their lives together for a time and then Darva dies and Joe becomes Dad to Darva's baby Flora. He is sad for a few years and has some thoughts and does some stuff. Then the love of his life walks in the door. More stuff happens. People die and people make babies and get married.
Thankfully this book also had a contrast character in Kristi Casey - The blow job princess I mentioned a paragraph or two back. She is the only true complex character in the book and kept this from being a book one could liken to milk toast. Her motivations are mysterious and she is the only chaotic element in the book. She brings much needed tention and drama into this story.
The other things that sort of bugged me about this book (which sort of goes with the last paragraph/rant) is that Joe is such a feelings driven cry baby that I seriously wondered if he was going to come down with some sort of disease diagnosis at the end of the book. I have to wonder if a man reads this book what his thoughts would be on the character of Joe. Does he strike anyone as a woman's fantasy rather than a credible character?
All that aside I found the book to be an easy read and it wasn't nearly the chore I thought it would be when I committed myself to reading it. And the local references are always fun in a novel.
themadmadmadeline's review against another edition
4.0
I wish Goodreads had .5 stars, because this one would be a solid 3.5 for me.
Overall, the novel was rich, the characters complex, and the overlying plot line (the comparison and eventual juxtaposition of the main character to the most popular girl in school as they traverse through life's ups and downs) was very strong.
Sometimes the book was a little too "cookie cutter" for me, with everything seemingly happening in perfect matching of couples as the book progresses, and at times, the book is for lack of a better word "zany", but overall, there is craft and skill between the lines. Landvik has a fantastic sense of humor, and a knack for painting beautiful characters.
Overall, the novel was rich, the characters complex, and the overlying plot line (the comparison and eventual juxtaposition of the main character to the most popular girl in school as they traverse through life's ups and downs) was very strong.
Sometimes the book was a little too "cookie cutter" for me, with everything seemingly happening in perfect matching of couples as the book progresses, and at times, the book is for lack of a better word "zany", but overall, there is craft and skill between the lines. Landvik has a fantastic sense of humor, and a knack for painting beautiful characters.
19paws's review
3.0
A nice feel-good story about completely unbelievable characters. It was an enjoyable read, but not an especially memorable book for me.
alinaborger's review
4.0
So usually Katie and I agree on like 1/10th of the books we read. And that's okay because mostly we swap charmers and beach reads as needed for a tough week or a fun vacation. I'll love one that she thinks is just okay and she'll adore one that I think is so-so.
But when we hit on those books we both find delightful, it's always a treat and we're glad we shared the other nine to arrive at that one.
The View From Mount Joy is one we both agreed on. It's not going to win any awards or make any splashes on my favorites lists, but it's a little parable, a morality tale told as sweetly as such tales often are. One man chooses love, and finds his simple life managing a grocery store is full to the brim; one woman chooses fame and adoration, and finds a life full of accolades that only makes her smaller and meaner and more selfish.
Love wins. Love always wins.
A Caveat: As Katie warned me, so I warn you: there is a bit of "gratuitous high school sex" in the opening chapters. Not sure the sex itself is exactly gratuitous, as it's part of developing the characters and their relationships, but the phrase does as good a job of any at explaining that the scenes are read a bit more like a bodice-ripper than morality tale.
But when we hit on those books we both find delightful, it's always a treat and we're glad we shared the other nine to arrive at that one.
The View From Mount Joy is one we both agreed on. It's not going to win any awards or make any splashes on my favorites lists, but it's a little parable, a morality tale told as sweetly as such tales often are. One man chooses love, and finds his simple life managing a grocery store is full to the brim; one woman chooses fame and adoration, and finds a life full of accolades that only makes her smaller and meaner and more selfish.
Love wins. Love always wins.
A Caveat: As Katie warned me, so I warn you: there is a bit of "gratuitous high school sex" in the opening chapters. Not sure the sex itself is exactly gratuitous, as it's part of developing the characters and their relationships, but the phrase does as good a job of any at explaining that the scenes are read a bit more like a bodice-ripper than morality tale.
dja777's review
3.0
Definitely not as good as Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons -- I never found the protagonist all that believable.