The View from Mount Joy

By: Lorna Landvik

Narrated by: Robertson Dean

THE VIEW FROM MOUNT JOY, Lorna Landvik’s delightfully quirky and intensely moving new novel, is about the unexpected pleasures found in living a good life.

When hunky teenage hockey player Joe Andreson moves to Minneapolis, Joe falls under the seductive spell of Kristi Casey, Ole Bull High’s libidinous head cheerleader. Joe balances Kristi’s lustful manipulation with the down-to-earth companionship of his smart, platonic girlfriend, Darva. But it is Kristi who will prove to be a temptation throughout Joe’s life.

Years later, having once dreamed of a career in pro hockey or as a globetrotting journalist, Joe can’t believe that life has deposited him in the aisles of Haugland Foods. But he soon learns that being a grocer is like being the mayor of a small town. For Joe, everyday life is its own roller-coaster ride, and all he wants to do is hold on tight.

The path Kristi has charged down, on the other hand, is as wild as Joe’s is tame–or at least that’s how it appears. But who has really risked more? Who has lived more? And who is truly happy? As Joe discovers, sometimes people are lucky enough to be standing in the one place where the view of the world is breathtaking, if only they’ll open their eyes to all there is to see.©2007 Lorna Landvik; (P)2007 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

Praise for Lorna Landvik

Oh My Stars

“Landvik is a national treasure whose writing packs a folksy, storytelling punch. . . . The personalities that populate the pages of Depression-era Oh My Stars feel . . . like fast friends. . . . And oh my stars but how [these] pages do fly by!”
–Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Utterly charming.”
–Cleveland Plain Dealer

Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons

“Highly entertaining . . . almost as hard to put down [as] Mary McCarthy’s The Group.”
–The Seattle Times

“It is impossible not to get caught up in the lives of the book group members. . . . Landvik’s gift lies in bringing these familiar women to life with insight and humor.”
–The Denver Post

Welcome to the Great Mysterious

“Funny, heartwarming . . . admirably captures the ups and downs of a small town from the humorous perspective of a big-city star.”
–Publishers Weekly

“Geneva is a lovable star who grows in surprising ways.”
–The Orlando Sentinel

Narrator does not fit

Narrator sounds like he should be doing a reading of a novelization of Mad Man, not a story about growing up. You almost feel like he is a middle age man sneaking a peak on a lovers lane.

One of Landvik's Best

I am a huge Lorna Landvik fan, and this was one of my favorites. She is such a great writer, and I found myself wishing this story would keep going on and on.

Great writer... not so interesting plot

This was my first Landvik story. She is an AMAZING writer... such attention to detail and she can really draw you in. HOWEVER, it's only because of that ability that I continued to listen to this story as the plot is just not worth it. From the synopsis of the book, it sounds like a tale that will focus on the character's life; only, the first 6 hours focuses mostly on a span of 5 years and then next 6 hours jumps through 30 years. Plus, the more interesting characters are not the ones focused on and the one she does, will have you asking WHY? If you are at all intrigued or interested, I'd highly recommend not getting the unabridged version!

P.S.- The narrator's low, rumbling voice takes a lot of adjustment to get used to it...

loved this story

a real page Turner, made our long road trip fly by in no time at all

Boring

I had to abandon this book. I couldn't get past how boring it was. Halfway through I decided it would never pick up. I didn't care about any of the characters and thought the dialogue was forced and sophmoric.