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  • The Light Through the Leaves

  • A Novel
  • Written by: Glendy Vanderah
  • Narrated by: Susannah Jones
  • Length: 14 hrs and 14 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (24 ratings)

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The Light Through the Leaves

Written by: Glendy Vanderah
Narrated by: Susannah Jones
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Publisher's Summary

Go on a powerful journey of forgiveness and healing with The Light Through the Leaves, a transcendent novel of love, loss, and self-discovery by the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Where the Forest Meets the Stars.

One unbearable mistake at the edge of the forest.

In a moment of crisis, Ellis Abbey leaves her daughter, Viola, unattended - for just a few minutes. But when she returns, Viola is gone. A breaking point in an already fractured marriage, Viola’s abduction causes Ellis to disappear as well - into grief, guilt, and addiction. Convinced she can only do more harm to her family, Ellis leaves her husband and young sons, burying her desperate ache for her children deeper with every step into the mountain wildernesses she treks alone.

In a remote area of Washington, a young girl named Raven keeps secrets inside, too. She must never speak to outsiders about how her mother makes miracles spring from the earth, or about her father, whose mysterious presence sometimes frightens her. Raven spends her days learning how to use her rare gifts - and more important, how to hide them. With each lesson comes a warning of what dangers lie in the world beyond her isolated haven. But despite her mother’s cautions, Raven finds herself longing for something more.

As Ellis and Raven each confront their powerful longings, their journeys will converge in unexpected and hopeful ways, pulled together by the forces of nature, love, and family.

©2021 by Glendy Vanderah. (P)2021 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.
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What the critics say

“A memorable story of love’s healing power.” Publishers Weekly

“A unique page-turner of remarkable richness, a tale of unthinkable trauma and the powerful, steady healing to be found in the natural world. I love the women in Vanderah’s novels, women who are allowed to be as flawed and raw and brave and fierce as men. And I loved the unfolding layers in this book, layers of love and disaster, secrets and longings, mothers and children, and always, nature as the steady backdrop to all life, offering the hope of renewal at all turns. Exquisite.” —Barbara O’Neal, USA Today bestselling author of When We Believed in Mermaids

“Glendy Vanderah’s love for nature shines through in this captivating story about love and loss and carrying on in the face of tragedy. Bursting with extraordinary moments of magic and beauty, it is an enchanting story that tugged at my heartstrings from the very first page and did not let go.” —Suzanne Redfearn, bestselling author of In an Instant

What listeners say about The Light Through the Leaves

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Such a beautiful story

Narrator was great. The story kept me interested and I loved the ending! (Sorry if it’s a spoiler alert)

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A must read

I rarely take the time to make any kind of review but feel so strongly that everyone should read this book. I was going through a tough time in my life and this beautiful story at first distracted me from my problems and in the end soothed my soul.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Another Winner from Glendy Vanderah

After listening to Glendy Vanderah's Where the Forest Meets the Stars, I knew it wouldn't be the first and only audiobook I would listen to by the author.

The Light Through the Leaves did not disappoint!

In a moment of chaos, Ellis Abbey unwittingly leaves her infant daughter at the edge of the forest. But when she returns, the baby isn’t there. The event has a catastrophic effect on Ellis and her family, prompting her to disappear as well into a life of addiction and isolation.

On the other side of the country lives a young girl named Raven—a girl who is also living an isolated life along with Audrey, her “spiritual sage” of a mother, who tells her daughter that she was conjured by the raven spirits in the forest—that she had been a spiritual gift for Audrey. But there is nothing grounded and earthy about Raven’s life, not really. And behind their so-called connection to the natural world lies a terrible secret.

This novel is about Ellis and Raven, each confronting their individual challenges. When their lives converge unexpectedly, they find they are magnetically drawn to each other by the forces of nature and love.

The writing in this book is a testament to Glendy Vanderah's deep love for the natural world. Her vivid descriptions of wild places are not just beautiful and evocative but also serve as a reminder of the awe-inspiring beauty that surrounds us. After reading this book, I feel like I need to "up" my hiking miles and learn more about wild plant collecting !

The only reason I didn’t give this story five stars, was that the ending felt just a little too neat and tidy after such an emotionally, rocky ride. But, whatever, it still made me cry.

The narrator, Susannah Jones, was superb! There were quite a few male characters and she managed to capture their personalities so wonderfully. I will seek her audiobooks out now!

I’m eagerly anticipating my next journey into Glendy’s world with her book, The Oceanography of the Moon.

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