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.

Reader Reviews

Susan's Reviews

(5/5)

324

Nov 24, 2024

Picture this: Ellis watches distractedly as her twin sons are catching tadpoles from the river that runs through Wild Wood - a forested area close to the trailer park she had grown up in. Her newborn daughter, Viola, lies tranquilly in her child carrier. This forest had always soothed Ellis's aching spirit and had been her only refuge during her often brutal childhood.But for once, her idyllic surroundings could do nothing to ease Ellis's turbulent thoughts and anguished feelings of betrayal. Sh...

Em Lost In Books

(2/5)

How can one family have so many issues? Not one person was spared. :/

Deb

AwesomeThis the most wonderful story I believe I've ever read.. The city I live in is even part of it. A family torn,. An abducted baby so much like her birth mother, A family coming together in such a wondrous way. Heartache, romance, suspense, plus a happy ending. I must confess I was tearful a lot during the last part. Love it, love it!!

Janelle

I loved this book from start to finish! Beautifully written, wonderful characters, a devastating opening! Ellis is the mother of twin 4yo boys and a new baby girl. She is driving to surprise her husband when she sees him kissing another woman, this upsets her and she drives to the woods, a place to think. (view spoiler)[When leaving the boys are arguing, she’s still upset, tadpoles are spilled, she drives off and then one of the boys tells her, she’s forgotten her baby! She returns to the carpar...

RoshReviews

(4/5)

My rating: 3.75The book comes to us from the perspectives of two female protagonists: Ellis and Raven, whose lives are as unusual as their names.Ellis has had a troubled childhood but has finally settled into a happy marriage. However, she sees her husband kissing another woman one day and goes with her kids to the woods for some fun time for them and thinking time for her. In her agitated state, she ends up leaving her two month old daughter Viola unattended for some time, only to return and fi...

Regina

118

I was one of the few readers who wasn’t completely enamored with Glendy Vanderah’s Where the Forest Meets the Stars, but glowing reviews made me want to give the author a second chance with The Light Through the Leaves. Well the light shone through the leaves and revealed… everything but the kitchen sink! In this melodrama you get:- a stolen baby- maternal abandonment- attempted rape/assault- parental gaslighting- drug abuse/addiction- marital infidelity- mysticism- teenage sexual explorationYou...

Simona

Finally a new book from Glendy Vanderah. I loved Where the Forest Meets the Stars, it's one of my favourite books, and this one sound just as interesting! Can't wait for 2021!

DJ Sakata

Favorite Quotes:“How did you get like this?” “Like what?” “Like here but not here. Like this snow I can’t touch without it melting in my hand.”What Audrey Lind did forced our family skeletons out of the closet and turned them into flesh-eating zombies.She never would trust fate. It always did what it wanted. Fate didn’t give a damn how good a person was, or how innocent a baby, before it swept them away.“Can I hug you while you’re out of character?” “Okay. But hurry before the real me comes back...

Stephanie

Don't mind me, quietly weeping as I finish the last paragraph and read the words aloud...because they are too beautiful to exist only on paper.My heart. Oh, my heart...this novel is so very special. Glendy pours her heart out on to the pages of her books and the end result is...magic. Her books have this steady and comforting beauty to them. She marries the magical/supernatural and the everyday so very effortlessly. Her words are soaked in magic and purity and a tender respect for nature . And l...

Kerry Clair

(3/5)

Mixed bagI really enjoyed this book alllllll the way up to the last ten percent of it. Then it became absurdly sappy, hallmark-channel-esque and overly dramatic. Sigh. But really - up until the final 10% of the book, it was actually a truly enjoyable read.

Suzanne Redfearn

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.

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The Light Through the Leaves

The Light Through the Leaves

The Light Through the Leaves

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