The View from Mount Joy

As other reviewers have said, Joe Andreson is a guy we all would like to know. His story starts when he is in high school and he and his newly widowed mother move to Minneapolis to live with his aunt. He is a hockey player and has dreams of playing in the pros. His dreams don't turn out and he ends up running a grocery store. What could sound pretty boring is actually magical. His ideas are unique and we could all do with a Haugland Grocery store!! We get to know the other characters in his life - his mother and aunt, his high school buddies, his friend Darva and Kristi the cheerleader who is such a big part of this book. But my favorite person, besides Joe, is an unforgettable little girl named Flora. Every scene she is in is enjoyable and her wedding is as unique as Haugland's Grocery Store. I got a real lump in my throat at that one!! This book is great from start to finish. You will really enjoy it.

When I began reading this newest book, I was surprised that Landvik had chosen a male protagonist. And yet very quickly I found myself falling for Joe Andresen, connecting to him like an old friend. We first get to know him as a goofy-but-thoughtful high schooler, and watch him create a quiet, benevolent life into his middle age. His story is peopled with colorful, believable characters: family and friends who challenge him, recognize his strength, and make the reader laugh and cry. Through Joe, Landvik reminds us that everyday life--even with its heartaches--can be the arena for astounding goodness and joy. I couldn't put this book down and carried its satisfaction around with me for days.

This is Landvik's seventh book, and her best-but then I have said that about each of her books when it came out. Joe Andresen moves to Minneapolis from Granite Falls, Minnesota with his recently widowed mother and starts a job at Haugland's Foods, and high school at Ole Bull High in Minneapolis. Joe is an excellent hockey player and attracts the fleeting, flattering attention of mesmerizing (like a poisonous snake) head cheerleader Kristi Casey. He also attracts the friendship of awkward artist and activist Darva Pratt. They all graduate in 1972. These two women, and his work at Haugland's, become a big part of his life. Darva goes on to fullfill her dream and travel and study art in France; Kristi travels to find herself; and Joe graduates from the University of Minnesota and takes on the job of assistant manager at Haugland's. Life throws them all for a loop occasionally. There are some horrendous tragedies in Joe's life; and some incredible joys. We follow Joe's life through to the climax-his beloved wife's 50th birthday party, where he acknowledges how much joy and fulfillment his life holds. Landvik has created a small town's worth of wonderful authentic characters in her writing life, and this book has its share: Joe, a good man with integrity and a flair for helping others; Darva, a talented artist, and a good and loyal friend; Kirk Casey, Joe's younger co-worker at Haugland's and Kristi's younger brother; Joe's mother Carole and his aunt Beth, and Beth's love Linda; and Carole's second husband, teacher Len Rusk. Kristi Casey is the odd one out-shallow, selfish, mean spirited, and attracted to the limelight. She uses sex and her beauty to manipulate and control the people around her. Of course the customers and staff at Haugland's and Joe's philanthropic spontaneous contests are part of the story as well. Armchair Interviews says: Linda Landvik does it again.

Ms Landvik does it again. I started this and couldn't put it down. Joe is the guy I would have liked to know in high school. It sure took me back to 1971 and all that high school involved. We all had so many dreams and goals. Joe might not have achieved all he thought he would at 17 but,in the end he made all the right choices. The View From Mount Joy will make you think, make you cry and make you laugh out loud several times. The only complaint I have is that my copy could have used better proof reading in a couple parts but if you go back and read the parts again you get what they are supposed to say.

I laughed, laughed again, laughed louder and longer as the book raced by. Please don't let it stop, I want this story to go on indefinitely! Lorna Landvik's latest is a true laugh riot, except when it's poignantly sad and a bit heartbreaking. Now, I admit I'm a card-carrying member of the Lorna fan club dating back to Patty Jane's House of Curl but her latest rivals Angry Housewives as the best yet. As the story opens, we're all back in high school in the early 1970s. I don't know about anyone else, but I'd swear Lorna and I must have been in the same class doing the same insane things. How did we ever survive unscathed? Book clubs who have enjoyed Landvik's earlier works will find much to discuss in Mount Joy -- religion, politics, family, friends, food, travel and children all abound. Finally, I really want to shop at Joe's grocery to win a contest, view Darva's art, have a tea party with Flora and hate Kristi and every other high school girl just like her. Terrific cast of characters that we've come to expect from Ms. Landvik. Don't miss the reference to Patty Jane and the description of the waitresses at diNapoli! I couldn't read this fast enough and I hated to see it end. Now I'm already waiting again!!