The View from Mount Joy: Summary and book reviews of The View from Mount Joy by Lorna Landvik, plus links to an excerpt from The View from Mount Joy and a biography of Lorna Landvik.

When hunky teenage hockey player Joe Andreson and his widowed mother move to Minneapolis, Joe falls under the seductive spell of Kristi Casey, Ole Bull High’s libidinous head cheerleader, the kind of girl a guy can’t say no to, even when saying yes guarantees trouble. 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 (and torment) 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: His constituents confide astonishing things and always appreciate the value of a hard-to-pass-up special, a free toy for a well-behaved youngster, a pie for the best rendition of “Alfie,” or simply Joe’s generous dispensing of the milk of human kindness. 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 to the outside world. But who has really risked more? Who has lived more? And who is truly happy? As Joe discovers – in this dramatic, heartbreaking, and hilarious novel - – - 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. The View from Mount Joy is truly glorious: a warm, wonderful picture of life as seen from the deepest places in the heart.

Media Reviews

Boston Globe [Landvik] has an easy, engaging narrative style laced with humor.   Minneapolis Star Tribune Deeply satisfying . . . Bursting with the same deliciously deadpan dialogue that is now a Landvik trademark . . . [The View from Mount Joy provides] quite possibly Landvik’s most lovable character to date.   The Charlotte Observer A delightful journey . . . full of humor and poignancy and the potential for joy in everyday life.   Library Journal Landvik is a wonderful storyteller...however, some...may be uncomfortable with the sex and drugs and Kristi's hypocritical life as an evangelist and the wife of a politician.   Publishers Weekly Landvik...deftly mixes humor and pathos in Kristi's ditzy On the Air with God radio show, starkly contrasted by her quietly powerful portrait of Joe, a man with real family values.   Booklist Landvik’s latest homespun homage is pure bliss.

Recent Reader Reviews

Rated of 5 by Ursula
The View from Mount Joy by Norma Landvik
This book turned out to be not very satisfying. It did not capture me and I found the author's writing style rather simple. She failed to bring us closer to Joe's character, who is after all the narrator. It is however, a nice travel back it time...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Jennifer
The view from this mount was mediocre
Lorna Ladnvik developed the story around the universal truth that life never turns out the way you expect. As always, her writing is filled with unexpected, delightful description and insight. This time, however, her characters failed to capture...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Teresa
Colorful characters, downhome charm
Book clubs will surely love this wonderful novel with quirky characters and warm, witty dialogue. Growing up in the 60's and 70's, we follow Joe through his teens into adulthood with his family and friends as they navigate the waters of love,...   Read More

Rated of 5 by PAB Sacto CA
Not my favorite of Landvicks books
I agree with Catherine regarding character Kristi...she was never a real person to me...the fascination of Joe with her was never fully compelling to me...I have read all of the other books by this author..this is my least favorite. Maybe a...   Read More

Rated of 5 by SAM
From Mount Joy to Main Street
I didn't laugh out loud, the way I usually do with Landvik's books, but I had a really good time reading it anyway. The View from Mount Joy contains the same characters found in her other books - the real people who populate cities and towns...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Karen
A Step Back In Time
I've had no desire to go back to my teenage years of angst and insecurities but Landvik's novel took me there - and I loved it! At first I wasn't sure I was the target audience (the narrator is a teenager when the story begins). However, as the...   Read More

...18 More Reader Reviews

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