The Valley of Secrets Audiobook

" The premise was interesting, but the delivery was preachy and the pacing of the story was uneven. The preachiness of it (re: saving the Amazon jungle) yanked me out of the story frequently. I don't have a problem with the message, really, but the story would frequently come to a grinding halt while the narrator, a character, or a character's journal expounds on the subject for a while. It got annoying and felt very much like the story was a flimsy excuse for the author to get on a soapbox about the subject. I have more complaints, but I'll leave it at that. It is too bad, because as I said, the premise is interesting. Hussey just didn't make the most of it. "

" Interesting mystery, but not what I thought. A little disappointing. "

" Great read. This one is for the arborist out there. "

" ummm...what? "

" Pretty good book, intriguing, but after the first hundred pages when there still wasn't any dialogue...need I say more? "

" I really enjoyed this book. Hussey's descriptions of all the flora and fauna was fantastic and often left me wanting more. In fact, I read through the whole book and now need to see if there is a sequel because she sure left you thinking there would be. Clean, no vulgarity or sex. Very enjoyable. "

" Overall, this book was rather good, despite the environmental agenda, which felt too overdone at times. Stephen's first encounters at Landsbury Hall were completely riveting and absolutely captured my attention and I liked reading of Uncle Theodore's and Berty's Amazon adventures. "

" There were parts of this one that I really liked. But there were other parts (the first half mostly) that was just. too. slow. A couple of kids at school are reading right now. I'm curious to hear what they have to say. "

" This was a really good book about family and I recommend it to people who like the sorts of books with orphans and smart kids in them. (aka Maggie and possibly Lauren) "

" Don't let the name fool you. The story does not have a flow, yet there is something that brings you a different, strange feeling when you are reading this. I am unable to express what it is, but I can tell you it's somewhat beautiful. "

" I read this a long time ago but I remember clearly how much it sucked. The book was too descriptive and so repetitive. "

" I think you should read this book because it has an interesting plot. The main character is an orphan. His family died on a trip, leaving him with a caretaker. He is given his great uncle's will and Lansbury Hall. At the end he met Beth. "

" Quite a lovely book, though not very exciting. Wonderful writing. It is described as a children's book, but is much too slow for the impatient child. "

" An interesting, gentle read, but too much "save the rain forests" propaganda. I actually enjoyed the story, but was annoyed by the references to how people are destroying the Amazon jungle. The story itself could stand alone without the sales pitch. "

" I really liked this book! I liked the animals that were in this story... Chairmian Hussy is very good at describing food! "

" haven't read but really want to. "

" Even though at times this Book could be boring, and had an un-even pace. The plot and story alone redeemed it. It was both Magical, Adventurous and incredibly imaginative. "

" This book is one of those stories you can't predict till later on in the story. It is a story within a story full of mystery and daring adventure. "

" I really really liked this book. It makes you realize how beautiful our nature really is and how important it is or should be to us. "

" Aika perus lasten kirja, jossa oli paljon turhanpäiväistä mutta nättiä kuvailua, mutta joka kuitenkin piti mielenkiintoa sen verran yllä, että kirjan luki mielellään loppuun asti. Ihan nätti satu, mutta tuntuu, että olin liian vanha tälle kirjalle. "

" We listened to this on our drive across country. A very interesting, unpredictable story line. "

" truly this might be my favorite fantasy book in this world!! "

" Terribly written, but it has some good themes, which since I was reading it to my daughter, gave me a good opportunity to discuss the rainforest, exploitation, class etc. "

" It was not what I was expecting. It might be okay for older kids, but it was very wordy and descriptive. The only "adventure" the boy had was through reading his great-uncle's journal. A bit of a letdown. "