The Valley of Secrets

By: Charmian Hussey

Narrated by: Charles Keating

Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

When Stephen, raised as an orphan, learns that he has inherited an estate in the Cornish countryside, he has no idea what to expect. And when he arrives at Lansbury Hall, there is no one to greet him...or so he thinks. But waiting for Stephen are his great uncle's diary of a journey long ago up the Amazon with a native guide...and a hidden valley filled with creatures from the Amazon rainforest.

©2003 Charmian Hussey (P)2005 Random House, Inc. Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group

Critic reviews

"An ambitious blend of fantasy, mystery, and ecological adventure." (School Library Journal)
"Readers of this unusual book will find snippets of Dickens, hints of Harry Potter, and even a bit of Jean George. Yet this novel is uniquely its own." (Booklist)

Whimsical & a delight

What did you love best about The Valley of Secrets?

His brave adventure into the unknown.

What other book might you compare The Valley of Secrets to and why?

?

Which character – as performed by Charles Keating – was your favorite?

I can't choose just one

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes yes yes

Any additional comments?

A must read for the adventurous

Intriguing Ecological Mystery

Extremely well written ecological mystery infused with a rich sense of history and knowledge. It sadly covers the devastation of the rainforest and the exploitation of the native habitants. The book emphasizes the value of family and protecting one another over the greed of money. Well worth the read.

Enchanting Enough

The story and the telling of it were beautiful. The sense of revealing the mystery in both past and present kept me wanting to hear the next word. The images were wonderfully painted. The one thing that kept this a 4-star rather than a 5-star is the nearly incessant soapboxing. I understand and admire the the author's passion about saving the rainforests (just to be clear, that message is restated in an afterword), but the lecturing interfered with the enjoyment of the story. It made me wonder if the text version of the book was printed in biogradeable inks on 100% recycled paper and delivered on foot to bookstores so petrol would not be used in getting them distributed. This book is definitely on my "listen to again" list, but not until I'm in the appropriate mood.

Haunting

Very well read. Not what I was expecting, even better. A unique and unusual story.

Enchanting

A simple, purely pleasurable story of mystery and love of nature and of mankind in all our differences. Reminds me of a simple tale called I Heard The Owl Call My Name. The reader told this story well and someday I will listen to this one again.

Plotless

Lame.

A 'save the jungle' sermonette, with no plot.

When is something going to happen?

I love the set up. It's a classic benefactor/orphan kind of story, with discovered relatives who have long gone, only leaving a giant mansion. Perfect setting for interesting things to happen. But the problem here is nothing actually does happen. I kept waiting for the discovery of a crazy creature or someone locked in a closet - SOMETHING - and yet nothing happens! It's just not enough to carry through the story and care about the character. All we get are endless passages describing backstory. boring.