Author: J.H. Fletcher
ISBN: 9781489257314
RRP: $29.99
Publication Date: 21st May 2018
Publisher: Harlequin Mira
Copy: Courtesy of the Publisher
In The Valley of Blue Gums is the first novel I have read by J.H. Fletcher and I was fascinated by the way he crafts his story and the way he spoke of writing the truth masquerading as fiction.
There was quite a lot of jumping around within these pages, between different characters and different timelines. The shifts between timelines are well structured and well laid out so it is easy to follow.
Thea Anderson is an accomplished author and journalist with a colourful history fraught with danger. In the year 2000, Thea is having coffee in a Sydney café one afternoon when a bomb is detonated, she gets out and helps a young American woman to safety. Still, she heads back to the hotel, gets organised and attends the dinner.
Fletcher has woven an intense look at some huge moments in our modern history with the life of journalist Thea Anderson. She was right there for some amazing moments of historical significance and that helped to make her career. Journalists document our history as it plays out and sometimes that means that the best scoops are scooped simply because a reporter was in the right place at the right time. Yes, you hope they write well but to an extent, that’s what editors are for. The vast difference between the copy Thea sent in and what actually made the papers at times illustrated just how big a job editors do.
Thea Anderson is fearless, she always dreamed of being a foreign correspondent and sometimes that meant walking straight into the face of danger. She made her name with coverage of the Kennedy assassination and then in the field during the Vietnam War. Adventure and danger have always been a part of her life, she fled Malaya with her mother as a toddler. She has been told, more than once, that she was born lucky and looking back on her life there have been times it seems that may be true.
In The Valley of Blue Gums tells the story of Thea’s life and career. It begins with the bombing of a Sydney café where we meet Thea and discover she’s feeling a little lost and stagnated, not sure where life will take her next. She takes us back to her beginnings and through some pretty amazing moments in history while switching between past and present. The present sees her head to her home in Tasmania.
This is a fictional novel but as Fletcher says through his characters in the book, telling real stories tied up in fiction is a way to get stories told that would otherwise never see print. These events may not have happened, but they could have.
Thea’s experiences in Saigon show a side of the war that wasn’t often seen, and that was the point of her assignment; to see what the Vietnamese thought of the war. Thea saw that it was the civilians suffering the most and regardless of who won, the civilians would lose. The thousands of displaced, the thousands of street kids and the wounded and maimed. It was heartbreaking to think of the damage and destruction to the people and the country.
In the present day time period (which was 2000) Thea is recovering from the explosion and working out what she will do with the rest of her life. Trying to decide if there is another book in her clamouring to get out.
I really enjoyed this book. Thea was a fantastic character; she is fearless and determined but also very aware of how easily she could become arrogant and so she never did.
Fletcher has written an engaging novel that captured my attention and made me connect with the characters, I wanted things to work out for them.
In The Valley of Blue Gums is a tale of love, of following your dreams, of finding the person who really understands you and of second chances. I loved the story and the characters. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more by J.H. Fletcher.
In The Valley of Blue Gums is published by Harlequin Mira and available now from Angus & Robertson Bookworld, Booktopia and where all good books are sold.
Thanks to Harlequin Mira 20 of our Beauty and Lace Club Members will be reading In The Valley of Blue Gums so please be aware there may be spoilers in the comments below.
SaveSave
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!
In the Valley of Blue Gums: loved it. I will always be a country girl at heart. Thi sure is the story of Thea who has lead a very interesting life. Successful in her career and having a life that many would envy, we follow Thea’s life from an early childhood in Malaya, a working career in Vietnam and the USA and also a vineyard area of Tasmania
I was not familiar with the author J.H. Fletcher and incorrectly assumed this was the work of a female. Fletcher has a unique grasp of the female psyche
This was an enjoyable book to read, as it flipped through the different periods in her life. It moved quite fastly and gave new perspectives on the Vietnam War
I highly recommend this story of a strong gutsy woman who right from the start refused to fit any moulds
Thank you to Beauty and Lace and Harlequin for giving me the chance to review this
I thoroughly enjoyed In The Valley Of The Blue Gums.
The story revolves around Thea Anderson who lives an adventurous and interesting life from childhood right through her adult life.
From her early life in Malaya through to being a highly respected wartime journalist in Vietnam and the U.S then to a vineyard covered Tasmania , Thea ‘s life is one adventure after another.
There are quite a few time jumps in this J.H Fletcher novel but I didnt find it hard to follow and read the book in a couple of sittings.
I definitely recommend In The Valley Of The Blue Gums by J.H Fletcher for anyone that enjoys a strong female character novel and believe most people would enjoy this story.
Thankyou Beauty and Lace and Harlequin for allowing me to read and review this outstanding book.
The Valley of the Blue Gums is the first novel of J.H. Fletcher that I have read. It took me a little bit to really get into the book, but once I found my pace and settled in, I really enjoyed it.
Thea’s life encompasses Malaya, Australia, the USA, Vietnam, love and war. She was a strong heroine and a trailblazer with women in journalism. Real events and social issues, from both past and present, are cleverly woven into the story line, which reveals different views of those events, which are informative and at times heartbreaking. I also enjoyed the descriptive scenes set in beautiful Tasmania, with the vineyard and wine-making process.
The story line does jump between the past and present, however it is easy to follow and doesn’t feel disjointed or jarring. There is so much happening within the novel, but it is written in such a lovely style, that it isn’t overwhelming or confusing.
I thoroughly enjoyed this well-crafted modern/historical fiction novel. Thank you for allowing me the chance to read and review it!
Thank you for the chance to read my first J.H Fletcher novel – and it certainly wont be my last – I thoroughly enjoyed it.
We are introduced to Thea and then her daughter Alison the story takes us back to Thea”s youth and her very interesting life journey and then Alison’s life also.
I enjoyed the different time frames and thought that they flowed easily and tied into the story as a whole.
Thoroughly recommend In The Valley of Blue Gums.
4 stars out of 5.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book, In the Valley of Blue Gums
I thought it was going to be a long dragged out book. But it was everything but!
It was fantastic.
You can tell so much knowledge and research went into writing this novel. Travelling back into Malaya and Vietnam war you feel you a right amongst the characters.
The novel goes backend forth from the past to the present, but it is written so well that there is no confusion and it keeps it very exciting.
Hats off to J.H Fletcher, I will be looking out for more of his novels!
This was my first novel by J H Fletcher, and unfortunately I was very disappointed with the book. I found it very hard to get into. I found the jumping back and forth in time lines, rather annoying and the story line with Thea a little over the top. But I did enjoy Thea’s story more than her daughters.
Sadly, this book was not for me.
I enjoyed reading this novel very much, It jumped around from characters & different time periods, but after a few chapters it was not as confusing.
A gripping story of the effects of the war.
In The Valley of Blue Gums – J. H. Fletcher
The most interesting parts of this novel were having the main character placed into important moments of history including the assassination of JFK and the Vietnam War. However, with the changing of years in various chapters, I often found myself trying to remember what had happened in that particular year earlier in the book, so I could continue with the story. I don’t think anything would have been lost had the novel taken a more sequential approach.
Having said that, though, the writing of J. H. Fletcher puts you right into the scenes and I could nearly feel the fresh weather of Tasmania, the heat of the tropics and the stuffiness of the book depository in Dallas.
Being a journalist myself, I envied and admired the main character, Thea, for her perseverance and courage.
I won’t give the plot away, but the love story that runs through the novel is also refreshing, although halfway through you can predict the couples that will form, but life isn’t smooth sailing.
Although this is a fictional novel, the events are real and the storyline is based very much in reality, giving the reader a different perspective on tragic events of the past – both distant and recent. It’s also a novel that will stay with you long after you’ve read the last word.
Thank you to Harlequin Mira and Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to review In The Valley of Blue Gums.