Dana's Valley

Nothing I write will do justice to this story. It's such a heavenly story of grace under fire. Narrated by the sister of Dana, Erin Walsh, it tells the miraculous story of a family dealing with grief and acceptance.

After Dana's diagnosis of cancer, the Walsh family does their best to hold their family together. However, everything they've worked toward seems to crumble. Once cheerful and happy baby of the family, Corey is now grieving and the oldest of the four Walsh kids Brett, has been deeply affected and eventually moves out only stopping to leave a note explaining the background surrounding his sudden choice. Erin, Dana's sister, is now also struggling. Her big sister who was once her best friend is slowly slipping away and there's show more nothing she can do about it. Erin's faith is also failing and she has no idea how to handle this situation.

Dana, a teenage girl full of grace and beauty, does not care about herself, but only cares about others. Her prayers for her friends and family while she herself is suffering endlessly leave me in tears every time I read this beautiful novel. Her firm foundation in faith and her unfailing trust in Jesus is amazing and unshakable.

It feels almost impossible to explain the impact this book has made on me. Before reading this, I don't think I've ever cried over a book as much as I have this one. And I cry over a lot of books, so that says a lot. The compassion, grace, and humility that Dana has is so beautiful and she goes about quietly, without asking for attention. This book is a little miracle.

I would probably recommend this novel for the older high school crowd and above. It mentions strong topics concerning faith, medical diagnoses, family, grief, and love. Definitely a heavy read but I guarantee this beautiful stunner of a novel will leave you in tears and give you a whole new perspective. show less

A realistic story of a Christian family walking through the "valley of the shadow of death" as their teenage daughter battles cancer. Told from the point of view of the younger sister. It's a tear-jerker and a faith-builder.

I'm surprised this book doesn't have any reviews yet! I found it to be amazing! It was such an amazing story of faith and remembering that God is always with you.

What I really enjoyed was the picture that Janette Oke painted of this family. They seemed like such a "perfect" one at first. However, dealing with the few ups and downs showed the audience that even hardships hit the most seemingly problem-less families. I couldn't put this book down and once I was finished I debated reading it starting it again. I would recommend this book to anybody wondering how to walk through those tough times, but still keep your eyes on God and His faithfulness. 5 stars!

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