The View from Mount Joy

This novel is told from the POV of Joe, from ages 14 to 50-something; it's about his own life and ever-changing hopes and expectations, but also about a fellow high school student, Kristi, who pops in and out of his life over the years. I enjoyed it, but the "gun on the mantle" is never truly fired in my opinion. Kristi is set up as an narcissist-bordering-on-sociopath, almost a female version of Trump if Trump's path had been to use evangelism to get where he is, but we're left with one big question at the end: as Kristi gets closer to a societal position where she can cause real damage, will Joe reveal to the world what she really is? I'm guessing not, because Kristi is even more skilled than Trump at scoffing off scandal -- she even show more manages to convince the press and the public that she was never married, in spite of an ex-husband who has an actual marriage certificate (conveniently they got married in Mexico, so it doesn't hold the weight that American public records might). And Joe knows how good she is at manipulating fact and finding "alternate truths." But personally, I still feel it's his obligation to try. And even though that question isn't answered, I feel it's unlikely he will try, because he doesn't want to disrupt the lives of his wife and children, and the ending of the book seems to be about him finally closing off Kristi's ability to affect his emotions in any way.

I suspect my negative reaction to the ending is strongly related to my views on Trump, and the very real damage he is causing to people's lives all over the world, and the planet itself. And there were so many people who tried to stop him by revealing his misdeeds, without success. And there are so many more who just look the other way no matter how much damage he causes.

(Apologies for going political, but it truly colored my reaction to the book. Given that it was published in 2007, certainly the author wasn't going for a Trump commentary! show less

I love Lorna Landvik's books. What I love is that they have some elements that don't happen to everyone (there tend to be a lot of celebrities), but people act like real people do.

Mount Joy celebrates everyday life, people who don't make it big or get their name in the paper. People screw up and fix it, but some of them don't. Much like Swati Avasthi's upcoming Split, Mount Joy is satisfying because, as in real life, people don't fix all of their problems. Part of the resolution is learning to accept that some people you love will never change. That's an important lesson.

This is WONDERFUL!! I laughed and I cried and I couldn't put it down. It's a classic Landvik!!

This is the story of Joe Andreson and finding his view of Mount Joy!

He's your typical high hockey star - a good kid whose father was killed and whose mother is trying. So, the story opens with Joe moving to Minneapolis as a senior in high school. Joe becomes fast pals with Darva, the girl who is amazing, but doesn't quite fit in and Kristi Casey the girl who is everything and will let you know that. Joe and Darva have a deep friendship that stays a friendship for a lifetime. Kristi is a user of everything: drugs, people, money, prestige, and most of all Joe. She pops in and out of his life at her whim. Joe falls under her spell for brief show more moments and then comes back to his real life.

And it's Joe's real life where the story actually is. He fills his life with friends - Ed Haugland being one. Ed is the saddened middle age man who owns Haugland Foods. Joe works for him and plays keyboard for him and stays with him as he slowly dies of MD. And Joe inherits the store he doesn't really want, But, it is the store where Joe finds his joy! On a slow day he decided to start odd little contests - all the groceries you can gather in two minutes for free, a free pie if you are buying eggs, a box of books if you can recite a Walt Whitman poem. The contests are often rigged to share with the less fortunate (grocery run) or to meet a newcomer-eventually to be wife (eggs) or to get others to meet.

As the grocery store becomes more successful, Joe's family grows and thrives and Kristi's star shoots across the sky as the voice of God. Her radio and then TV personea hidden by the layers of makeup and the talk that she spews. Yet, when she is really down and out - it's Joe she calls and Joe who is her friend.

I LOVED this book. Why? The fake of Kristi is so perfectly played against the reality of day to day joy of Joe's life. What we think we want way out there is not what we need close to home. Joe finds his Mount Joy right beside him as he watches his two sons and Darva's daughter who is now his daughter, as he stands close to Jenny the love of his life whose flute playing enchanted him the night he discovered his mother was an amazing teacher and his aunt was gay.

By the way, Mount Joy was named for the spot where Kristi and Joe stood and watched the most amazing northern lights in a drug induced state. Later, Kristi claimed that was the moment she first heard God speak her name. Joe remembers it as a time they stood in awe of nature and the pure happiness of friendship.

So, what is the view from your Mount Joy? Is it a place where secrets are shared and stories are told? Or is it the amazing view of a life lived well? Hmmmm..... show less

I will start off by saying that Lorna Landvik is an author that really holds a special place in my heart. Her book, Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons, really was the inspiration for the start of the Sweet Connections book club that has been meeting for almost five years now. The View from Mount Joy is the first book that I have read by Lorna that is narrated from a male perspective and I really think she did a good job. Considering that the book starts out by going inside the mind of a teenage boy, somewhere I really haven't wanted to be before, really set the stage for this novel.

Joe is a hockey player and the new kid in a Minneapolis school. Kristi just happens to be the head cheerleader that is dating the captain of the hockey team, show more so she gets blown into Joe's life by the friends that they share. And boy, is this girl something! Although Joe and Kristi do share an odd relationship, I think his closest high school friendship is made with a girl named Darva. Their friendship does remain intact and actually blossoms several years after their high school career is completed.

This novel does take you through Joe's entire life--as he completes his college career at the University of Minnestoa, takes over ownership of a local grocery store, and eventually starts his own family. As Joe attends college he starts out by participating on the hockey team. After a couple of injuries he realizes his mortality and admits his fear to himself. I really enjoyed this part of the book, as young men can appear to be macho and fearless, because Joe actually gave up playing hockey because of his fears.

When Joe is given the opportunity to take over the grocery store, at first he is apprehensive. His long-term dreams definitely did not involve running a grocery store! His management skills and creativity really start to make a name for himself though. His store becomes one of the most popular markets around as he enjoys making up little contests for his customers that award prizes that he knows they need. As an example, he knew one of his lady customers has been very stressed lately and in need of some TLC. Joe thought up a contest that he knew only she would win, so she would win a certificate to Patty Jane's House of Curl(which by the way is the title of one of Lorna's previous books). He really developed into his position and made the business quite successful.

Throughout Joe's life Kristi would blow in and out like a tornado. Joe and his friends become shocked as they get older to learn that Kristi has become a television evangelist. Knowing how she had acted during high school, and the few times that he had seen her since, the career choice did not fit the Kristi that he knew. As these parts of Kristi were put in the later half of the book, I couldn't help but think that she reminded me of Tammy Baker.

I enjoyed watching Joe mature from a wild teenager into a very well respected family and business man. I think that you should be forewarned that the beginning of this novel does contain some sexual content that some of you may find offensive. As I was reading those parts, I just kept in mind that the story was being told from the view of a teenage boy. show less

This was my first introduction to Lorna Landvik's novels, and overall, it was a good read. I was engrossed by the main character, Joe Andresson, as the novel follows his life through high school and beyond, exploring the roads not taken and the choices that lead us to where we end up in life. For the plot summary, you can read the first review or the Amazon review, both of which capture it nicely. What keeps me from giving this book more stars, in spite of the fact that I enjoyed it, is that I felt that there were a few too many "jumps" in time that weren't transitioned well, and while most of the novel moved at a good pace, the ending was wrapped up too neatly and too pat, in a big hurry. One of the main characters, Kristi, ends up on show more a path that could have been predicted by anyone paying attention from the beginning -- and Joe does, too. Is it any surprise that he ends up running a grocery store? Hardly, as that important point is not only spilled in the flyleaf summary, but heavily foreshadowed throughout the book. Still, Joe is an engaging character, and his life is interesting. The book held my attention until the very end, and the quirky characters sprinkled throughout kept the book feeling lively and interesting overall. But Joe's fascinating with Kristi was a little unbelievable to me. How such a grounded, kind and decent guy could be enthralled with a shallow, self-centered and calculating shrew, was never fully explained to my satisfaction. I didn't get the attraction to her, and still don't. And as she is one of the primary characters, about whom we're presumably supposed to care, her storyline left me feeling bored. So, I give it 3.5 stars -- entertaining, mostly well-written and enjoyable, yet flawed. show less

This novel started out like gangbusters, with some of the best descriptions of high school in the 1970's that I've read. But the last half of the novel is boring, with too many black-white characters and little conflict. Disappointing after such a strong start.

Lorna Landvik's novel The View from Mount Joy will make you laugh and cry as you travel through the life of Joe Anderson from his teens to adulthood. Recently I read Pat Conroy's newest novel, South of Broad and the protagonist, Leonard has a similar relationship with another larger than life blonde bombshell, Sheba Poe that Joe has with head cheerleader, Kristi Casey. Do all men have a fasination with larger than life blondes?

Both and Joe and Leonard don't truly love the object of their fantasies but still cannot rid them from their lifes. I will admit the South of Broad is far darker novel than View from Mount Joy but both novel involve high school friendships and fantasies that last more than 20 years. Mount Joy is a far lighter read show more than South of Broad but bother involve strong friendships that most of us would envy. show less