Book Review: Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glenda Vanderah
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After the loss of her mother and her own battle with breast cancer, Joanna Teale returns to her graduate research on nesting birds in rural Illinois, determined to prove that her recent hardships have not broken her. She throws herself into her work from dusk to dawn, until her solitary routine is disrupted by the appearance of a mysterious child who shows up at her cabin barefoot and covered in bruises.
The girl calls herself Ursa, and she claims to have been sent from the stars to witness five miracles. With concerns about the child’s home situation, Jo reluctantly agrees to let her stay—just until she learns more about Ursa’s past.
Jo enlists the help of her reclusive neighbor, Gabriel Nash, to solve the mystery of the charming child. But the more time they spend together, the more questions they have. How does a young girl not only read but understand Shakespeare? Why do good things keep happening in her presence? And why aren’t Jo and Gabe checking the missing children’s website anymore?
Though the three have formed an incredible bond, they know difficult choices must be made. As the summer nears an end and Ursa gets closer to her fifth miracle, her dangerous past closes in. When it finally catches up to them, all of their painful secrets will be forced into the open, and their fates will be left to the stars.
Where the Forest Meets the Stars is so far one of my favourite books of 2020. I loved it so much that I finished it in just two days. I couldn’t put it down!
Each chapter left me wanting more. I kept telling myself, ‘just one more chapter’ and then at the end of that chapter, I’d say again, ‘just one more chapter’.
It’s such a beautifully written, captivating and engaging book that had me asking so many questions, guessing what could have possibly happened to the bare foot little girl, Ursa, who turned up on Jo’s doorstep covered in bruises and what’s more left me wondering, where is this going?
Ursa’s story, that she’s an alien sent from the stars to earth in order to witness five miracles before she can return home is dubious to say the least, but Ursa’s intelligence beyond her years, her thirst for learning and her compassion for human and animal life made me wonder at times if perhaps Ursa really was an alien.
Jo is such a lovely character. She’s been through so much with the death of her mother and her own battle with cancer. She’s very easy to relate to and her relationship with her recluse neighbour, Gabe, aka ‘egg man’, is a lovely one to watch unfold.
I don’t want to say too much for fear of giving anything away, but what I will say is that this is a must read, easy to read, enjoyable book that I rated five out out of five on GoodReads. You must read it!
You can buy Where the Forest Meets the Stars from Amazon online here.
