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The Mountain and the Valley
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Plot Summary of The Mountain and the Valley
"This book tells the story of David Canaan, a school boy growing up in the Annapolis Valley in Atlantic Canada in the years before World War 2. David is one of three children; he has an older brother and a twin sister. They are a very close family and David is a very sensitive and devoted boy. He loves the farm, the valley, and the nearby mountain. He helps his father hunt, fish, raise crops and animals, and chop wood. He plays with the neighbour boys and really likes one girl, Effie. He sees beauty in so many things and longs to become a writer.
Sad things happen in this seemingly ideal setting. Effie dies of leukemia, David's father dies in an accident and his mother dies soon after. He is left to run the family farm and take care of his grandmother, Ellen. Ellen spends a lot of time weaving rugs from the family's old clothing; each piece of cloth seems to symbolise something significant in the life of David and his family. David still really wants to write, and he uses his scribbler a lot. Will he ever be able to write the book he dreams of and get it published?"

Tena van't Foort, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of The Mountain and the Valley
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book? - thoughtful
Time/era of story - 1930's-1950's
Kids growing up/acting up? Yes
Kids: - struggling to earn a living to survive
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Parents/lack of parents problem? - orphan story

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - artist
Age: - a kid
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters

Main Adversary
Identity: - society
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 8 (a significant amount)
Mountains/Cliffs Yes
Forest? Yes
Farm/Ranch? Yes

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references
Amount of dialog - significantly more descript than dialog
Most similar books to The Mountain and the Valley
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Wish You Well by David Baldacci
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Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson
Weeping Willow by Ruth White


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Ernest Buckler Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Tena van't Foort  

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