Reviews - The Other Valley

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2.49k reviews for:

The Other Valley

Scott Alexander Howard

3.96 AVERAGE

jjohnston555's review against another edition

3.75

reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

macybrisben's review against another edition

3.75

adventurous challenging hopeful mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Super cool concept but very complicated. Maybe better not as audiobook.

_rowena_'s review against another edition

4.0

dark reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

lenahe's review against another edition

3.25

mysterious

I was very interested in the book when I read about the concept, however I wanted a bit more than a straightforward time loop story.
I think the author didn't manage to explore the implications of the setting, or get me thinking about past and future.

nickchug's review against another edition

4.0

challenging mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

anaiira's review against another edition

4.0

dark reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

This book presents itself as a love story of the love that everyone has for Esme (primarily of Odile for Esme) but honestly I think it's of Odile for herself. She and her younger self have a strange internal mother/daughter relationship where she will endure sacrifice and hurt to make her own life better.

I do like that this book is essentially an extended thought experiment and treats time travel as a vehicle for speculation and doesn't get too bogged down in the mechanics. Some of the explanation and the ending does break down a bit though.

If I'm honest, I would have much rather if Mr. Howard had

written the much more depressing ending. The one where Esme's death is caused by older Odile's futile effort to try to save him - her shout of warning causes him to slip, and everything goes to shit, in an endless and unavoidable cycle of tragedy. Very Greek tragedy, very Sisyphus, very dark. Her very attempts to change her younger self's future are the very reasons that the future is so bleak, but she is unable to see that until the future has happened.

Still a good story though.