The Sky Beneath Us

By: Fiona Valpy

Narrated by: Bronwen Price, Mhairi Morrison

An inspiring, uplifting story of love and loss, courage and adventure, from the bestselling author of The Skylark’s Secret.

1927. Violet Mackenzie-Grant is embarking on her dream of studying at the Edinburgh School of Gardening for Women. She doesn’t yet know that it’s a journey that will take her to Kathmandu and beyond, deep into captivating landscapes and cultures that are worlds away from everything and everyone she’s left behind in Scotland.

2020. Daisy Laverock has dreamed of retracing the footsteps of her great-great-aunt Violet ever since discovering her long-lost journals, whose accounts of plant hunting in the 1930s inspired Daisy’s own career. Divorced, and facing an empty nest, Daisy decides to embark on the trip of a lifetime. She arrives in Nepal, ready to start trekking in the shadow of Everest. But fate, and the pandemic, have other plans.

Stranded and alone, Daisy must fall back on the kindness of strangers, taking inspiration from Violet’s determination and resilience to keep going in the darkest of times. As she gradually pieces together the fragments of Violet’s story and uncovers long-held secrets, can Daisy finally reveal a path forward to her own future?

©2024 by Fiona Valpy. (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“A gifted storyteller with a unique voice. This is a beautifully written, uplifting, moving and evocative story that will stay with you! I loved it so much, I didn’t want it to end!” —Santa Montefiore

“An immersive and moving story which will stay with me for a long time. Such a compelling sense of place and beautifully drawn characters, I savored every moment.” —Freya North

“What an exquisite and unforgettable journey! I loved every shaky step, breathtaking vista, minute discovery and unexpected adventure in Katmandu, Edinburgh, Phortse and the north-west Highlands of Scotland with Daisy and her great-great-aunt Violet. Theirs are inspirational stories of love and hope lost and found as they courageously ascend paths unknown and welcome the unexpected. Meticulously researched and beautifully written with fascinating detail about botany, the Sherpa people and Nepal. As deeply satisfying as a clear view of a flower-filled valley from a mountain top.” —Penny Haw, author of Follow Me to Africa

Remarkable synchronization

Finally, a romance without the gag worthy traits in so many novels. Granted, the romance aspect is light, but interwoven throughout the story. Another huge factor in enjoying this novel is the narration; finally, all the voices enabled me to listen to the story rather than being distracted by screetchy, whiney or ineffective male/female sounding characters. Some narrators can’t do both sexes without distracting from the story- when a reader ‘hears’ a voice- it’s just right - including accents.
The story pulled me in at the airport; laying out a snippet of a backdrop and promising story ahead. And of course, there isn’t anyone who can’t relate to problems and/or tragedies. I wondered how it would weave in and the author does a grand job of that without spoiling the overall plot.
Violets family, being upper crust show their colors right away as does Violet- struggling as a young women troubled by the constraints of her culture and her desires to be true to herself. Strong-willed and intelligent, the classes for women at botanical schools impel her forward into a future she never dreamed possible for herself.
I like how the story develops a twist from her on. The culture in Nepal and the botanical connection was a surprise for me which kept me interested.
I also love how F. Valpy ties it all together at the end - or is it a commencement?
I even listened to all the credits. I recommend any of Fiona Valpys’ novels.

well researched story

warm story of hope and challenges faced by a likable heroine. A book that made me want to visit Nepal.

Strange cadence from narrator

I absolutely fell in love with the story and was so sad to see it end. I'd say it's probably my favorite Fiona Valpy book. I had a problem with the main narrator though, her cadence seemed off and there were some weird pauses. I had to speed up the narration to make it more bearable. She sounded robotic at some points.