Review: The Secret of Clouds by Alyson Richman

The Secret of Clouds

by Alyson Richman

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 384

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Katya, a rising ballerina, and Sasha, a graduate student, are young and in love when an unexpected tragedy befalls their native Kiev. Years later, after the couple has safely emigrated to America the consequences of this incident cause their son, Yuri, to be born with a rare health condition that isolates him from other children. Maggie, a passionate and dedicated teacher agrees to tutor Yuri at his home, even though she is haunted by her own painful childhood memories. As the two forge a deep and soulful connection, Yuri's boundless curiosity and unique wisdom inspires Maggie to make difficult changes in her own life. And she'll never realize just how strong Yuri has made her — until she needs that strength the most......


Kritters Thoughts:  What a fantastic story.  Katya and Sasha lived through the Chernobyl disaster and are now safely in the United States.  Most of the story takes place years after they moved and centers around their son who is living with a heart condition that has the ability to be fatal.  They are protective of their son which leads to Maggie a teacher coming to their home to tutor him to try to keep him up to speed.  Maggie will turn their world upside down in all the best ways.  

The big thing I loved about this book was the focus on teachers and the impact that teachers can make on children.  Maggie was not a perfect character, by no means.  She had things going on, but when she entered the classroom or Yuri's home she put it all aside and put the kids first and really wanted to teach them in the best way possible.  I really enjoyed reading about a teacher working and succeeding to inspire her pupils to learn to love to learn.  

I liked the few chapters that went back in time and place to when Katya and Sasha met and their lives before they moved and before they had their son.  It was great to get a glimpse into their lives that led them to where they were now and informed the decisions they were making for their family.   

This was just a solid story and I would recommend it to all sorts of readers.  


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Penguin Random House.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.