Emotional, poignant historical fiction about a mother's love and fears, about friendship and family, with wonderful character development.

Thank you NetGalley for providing this book in exchange for an honest review. This was a powerful novel that makes you look at life and want to be a better person. I used to be a teacher so books about teachers impacting students lives always have a special place in my heart.




T

When I received this book I didn’t read it right away because I knew I had to prepare myself for some serious feelings. I was immediately sucked into the story and I fell in love with the characters when I finally did start reading it. All the preparing I did didn’t prevent me from bawling at the end and having my husband ask me what was wrong. She really knows how to make characters relatable and have you fall head over heels for them. This is a book you need to read but have your tissues ready because you’ll need them! Such a good book!

A young teacher, a retired ballerina, a boy with a debilitating heart condition find out what's really important in life. Maggie is a 2nd year teacher who is asked to tutor a boy who is too sick to attend school. When she meets Yuri and his family, she learns what it means to take charge of your life and live it to its fullest.

Richman's story incorporates educational theory, historical facts about Chernobyl, and details about Yankees' baseball to tell a story filled with emotion and heart. I was surprised to learn that Richman is not a teacher since she depicts the life of a teacher so accurately, including the details about literary circles & journaling. Although the story could have descended into maudlin sentimentality, it skirts the edge deftly. Yes, it's somewhat predictable and, yes, it could make a passable Hallmark Channel movie, but there are enough moments that surprised and delighted me, I didn't mind. The sweet growing romance between Maggie and the band teacher was particularly well done, and the message that one should live life to its fullest is important. This is not the best book I've read, but certainly entertaining and worthwhile and I learned something about the accident at Chernobyl as well. Isn't that what good fiction is supposed to do? Touch your heart and teach you something? Thanks, NetGalley. Sorry I waited so long to read it.

This story is told from two perspectives. The story of Maggie, a teacher, and the story of Sasha and Katya, Ukrainian immigrants. Sasha and Katya must leave Kiev after a disaster and they have a son, Yuri, who is born with a hear defect. Their stories intersect when Maggie begins tutoring Yuri because he is homebound. As a teacher, I enjoyed this story and the way that Maggie encouraged Yuri in his school work.

I thought the book was good and the historical facts were interesting. Unfortunately, I was not able to connect to Maggie which made the book a bit of a struggle for me. The other characters were lovely and very enjoyable

I don't think there was supposed to be anything unexpected in this book. It is a feel good melodramatic story about an unfailingly cheerful teacher who is tasked with tutoring a child with a heart condition that prevents him from living a normal life.

This is the perfect book to give to a Teacher who has made a difference in your life. The story really stayed with me after it ended.

Very moving, heartbreaking and touching story. I would highly recommend for book club. Kind of predictable but very sweet story.

I really enjoyed the story even though it was predictable and had me choked up in all the likely places. But the story flowed nicely and it just shows you that an invested teacher can impact a student, a classroom and a family.

Storyline/Overview - The story is about Yuri, who is diagnosed by a rare health condition and isolated from all other children and his tutor Maggie.

My opinion -
Yuri has a rare health condition and he cannot do the things normal kids can.
Maggie, a dedicated and loving teacher decides to tutor Yuri at home. As the bond between the teacher and student develops, she realizes that there is so much to learn from Yuri’s curiosity and life in general. She ends up making some changes in her personal life for good.
Teachers are an epitome of love, kindness, and ones having the best interests for children in their life. This book is a nice tribute to their selfless nature. The story displays the other side of the coin and showcases how a teacher can learn from a student’s life as well.
The parallel stories about Yuri’s parents and Maggie’s personal life are very heartwarming as well.
I felt the story was a bit slow at the start but then I was hooked to the plot once I was interested to know more about the characters.
The end reveals the name of the book and a very nice concept related to clouds and families.
Overall, It was a very uplifting, emotional and inspiring book. I loved all the characters and was invested in them.

Conclusion - This novel teaches so much about kindness, love and giving without expecting. This book is also a tribute to teachers and a very emotionally resonant piece in today’s world.

I absolutely loved The Secret of Clouds from the very beginning to the very end.

As a retired teacher, I love stories of teachers and the special students that totally touch your heart. You usually have a few in your career, those students that change your life as much as you change theirs.

The story is told through the eyes of Maggie Topper a 6th grade English teacher. She is given the assignment to tutor Yuri, a boy whose health problems keep him from attending school. When she goes to his house, she meets Yuri and his parents, Sasha and Katya.

Sasha and Katya have their own story to tell and we read about their lives and how they came to the United States. Katya was an aspiring ballerina and Sasha was a scientist in their native Kiev. After the Chernobyl accident, they move to the United States.

So, it’s kind of two stories going on, the story of Yuri’s parents and the story of the relationship between Maggie and Yuri. Maggie comes to care so much for Yuri and wants him to live the best life possible. When they bond over baseball, she enlists the help of another one of her students, Finn.

As I said, I loved this book. It reminded me of why I became a teacher. As a parent, I sympathized and could only imagine the heartache of Sasha and Katya as they tried to raise their boy the best they could. Sometimes predictable, but in a very good way.

I received an ARC of this book.

I wasn’t sure I would like this book. I had never read anything by Ms Richman but the description made me want to try it. Well I fell in love with Yuri. His strength and outlook on life were amazing. And how could you not love a boy who loved baseball? I was so happy when Maggie introduced Yuri and Finn. It was just what he needed. I don’t want to give anything away but I will definitely be recommending this book.

lLet me tell you a secret. A unique kind of person exists in this world, one who radiates light even through a curtain of darkness. As a teacher, I've seen everything in eyes staring back at me: the child who hates school and wishes to be outside; the one who aims only to please; the glassy, sleepy eyed child;and the one who' perpetually lost in a daydream. But there are those rare moments when a student sits before you and you immediately are certain-and you can't know why, it's just a feeling in your bones-that they are different. This child is not be confused with the student who's the most ambitious, or the one who is naturally strong at taking tests. No this child, the one you sense is extraordinary is the one who returns everything you give and more. He or she becomes your beacon, as every word you utter in the classroom suddenly has a destination. It's as if you are teaching their light. The thrill of teaching children is that they don't edit themselves, like adults do. Truth can be found in every classroom, and I savored that purity like a refreshing glass of water. I wanted to be the teacher who read passages out loud to my students, like my own English teacher had done when I was in sixth grade, so we could all hear the music in the words. Deep down, I believed a story could change us, and that if we read it deeply enough, a good book could transform our souls.

This. got. me. from the first few sentences as you are introduced to our heroine and believe most teachers are heroes but this one reminded me of my own children's teachers. One teacher told my 5 year old daughter that she was like a butterfly. That she found something special in my daughter and that was she wanted to learn. My eldest daughter's teacher Mrs. Mattis is a teacher that I am fond of as she took special interest in my daughter and made learning fun. I think this book connects you because we all can remember a teacher, a student, a book and that is the prose of this book.

Maggie an upcoming sixth grade teachers whose idealistic approach to teaching and learning is excited to start her new year. She has some plans for her new class to get to know them, introduce to them to some new books and give them a love of learning. Maggie's principal approaches her on the first day of class about tutoring a stay at home student named Yuri. He is suffering from a heart defect that could easily kill him if he would get sick. In Maggie's own childhood, she had a friend that had died and before she died stayed home looking out the window as other students went to school. She is haunted by her friends face as she watches other students go to school and she stayed at home. When asked to do this tutoring job, those feelings and emotions come back. Seeking guidance from her Italian mother and her retired father. A man whose love for music shaped Maggie's child now makes his own violins. A craftsman who lovingly and with patience makes each piece. His character displays his passion. Her parents remind her of her own worth and she realizes that she is made to take to walk alongside Yuri in learning. As always, it is usually the other who learns the most. Yuri had that way with people.

In meeting Yuri, she must find common ground for him to participate in his own learning. She finds that special common ground that brings them together. The common ground that puts a light in Yuri's eye to learn and see life as a possibility and not a death sentence.

The narration goes back forth on Yuri's family as they are Russian and have their own unique background that adds so much to Yuri's life and quite honestly to the life of this book. His mother Katya was a devoted ballerina and his father Sasha a scientist. The reason why they left Russia and what may have caused Yuri's condition. Their heartbreaking story of love, blame and hope all rolled into this family as they so much want the world for their son but knowing the world can kill him at any time. How Maggie earns trust with this family that in turn what they experience few people ever do. Life. What a well lived life means when all that really matters is always in front of you.

Highly recommend and be prepared to cry, cheer, see love and life differently. It will transform your soul knowing the secret of the clouds

A Special Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

Named One of the Best 2019 Winter Books by PopSugar! 
Do you remember a teacher you had in grade school, high school or college that changed your life, or your perspective on life? In Alyson Richman's, novel, THE SECRET of CLOUDS (BerkleyPublishingGroup) several lives are changed by a passionate and dedicated teacher, Maggie Topper, as well as her own.

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….

THE SECRET of CLOUDS is a story about family, heartbreak, healing and hope. Each of us are challenged with the task of looking at our own lives and reminds us never to take a day for granted.

A wonderful heartfelt story on how an English tutor and her student bond and learn life lessons from each other. A good book club selection as many discussion points can be addressed. I can’t wait for more like this from Alyson Richman.

I liked parts of this story. There are two couples who come together through the young boy Yuri. He was born with a heart defect that his parents, Katya and Sasha think has to do with the nuclear reactor accident in Chernobyl before they moved to the United States. The second couple is Maggie and her boyfriend Bill (minor character). Maggie is a teacher and agrees to Tutor Yuri at home. The story doesn't have any surprises, it pretty much plods along like you would expect. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Secret of Clouds is a powerful novel that I knew was going to have me in tears at points, but the journey was so fulfilling that I could not put the book down.

Maggie teaches 6th grade English and is preparing for the school year when the principal calls her into the office to ask her to tutor a young boy who is undergoing some health issues. Maggie initially is resistant to the idea due to a situation from her past that she hasn't quite moved past but she agrees to tutor young Yuri at his home. As their path together evolves throughout the school year, we are also provided glimpses into Yuri's parents past life in Ukraine and the role Chernobyl played as well.

The Secret of Clouds is one of those novels that I will be thinking about for some time to come. It is quite simply a beautifully written book that I didn't want to step away from. To me, it is a testament of how we all impact each other's lives in ways both large and small. It's also a tribute to the importance of the relationships between teachers and students.

This was a very strong four star read for me and I highly recommend it. I received this book courtesy of Berkley Publishing Group through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

THE SECRET OF CLOUDS by Alyson Richman is, in her words, "first and foremost a love letter to all the teachers I've had in my life who contributed to making me the writer I am today." The main character is Maggie, a young teacher who tutors a homebound and sensitive student, Yuri. Maggie talks about her own passion for teaching: "the thrill of teaching children is that they don't edit themselves, like adults do. ... Deep down I believed that a story could change us, and that if we read it deeply enough, a good book could transform our souls." She later remarks, "I looked for clues in every one of my students' work. ... What I believed more than anything was that having something in your life that you loved deeply sustained you." And Maggie and Yuri bond over his love of baseball. In fact, this book speaks quite a bit about love – like "food is love" when Maggie and her Mom reflect on the family traditions and stories. Another example is Yuri's parents, Katya and Sasha, who "loved him with so much ferocity that it sometimes felt like a sharp shooting pain in his [Sasha's] heart." Overall, THE SECRET OF CLOUDS is a gentle read, quietly underlining the impact which students and teachers can have on each other.

Recently I finished reading Alyson Richman’s recently published novel, The Secret Of Clouds. I read hundreds of books each year—I am a librarian and a reviewer—and I live to inspire people to discover what a joy reading books is and how they can change your life—your heart as well as your brain. And I have to say this book is one of the best I have read in a long time. Wow!

It is the first novel by this author I have ever read. And it certainly won’t be the last.

If I look at the book through the eyes of an English teacher—which I was—the book is beautifully written and constructed from beginning to end. But it is the theme and the characters of the book that steal your heart.

One of the main characters of the book—Yuri, an 11-year-old-boy—is an immigrant to America along with his parents. Yuri has a defective heart, because his parents lived near Chernobyl in 1986 when that nuclear disaster occurred. Yuri is too weak to attend regular school, so another of the other main characters of the book, an idealistic young teacher named Maggie from Long Island, is assigned to visit his home and tutor him. The novel is developed through the eyes of Yuri and his family, and Maggie and her family.

Yuri will steal your heart. Despite being confined to his home and the fact that he suffers from ill health—the worst of circumstances—Yuri finds hope and wisdom in the world around himself and brings inspiration and comfort to others through his wise words.

Here is the publisher’s synopsis about the book:

“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….
 
A novel that will make readers examine what it means to live life with a full heart.”

I LOVED the quote the author chose to cite at the beginning of the book:
“Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold. —Zelda Fitzgerald”

Here is an excerpt from the book from the viewpoint of the teacher Maggie:

“In the fall of 1999, I met Yuri, a student who one day would teach me lessons I could never have learned in school. I was young, just two years out of Columbia Teachers College. I had abandoned my first job after graduation as a personal assistant at a well-respected New York City PR firm, where my days had been so demoralizing and brain-sucking that I often thought eating glass might be less painful than spending twelve hours tending to my boss’s Godzilla-like needs. Hoping to switch into something that could restore my faith in humanity and also give my life purpose, I followed my mother’s suggestion and went back to school for a degree in teaching.

To be honest, I became nearly evangelical in my passion for teaching after I switched careers. The thrill of teaching children is that they don’t edit themselves, like adults do. Truth can be found in every classroom, and I savored that purity like a refreshing glass of water. I wanted to be the teacher who read passages out loud to my students, like my own English teacher had done when I was in sixth grade, so we could all hear the music in the words. Deep down, I believed a story could change us, and that if we read it deeply enough, a good book could transform our souls.”

Another excerpt from Maggie’s viewpoint that I loved:

“I looked for clues in every one of my students’ work. A single sentence could illuminate if something was going on in their families, or shed light on a hidden anxiety. The best, however, was when it revealed a passion for something. I didn’t care if it was music or baseball. What I believed more than anything was that having something in your life that you loved deeply sustained you.”

A passage that gives you a glimpse of Yuri and Ms. Topper ( Maggie) together:

““Okay, now that we’re done with our snack, let me ask you. Did you have fun with the latest writing assignment?”

Hoping to ignite my students’ curiosity, I had instructed them to write about something they experienced in their life that had made them “wonder.” I was excited to hear what Yuri had written.

He wrinkled his brow. “Actually, I did. It took me a while to decide what I was going to write about. But then after I let my mind wander a bit, it came to me.”

“So you managed to get over your writer’s block. That’s great, Yuri.”

“Yeah, the strange thing is, Ms. Topper, I never liked writing before. But now I notice I feel a lot better after I do it.”

“Well, that’s really good news. You know what to say to make your teacher happy.”

“I said it because it’s true, not to make you happy,” he answered flatly.

I felt my face warm at his words. Again, I heard Suzie’s voice in my head. Kids know when you’re trying too hard. Yuri didn’t want me to always be chirpy and full of positivity. I was sensing he wanted someone he could be real with, and not have to censor his thoughts or emotions. I took a few seconds to find my composure and give Yuri what he wanted. He wanted me to be honest with him.

“Well, truth is important in writing,” I said slowly. “Pursuing it is the essence of why writers write and artists create. Michelangelo used his chisels to release a figure he believed was buried inside a block of marble. Monet used impressionistic brushstrokes to evoke atmosphere and light. Both of them were searching for ways to reveal something you didn’t see clearly at first glance.”

Yuri’s eyes flickered. He was listening to everything I was saying, and I could feel it.

“Writers use words in that same way. They are searching to find meaning in a world that’s often difficult and confusing. They pursue truth by questioning what’s around them.” I paused for a moment before continuing. “Am I making any sense?”

Yuri smiled. “Yeah, a lot.”

“Good. I’m relieved.” It was strange how quickly one could sense when they were floundering with a student. It felt good to know that I was getting through to him now.

“Sometimes the blank page is scary, Ms. Topper, and I don’t know how I’m going to fill it. But then I just close my eyes and write what I feel.”

“That’s the beauty of it, Yuri. When you surrender yourself to the process and just start putting the truth down on paper.” Yuri nodded.”

One last excerpt from an interview with the author at the end of the book:

“Interview with Alyson Richman:

1. In the past you’ve always written historical novels. What inspired you to a write a more contemporary story? What themes did you know you wanted to explore?

The Secret of Clouds is indeed my first contemporary novel, but I didn’t consciously set out to write a more modern-day story. Instead, the material actually found me. Just like with my earlier novels, the book was inspired by a true-life story that haunted me and that I couldn’t shake from my mind. A dear friend of mine, who is an elementary school teacher, told me about a letter she had kept for several years as part of an old class assignment. The letter, which was written by a sick child who later tragically died, was inadvertently mailed back to the girl’s parents before my friend had had a chance to alert them that it was on its way. I felt that so much of that story warranted further exploration: the dedication and passion of an educator; the unique relationship between a teacher and a bright and curious yet physically weakened and isolated child; and the unforeseen comfort that a piece of paper—written in the since-departed child’s hand—would later bring to all who had known her.

Because all of my prior novels did weave in a historical theme, I again wanted to create a backstory of a part of history that I felt needed to be explored more in contemporary literature. When my son was an infant, his first babysitter was a former nurse from Ukraine, who shared with me her stories of the accident at the nearby Chernobyl nuclear plant. I would never forget her describing how, for three days, no one knew about the accident, so they were all outside sunning themselves in the unseasonably hot weather and bathing in the now unusually warm waters of the local river. Babies were soon born with rare cancers and heart defects akin to what my character Yuri had. Countless health problems related to the radiation leak still plague the Ukrainian population. I wanted to illuminate this trauma in my novel, and fusing these two stories of the letter and of Chernobyl was the perfect way for me to accomplish exploring the themes that were important to me.”

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book and thank its publisher Berkley and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader’s Copy of the novel and for allowing me to review it.