Book excerpt: When teenage hockey player Joe Andreson and his widowed mother move to Minneapolis, Joe falls under the seductive spell of Kristi Casey, Ole Bull High’s libidinous head cheerleader. Joe balances Kristi’s lustful manipulation with the down-to-earth companionship of his smart, platonic girlfriend, Darva. But it is Kristi who will prove to be a temptation (and torment) throughout Joe’s life. Years later, Joe can’t believe that life has deposited him in the aisles of Haugland Foods. But he soon learns that being a grocer is like being the mayor of a small town: His constituents confide astonishing things and always appreciate Joe’s generous dispensing of the milk of human kindness. The path Kristi has charged down, on the other hand, is as wild as Joe’s is tame. But who has really risked more? Who has lived more? And who is truly happy? As Joe discovers, sometimes people are lucky enough to be standing in the one place where the view of the world is breathtaking, if only they’ll open their eyes to all there is to see. Praise for The View from Mount Joy: “A delightful journey . . . full of humor and poignancy and the potential for joy in everyday life.” –The Charlotte Observer “Deeply satisfying . . . Bursting with the same deliciously deadpan dialogue that is now a Landvik trademark . . . [The View from Mount Joy provides] quite possibly Landvik’s most lovable character to date.” –Minneapolis Star Tribune “Pervaded by the same tenderness readers loved in Landvik’s other books The View from Mount Joy . . . Should inspire interesting book club discussions.” –St. Paul Pioneer Press “[Landvik] has an easy, engaging narrative style laced with humor.” –The Boston Globe “Landvik’s latest homespun homage is pure bliss.” –Booklist NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS