A Storm of Infinite Beauty begins with a bang – pretty much literally.
Did you know that there was a massive earthquake and ensuing tsunami in the 1960s that decimated a portion of the Alaskan coastline? Because I had no idea this happened until I read Julianne MacLean’s detailed and deeply researched women’s fiction novel set in Valdez, Alaska.
What’s A Storm of Infinite Beauty about?
A Storm of infinite Beauty is a dual timeline novel that follows young and unwed mother-to-be Valerie, who’s shipped off to 1960s Alaska by her family until her baby is born, and Gwen, the relatively present-day curator of a museum for the legendary Scarlett Fontaine – who, we quickly find out, went by the name “Valerie” before she became famous. Both Valerie and Gwen are on literal and figurative journeys to find themselves in a land surrounded by glaciers and snow, discovering the meaning of love and family along the way.
This novel is also about the Valdez, Alaska earthquake that hit the remote coastal town in 1964. Valerie’s life is shaped by this earthquake in ways that Gwen can only imagine as she begins to investigate Scarlett Fontaine’s secret past.
What I loved about A Storm of Infinite Beauty
My favorite part of A Storm of Infinite Beauty was the very beginning of the novel, when we first meet Valerie just as the devastating earthquake hits. MacLean’s writing here is excellent, bringing to life the magnitude of the catastrophe and how it affected the town and the unsuspecting people whose lives ended that day.
I’m a bit of a natural disaster junkie, so this powerful kick-off had me completely hooked. Overall, I think MacLean’s strongest storytelling occurs anytime the earthquake and tsunami are brought up, particularly later in the novel. These were probably the only parts where I felt truly riveted by the story.
Unfortunately, the rest of A Storm of Infinite Beauty is kind of…bland? Tepid? Maybe a little predictable. I kept reading, but I wasn’t riveted to the page. A lot of the dialogue and interactions between characters is typical for the situations they find themselves in, and that meant that I couldn’t get deeply invested in either Valerie’s or Gwen’s timelines. There are a lot of characters and a few love triangles that could keep things interesting, but nothing about anything of them really stood out to me.
I also expected A Storm of Infinite Beauty to have more immersive descriptions of the Alaskan wilderness. The mere mention of Alaska conjures up all those hygge vibes I love so much, and I really hoping to be entranced by snowy, icy beauty. While MacLean narrates how glaciers calve, how majestic the scenery is, and how cold the weather in Valdez is, the writing didn’t suck me into the setting the way I’d hoped.
Should you read A Storm of Infinite Beauty?
You should read A Storm of Infinite Beauty if you’re looking for a nice story about chaste romance, family secrets and drama, and finding love and healing in unexpected places. Warning: motherhood plays a huge part in this novel, so if you’re a grieving parent, you could be trigged by both Gwen and Valerie’s storylines.
A Storm of Infinite Beauty is billed as being perfect for fans of The Great Alone and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I’ve never read anything by Kristin Hannah, but I think comparing MacLean’s novel to Evelyn Hugo sets certain expectations that just aren’t met.
If you’re a wilderness and/or hygge junkie who’s lured in by the promise of an Alaskan setting, I think you’ll be a little disappointed with A Storm of Infinite Beauty. Instead, I’d point you to Dante Medema’s books The Truth Project and Message Not Found, both of which I’ll get around to reviewing one day.
A Storm of Infinite Beauty by Julianne MacLean will be available for sale on September 12, 2023 from Lake Union Publishing. Although I received a complimentary advance copy of this book from BookSparks, all opinions expressed in this review are my own, and I was not compensated in any way for this review or for any other promotion/publicity I’ve done related to this book.
