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Search - The Almost Moon
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The Almost Moon Author: |
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Book Information
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Book Description:
With fierce intelligence and emotional intensity, Alice Sebold brings us a searing portrait of a mother-daughter bond that descends into murder.
Clair and Helen Knightly are a parent and child locked in a relationship so unrelenting that they have become the center of each other's worlds. But as this electrifying novel opens, Helen crosses a boundary she never thought she would approach. And while her act is almost unconscious, it somehow seems like the fulfillment of a lifetime's unspoken wishes.
Over the next twenty-four hours, Helen's life rushes in at her as she is forced to confront the choices that have brought her to this one riveting crossroad. As a woman who spent years trying to win the love of someone who had none to spare, she now faces an uncertain and dangerous freedom.
With her unflinching ability to confront the violence and danger that lurk beneath life's everyday surface, Sebold explores the complex ties within families, the meaning of devotion, and the thin line that separates us from our most haunting impulses. The Almost Moon is unforgettable, a raw and powerful story of passion and redemption written with the strength of voice that only Alice Sebold can bring to the page.
Clair and Helen Knightly are a parent and child locked in a relationship so unrelenting that they have become the center of each other's worlds. But as this electrifying novel opens, Helen crosses a boundary she never thought she would approach. And while her act is almost unconscious, it somehow seems like the fulfillment of a lifetime's unspoken wishes.
Over the next twenty-four hours, Helen's life rushes in at her as she is forced to confront the choices that have brought her to this one riveting crossroad. As a woman who spent years trying to win the love of someone who had none to spare, she now faces an uncertain and dangerous freedom.
With her unflinching ability to confront the violence and danger that lurk beneath life's everyday surface, Sebold explores the complex ties within families, the meaning of devotion, and the thin line that separates us from our most haunting impulses. The Almost Moon is unforgettable, a raw and powerful story of passion and redemption written with the strength of voice that only Alice Sebold can bring to the page.
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Top Member Book Reviews
Sharon N. (
22 member(s) found this review helpful.
Other reviews of this book have given it a very poor rating. I think mine will be about the same. With that said, however, I finished it within 2 long nights of reading. There is something about the way Alice Siebold manages to almost disgust the reader, but draw them in at the same time. The title is probably the best part of the book, and I love to think about how this is portrayed in my own life (I won't spoil the one best part for you). The topic of daughters and mothers *could* have been a great one, even killing one's own mother from the despair of seeing them fail in their old age. BUT, having a mother and a father who are insane before senility arrives is a bit of a stretch and tiresome at the same time. AND, Helen, the protagonist, goes about the cover-up in a ludicrous and insane manner as well. Most of all, the acknowledgements at the back of the book were an insult, somehow, to me. Almost as if there is an inside circle, working at pulling our leg - buying and "Alice Siebold" book again just because of her first acclaimed novel, Lovely Bones. Something I won't be so quick to do on the next one.
Corey B. (
17 member(s) found this review helpful.
After reading both Lucky and The Lovely Bones I fell in love with Sebold's ability to make her characters very real and human. The Almost Moon contains the same human elements but they are tangled in a web of madness. This is a novel about a woman growing up with parents who both suffer from mental illness and the effects that it has on her. The story jumps all around from present to past tense with little rhyme or reason and much of the impact of the story is lost in the time warp. Many things are never really resolved. I think that the majority of readers are going to be dissapointed with this novel when comparing it to her earlier works.
Melissa B. (
14 member(s) found this review helpful.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it to be a much better story, and a great deal more engrossing, than "The Lovely Bones". Also, my take on the parents is different than that of others who have written reviews here.
There is no doubt that the mother suffers from a mental illness. However, I do not believe the father also has a mental illness. My thought is that those who think this is the case have misunderstood the actual implications.
The actions of the father (and his inactions), in my opinion, simply illustrate what may inevitably result from living with someone who suffers from a mental illness. The sacrifices and adjustments made in order to placate someone like the mother in this tale would surely have serious effects on those around her. When this is considered, the narrative is, in fact, realistic.
This book was a great read, and I highly recommend it.
Jennifer W. (
9 member(s) found this review helpful.
I actually found this book a good read. I can't say it was enjoyable, because it's not that type of subject matter, but there were numerous times that I totally empathized (and sympathized) with the main character.
THE ALMOST MOON is no THE LOVELY BONES, and I don't believe it was meant to be. Some people are going to like the book, and others will hate it, but I think it was a good showing of Alice Sebold's range in fiction.
Wendy C. (
7 member(s) found this review helpful.
I just finished this book and was quite frustrated with it. I enjoyd Sebolds other books "The Lovely Bones" and "Lucky" but this one not so much.
It is a woman who is dealing with mental illness from both of her parents but growing up she does not really know what is wrong with them. In the book the daughter is completely out-of-control and goes to a very dark place.
I am not sure if Sebold wants you to feel bad for the main character or not. It is hard to describe how I feel about her but I certainly do not like that she has committed a horrible crime. Given her upbringing I am not really that surprised but it doesn't make me feel sorry for her either.
As others have said the book jumps back and forth to present and past and sometimes with no reason why. I am glad I read it but I am also glad to pass it along to someone else.
7 member(s) found this review helpful.
This book was very strange to understand as it hops back and forth from present to past constantly. The ending confused/frustrated me. I hope someone else can enjoy it.
5 member(s) found this review helpful.
This is a tough book to review. I didn't like it near as much as her first novel (lovely bones) or her second (lucky me). I will say, it is a very hard book to stop reading, to give up on. I was frustrated at times by the flash backs and flash forwards. I will promise you this: You will never read another book like this. It is a very raw, honest and masterfully told story. I'm glad I read it.
Glad Mrs. Sebold wrote it. I was caught up in the words and pages, what more do you want from the book in your hands?
Brandy S. (
5 member(s) found this review helpful.
I thought this book was okay. Not quite as good as Lucky or Lovely Bones, but similar. It is definitely not the Young Adult book that LB was. I found the lead character interesting...she is a nude model for a living. I also enjoyed that she was an older woman with middle aged children...I don't think the story could be the same if she were younger. The jumping around from past to present was a little hard to follow, but not bad. I'm not sure how I felt about the ending.....
Tiffany T. (
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
The book doesn't justify murder, but it explains a lifetime that led up to that one act. Explaining something doesn't mean you condone it. I was fascinated with this book, so I stuck with it till the end. It left me rather sad.
Lisa M. (
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
I was a little disappointed in that I loved The Lovely Bones so much, I guess I was expecting Alice Sebold's follow-up to be just as good. The story of a woman who kills her senile mother and what happens in the following 24 hours was still an enjoyable read, though. The book takes the reader back in time throughout the narrator's past to times that help the reader to understand how she got to this place in her life.
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Please Rate these Book Reviews
I was very disappointed when I read this book. I was surprised I even decided to go ahead and finish it. I loved the authors previous books and this one left me without a smile and I had to push to get through it.
It's about a woman who suffocates her mother that she's been taking care of--mentally ill mother, and now her mother is elderly and cannot take care of herself. The character in this book just seemed a little too far out there for me to connect with.
Julie G. (Bizzare, wow and true to her writing style. Great read as are all of her books.
Stacey C. (While I love Alice Sebold, this wasn't my favorite from her. It didn't "hook" me the way The Lovely Bones or Lukcy did. I did still enjoy her writing style in this book but found myself pretty angry at the way the book ended. If you like Sebold, it's worth your time to read, but if you haven't already gotten to know this author, don't use this book to do it. I highly recommend The Lovely Bones if you'd like to try her books.
This is a tough book to review. I didn't like it near as much as her first novel (lovely bones) or her second (lucky me). I will say, it is a very hard book to stop reading, to give up on. I was frustrated at times by the flash backs and flash forwards. I will promise you this: You will never read another book like this. It is a very raw, honest and masterfully told story. I'm glad I read it.
Glad Mrs. Sebold wrote it. I was caught up in the words and pages, what more do you want from the book in your hands?
A great read, even though the story is disturbing it was hard to put down. I enjoyed Sebold's other novel, The Lovely Bones, so I picked this up from the library.
I have read both of Alice Sebold's other books and liked them. This one, I thought was creepy. She writes so well about "crazy" that the reader gets really caught up in it. The book just left me feeling unsettled, probably because I think that the crime was justified.
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