Helpful Score: 24
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.
Helpful Score: 21
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.
Helpful Score: 20
The beginning confession grabbed me, but it was a slow read after that. I felt myself becoming as murky as the characters the more I read and was grateful for the end, though its not the clear or tidy conclusion I was hoping for. There are interesting parts to the book and I admit I kept going back to find out what happened, but it was more like slowing down to watch an accident or a fight in progress.....it's not necessarily that you want to look, yet at the same time you can't look away. Final analysis: The book is confusing, it jumps around often between memories and the present and it felt pretty damn depressing too. Not recommended.
Helpful Score: 17
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.
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.
Helpful Score: 15
I have enjoyed Alice Sebold's other 2 books and I enjoyed this one as well. Without giving too much information, I did finish it wishing to have clearer answers. More information about her father's life..and more of a closure at the end of the book. Let me say-this book will leave you wondering a few things. Thankfully, in this case, it left me pleased to wonder and not annoyed and cheated. Excellent book, but not as good as The Lovely Bones.
Helpful Score: 9
I finished this book because I never give up on a book, just in case what's worth reading comes at the very end. Well... it never came. The main character was missing a moral compass as a human being & pathetic in her thoughts & feelings for others, even for those who cared about her. She wouldn't have been a friend of mine. I'm happy to put this book back into the swap. Maybe someone else will benefit from it.
Helpful Score: 9
Her first novel, Lovely Bones, is one of the books in my favorite books list. So I couldn't wait to read this book. Well, I am very disappointed. It was a slow plot, I just couldn't get into the story or characters.
Helpful Score: 7
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.
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.
Helpful Score: 6
I have loved Alice Sebold's other two books, but found this one confusing, slow, depressing and with unlikeable characters.
It is interesting because the topics covered in her two other books (murder of a child and rape) are equally depressing, and yet the books do not come off as depressing themselves.
I would not recommend it.
It is interesting because the topics covered in her two other books (murder of a child and rape) are equally depressing, and yet the books do not come off as depressing themselves.
I would not recommend it.
Helpful Score: 5
Couldn't get past the first chapter. The author wasn't doing a bad job writing it, but the story was just too sad to even consider dealing with. I might pick it up again if I need to become severely depressed.
Helpful Score: 5
This book was good at first with the first sentence talking about killing her mom. From that point on it is not worth your time or effort to read this book. I thought that since The Lovley Bones was such an awesome book that this was likley to be riviting, but boy was a I wrong. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.
Helpful Score: 4
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.
Helpful Score: 4
This book was very slow, hard to get into. I was disappointed overall. I liked this authors first two books (Lucky, and Lovely Bones) not so much this one though.
Helpful Score: 4
So boring I couldn't even finish it. Very disappointing since I really liked "The Lovely Bones".
Helpful Score: 4
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.
Helpful Score: 3
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.....
Helpful Score: 3
Alice Sebold has a talent to draw in, yet thoroughly disgust her readers. Her stories are like a car crash that you just can't seem to pull your eyes away from. I managed to get through The Lovely Bones. However, this book just got too graphic for me and after the first few chapters I gave up, not wanting to retain the mental images she was creating for me. The preview for this book tried to make this about a mother/daughter relationship... obviously a very dysfunctional one! I think I am done with Alice Sebold novels.
Helpful Score: 3
Well, I went into this book with an open mind because I loved "Lucky" and "The Lovely Bones" but let me just say, this book was a BIG disappointment. I thought it was annoying and unrealistic and I really had to struggle to even finish it. Dumb.
Helpful Score: 3
It wasn't my favorite books of hers. It was a slow read and I couldn't wait to finish it.
Helpful Score: 3
If you like a "quick read", you won't like this book. There is no "tightly plotted action that pulls the narrative forward", and none of the central characters can be adequately described by three adjectives and a noun which tell you what the narrator and the larger world think about them. Sebold gives you the facts as they happen, and then loops back through history, so that your moral assessment and empathetic reactions evolve. The writing is not difficult; you can read all the words inside a few hours. But to do it justice, you will have to stop and think through your reactions to it after almost every chapter. Much of the significance of the story is not actually written down.
Distasteful or not, almost every note rings true throughout. Fifty years from now, this will be a minor classic of the western canon.
Distasteful or not, almost every note rings true throughout. Fifty years from now, this will be a minor classic of the western canon.
Helpful Score: 2
This book did not impress me. It seemed to almost but not quite, scratch the surface of characters and in parts was hard to follow. You never quite get a clear picture of the main characters life now. The author never quite makes clear what her intention is with the story - should we feel sorry for her? After reading this book, I think the main character has just as many issues as her parents but is not willing to admit it.
Helpful Score: 2
I didn't set out to compare this book to The Lovely Bones, because the stories are not similar at all. But, I really really really disliked this book. The protagonist Helen is unsympathetic, non-sensical, and never delves any deeper into her mother's problems. In fact, in almost 300 paged, it seems that the author never gets beyond "Mother crazy, Daughter kills her, Father stressed out." I was also insulted by the acknowledgements. The sense that there is an "inner santum" for Ms. Sebold absolutely excludes the reader. I don't expect a thank you for reading her book, but perhaps the end of your second novel is not the best place to suddenly start speaking in code.
Helpful Score: 2
A truly terrible read. As fine as her first book was, this one misses the boat. Tedious and annoying.
Helpful Score: 1
I must say, I'm a little disappointed...I LOVED Lovely Bones and Lucky. The first third of the book really drew me in; I couldn't put the book down. But from there, the story really seemed to wander. I don't want to give anything away, but I really wasn't satisfied with the ending. I guess I would say I liked the book, but if you loved the other two books--like I did--you might want to skip this one.
Helpful Score: 1
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.
Helpful Score: 1
After reading reviews here and on Amazon, I was fully prepared to DESPISE this book. Call it the masochist in me, but I like a challenge sometimes. This book gave no pain at all. A great read; engrossing, heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time. I found some parts a little creepy (The 'friend's son' incident) but it reads unpretentiously and satisfyingly. Sebold does a great job of making the reader feel the desperation of the main character without overdoing the suspense. Recommended!
Helpful Score: 1
This was the first Sebold book I've read, and I think introducing myself to her through this book was a terrible mistake. I thought her writing style was great, so I would give another book a chance, but I absolutely hated this story. I don't even know why I finished it...? I guess I was hoping it would get better, and it never did, really. Definitely not my cup of tea. As other reviewers said, I guess the story had to go the way it did with the elements of insanity involved, but i just didn't like it.
Helpful Score: 1
I did not like this book at all. It was not in the same class as, The Lovely Bones,very dissapointing and depressing.
Helpful Score: 1
I have to admit that I really did NOT like any part this book. It was creepy and strange and convoluted...and I wondered if ANYone would like it. But, there are many reviews that show that people liked it, so it just goes to show you that one man's "thumbs down!" is another's "thumbs up!"
Helpful Score: 1
The Lovely Bones by Sebold is my favorite book. I had long awaited her new book and bought it the day it came out. It is the biggest disappointment of my literary life. Dreary and dull. I felt guily mailing it to the requesting member.
Helpful Score: 1
Like her other books, this starts off with a "kick-your-teeth-in" incident.The narrator then proceeds to careen out of control until the unsatisfying ending. This wasn't really a bad book--I did, after all, finish it--but it didn't live up to "The Lovely Bones". She can do better.
Helpful Score: 1
Waste of time. All I kept thinking throughout this book is "Why am I reading this?". This could have been a great story but was ruined by the main characters morbid & disturbing thoughts. The beginning was hard to get through. Then just when it was getting good, she would throw in some random morbid thought that made you just want to put the book down in frustration. I only finished this book because it was short. And yes the ending was just as disappointing. Sebold was way off the mark with this one.
Helpful Score: 1
I enjoyed her first two books, but did not care for this book, I thought it was very strange, and had a hard time finishing it. The ending was terrible, this book was a big disappointment.
Helpful Score: 1
After having read The Lovely Bones and having enjoyed that book, I was disappointed by The Almost Moon. It sometimes seemed to drag and just failed to intrigue me overall. And the end was a big disappointment.
Helpful Score: 1
A good read, but somewhat unrealistic. The family dynamics are very interesting and worth the read.
Helpful Score: 1
I read reviews before I got this book. I thought maybe those people are just harder to please than I am...nope. This book is awful. I only finished it because I wanted to see how it ended. It was confusing (flashbacks with poor transitions) and it wasn't well written. Sebold had all sorts of plots, and it seemed she tried to find more and more ways to make you hate the main character. I suggest you don't waste your time on this one.
I really enjoyed Alice Sebold's first 2 books, Lucky and The Lovely Bones, but I have to say that I was very disappointed in this one. I found the book disturbing, and although her previous 2 books also had disturbing topics, the lead characters were likable. This was not the case with this book. I found it very hard to like the lead character. I felt this book was a let down after the first 2.
Helpful Score: 1
I was very hopeful that this story was going to be great because I really enjoyed Lovely Bones. The story skipped around and left me confused and frustrated. By the end of the story, I hated Helen and her entire family and couldn't wait to swap this book.
I found this book too difficult to get through.
Helpful Score: 1
After falling in love with Alice Sebold this book was disappointing.... I couldn't even finish reading it.... No nearly as good as Lucky and The Lovely bones....
Helpful Score: 1
I'm a Sebold fan, but this book was strange. Good plot, good story, but I had a hard time getting into the characters. I was absorbed by it, but when I finished, it just left me a little unsatisfied.
Helpful Score: 1
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.
Helpful Score: 1
A short and very easy read. The book is not for everyone. The subject matter is dark and at times you hate the narrator because she is so callous and so unlike what good people are supposed to be. If you can get past the human imperfection, it is a very honest, ugly tale of human weakness. I enjoyed the book very much, but I did wonder how much of the main character was the true nature of the author... It read kind of like Bukowski, another author many people hate.
Helpful Score: 1
I really liked this book. The story is both shocking and suspenseful. I found the book hard to put down, and it kept me up late at night reading. The only reason that I didn't give it 5 stars was because the ending of the book left too much for my own interpretation, and I wanted a solid "this is what happened" ending. Otherwise, excellent book!
Helpful Score: 1
I have loved all the other Sebold books but, this one is a little to crude for me. I decided not even to finish reading it.
Helpful Score: 1
An excellent read! I love how Helen is so obviously devoted to her mother, and at the same time resents her, wants nothing more than to be free of her. It's the perfect story of family obligation, taken to extremes. I could really feel how helpless Helen felt. Alice Sebold did an amazing job conveying the impression that life just rolls on ahead, and it's up to us to struggle to keep up and do what seems best at the time. It also has a lot of back and forth, flashbacks to parts of Helen's life, but since it's told from Helen's perspective, it fits in perfectly and isn't really hard to follow.
Helpful Score: 1
I have read Alice's other 2 books and really enjoyed then. Not so much this book. Gruesome story, plus really boring. While I hope author puts out more books, I hope they are better then this one.
I was unsettled by this book. The main character clearly has some issues that need to be addressed. The concept of this book and especially the ending just left me wanting more closure, it felt too open ended.
dark stirrings of the heart
i really could not get through this book.... after barely getting through half of it i decided to flip through the chapters so i could at least know how it ends. i found myself reading the book but not really remembering it.... just wasnt my cup of tea
Dark, intense, yet there seems to be a distance in the character while telling of her heinous crime and what follows; leaving us to wonder if it really was a crime. Alice Sebold''s writing is memorable, yet disturbing.
this book was not nearly as wonderful as Lovely Bones was. i went into it knowing that it wouldn't be, and i tried hard to like it, but it just didn't feel real to me. and as a person who works with dementia patients, i found the story and the main characters' actions insincere and somewhat offensive.
Amazing and riveting! VERY deep and emotional book. You will be appalled and amazed by this book at the very same time.
This is a very dark journey into insanity. I enjoyed "The Lovely Bones", but found reading this all the way through the equivalent of watching a horrible train wreck in slow motion and not being able to look away. It compels you to keep reading, despite how disturbing it is, to find out where it is going to lead, but it is not worth it. A very dark and disturbing book that left me feeling depressed and wishing I had never read it.
So many that review this book are disgusted with the fact that the main character kills her mother and they don't feel her reason was justified. I'm wondering if maybe they understood too well the love/hate realtionship and are afraid the story hit to close to home. Yes she kills her mom, partly because she loves her so much and does not want to subject her to fear, humiliation and discomfort. Party because her mother was a miserable mentally ill person whose illness deprived her of a childhood and father.
This book is not light or easy to read but it is well written and honest. If you read LUCKY I think the main chacater in this book will be easier to understand and forgivce.
This book is not light or easy to read but it is well written and honest. If you read LUCKY I think the main chacater in this book will be easier to understand and forgivce.
I know alot of people did not like this book but I found the characters interesting and complex. I guess the one think I could relate to was that my mother and I did not have a good relationship growing up. I loved and hated my mother at times. The book I think shows real emotions that effect us everyday and how we can make right choices or bad choices that will effect us the rest of our life. I actually felt sorry for Helen even after bad choice.
kind of hard to get into but good once you get going.
I love Alice Sebold but I must say I was very dissappointed in this book. I don't like the way she left you hanging at the end. Not my kind of book.
The story was very crazy and out there. It would have been a great story but it was hard to follow. The narrator jumps back and forth through through current and past memories and some of the actions just seemed a little to far-fetched for me.
Ugh. What a trash book. Read 23 pages * said that's it. Where do these authors come up with this ---- It's up there for grabs, but I don't recommend it at all.Really a sick mind to pen this story.
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.
This wasn't a bad read, but I just couldn't relate to the main character because she seemed so void of emotions. I can handle a character who isn't likeable, but one who seems to have no soul, no depth, no feeling just isn't my cup of tea. The story was interesting and unique and the ending unpredictable, all a nice change. I can see why it hasn't gotten great ratings, but it isn't the subject of the book that bothered me but the characters.
Very unique perspective; written from the point of view of a woman who murders her own mother. I find Alice Sebold a bit too edgy, but she seems to have a loyal following.
I just couldn't finish this book, the copy had wasn't a big financial investment so I didn't feel obligated to do so. I hate the topic of mother loss. I gave it three stars as I like Alice Sebold's writing style and stories of family dynamics. I also encourage readers who haven't read Sebold's personal story "Lucky" to do so.
I don't know what I yhink of this book. It's shocking and at the sametime amazing. Makes you think about how far do you have to be pushed to do something likes this or if you would even be capable of doing something like this.
I read this book in 3 days. Very good. From the same author as The Lovely Bones. I have read both and enjoyed both immensely!
Because I enjoyed The Lovely Bones so much, I couldn't wait to read this book by the same author. Was I ever disappointed. I tried very hard to read this book, but I finally had to quit about one-quarter of the way through. The story line, the constant flashbacks, just everything about the book was horrifying. If I had wanted to read horror, I would have chose a Stephen King book.
I did not like this book as well as others written by this author. I would give it 3 out of 5 stars.
This book is creepy, thought provoking, and mysterious, and will appeal to horror fans, philosophers, and mystery lovers in about equal measure. It explores the often conflicting emotions involved in romance, family life, the search for independence, and the struggle for truth and recognition of reality.
Gah, from the moment i read the over-inflated, self-aggrandizing cover blurb ("with a voice only Alice Sebold can bring to the page"--c'mon, you've written one "hit" novel, which itself wasn't too critically acclaimed. You certainly don't have an unparalleled voice in literature, much less writing.) I was biased toward this book. The slow, plodding, idiotic story and character's actions didn't do much to convince me I had been wrong. Skip it.
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?
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?
Have loved others of hers more, but worth reading
VERY VERY GOOD. A read in two sessions, I had to know what happened next.
This book was good. I am a big fan of Alice Sebold and this was just as good as I imagined it would be. However, the ending was just awful and left a lot to the imagination. It was almost as if Alice just stopped writing and left it.
Overall, good read!
Overall, good read!
Its AMAZING!!!! Its such a good book.. Loved it. Go out and BUY IT don't wait. Its totally worth it.
A wild twist to mother daughter relationships.
I didn't think this book was as good as "The Lovely Bones". It was ok and pretty quick reading.
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.
Read more of my review here: http://readersenchantment.blogspot.com/2010/03/almost-moon-by-alice-sebold.html
I did not like Helen, and this book will be traded shortly. But Sebold did keep me reading until the last page and thinking about the characters even after I closed the cover. For that reason, I'd say this was a successful novel. Sebold is, in my opinion, a fantastic author who is not afraid to write about the grittier side of life. We live in a world of chaos where bad things happen to good people, and she brings that realism into her novels. This book has only a 2.5 stars rating on Amazon and on PBS, but I'm giving it a 3.5. If you like books that make you think and examine life, then this is a recommended read for you.
I did not like Helen, and this book will be traded shortly. But Sebold did keep me reading until the last page and thinking about the characters even after I closed the cover. For that reason, I'd say this was a successful novel. Sebold is, in my opinion, a fantastic author who is not afraid to write about the grittier side of life. We live in a world of chaos where bad things happen to good people, and she brings that realism into her novels. This book has only a 2.5 stars rating on Amazon and on PBS, but I'm giving it a 3.5. If you like books that make you think and examine life, then this is a recommended read for you.
Very disappointing. I just didn't get it. This is a story about a woman who murders her mother and the mental illness in her family. I could't identify with the characters and didn't really care what happened.
Bizzare, wow and true to her writing style. Great read as are all of her books.
I liked this book, but it was not quite as good as The Lovely Bones.
This book was hard to read due to the subject matter but I'm glad that read it. It was excellent.
This disjointed tale starts off gangbusters but then disintegrates -- perhaps purposely, as a reflection of the disintegration of the main character.
Helen Knightly, after a lifetime consumed by an increasingly demanding and erratic mother, puts an end to the relationship by killing her. At first, it seems Sebold might be setting up for a murder-or-mercy-killing tale, but Helen's increasingly erratic actions after the fact, make it clear that's not where this story is going.
The problem, perhaps, is that this story really doesn't go anywhere except back and forth through Helen's past. By the final page, she seems to have made a decision, but if the preceding pages give any indication, she may change her mind again and again until someone else makes her decision for her.
Helen Knightly, after a lifetime consumed by an increasingly demanding and erratic mother, puts an end to the relationship by killing her. At first, it seems Sebold might be setting up for a murder-or-mercy-killing tale, but Helen's increasingly erratic actions after the fact, make it clear that's not where this story is going.
The problem, perhaps, is that this story really doesn't go anywhere except back and forth through Helen's past. By the final page, she seems to have made a decision, but if the preceding pages give any indication, she may change her mind again and again until someone else makes her decision for her.
I love the way Alice Sebold writes. She has a way of making dark and violent content very inviting. This is the third book of hers that I have just been unable to put down for any length of time. This one took me just two days to read. This book was fascinating and I would have given it 4 stars if only it wasn't left open-ended. I absolutely loathe the "it-could-end-any-number-of-ways-so-pick-your-favorite" endings; I've spent my time reading the book and I feel I'm entitled to an actual ending. Humph!
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.
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.
eh-- ended up being as twisted as it sounds, but not as dark (not sure if that is a good or bad thing)...
If you enjoyed reading, Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, you might enjoy reading this psychological drama.
Odd story. Very different read. If you read The Lovely Bones and liked it, you might like this book as well.
It was horrible. I stopped reading in half way in. It is nothing like her other books.
I could not get through this one. I really gave it my best shot but quickly became disgusted with the detailed descriptions. I do enjoy the occasional heart tearing novel, but this, I just couldn't do it.
Don't know when I've so thoroughly disliked a book. Weak plot, plastic & unbelievable characters, convoluted style, pretentiousness, easy-set-up situations, and boring activities - it really had it all. There are some nuggets of truth (well buried) and some deft turns of phrase which give one hope in the first third of the book. Then it appears even Sebold got bored & just continued the whine to fill pages. We get it instantly: gal has a mentally ill, reclusive, critical mother and a damaged and depressed dad. She has an unhappy childhood leading to an unsettled adult life. Her relationship abilities are nearly nil. How many of us deal with or observe others with these problems to a greater or lesser extent? Being unhappy isn't enough to hang a book on. Insofar as the 'action' it appears the author thought repeating, "The day I killed my mother...," every 6 to 7 chapters would keep readers awake. A waste of the author's talent and this reader's time.
This book has alot of twists and deep thinking.
Although this was a dark novel: it was another triumph by Alice Sebold. This book is a great account of how a woman who had been manipulated by her mother all her life finally is free: at least physically.
I really was impressed again by Sebold' storytelling ability!
I really was impressed again by Sebold' storytelling ability!
I loved The Lovely Bones and I purchased this book solely on that recommendation alone. I liked this book, but it was not the same type of book and in many ways I had a much harder time with it than the authors debut book.
As the reader, we know from the book jacket that Helen murders her mother but that fact was still a bit of a surprise to me. I think somehow I thought maybe it was just a metaphor, or somehow Helen was living in a fantasy world to an extent and performed this act there. Because this is a very real event in this book, it made the whole thing very difficult for me from the start.
To read the rest of my review, please visit my blog.
As the reader, we know from the book jacket that Helen murders her mother but that fact was still a bit of a surprise to me. I think somehow I thought maybe it was just a metaphor, or somehow Helen was living in a fantasy world to an extent and performed this act there. Because this is a very real event in this book, it made the whole thing very difficult for me from the start.
To read the rest of my review, please visit my blog.
Alice Sebold always comes through with great reads.
Good, but not as good as her other books. Intense at times, and it left me without a true ending.
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.
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.
Excellent.
It was ok. I read about one chapter and put it down. It didn't hold my attention like i'd hoped.
I great book !
Ohhhhh, this is not a good book. The main character kills her mother and then the story weaves back and forth in time, attempting to shed light on the justification of the matricide. The understanding never came, at least not for me. Disturbing, distasteful, a complete waste of my time. Not at all emotionally wrenching nor suspenseful (it is so unlike the haunting narrative found within "The Lovely Bones"). Just disgusting.
