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nikki1211's review against another edition
5.0
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for my honest review.
What an utterly delightful read with a main character, Paul, whom you will fall in love with. Even during some of the sadder points in the story, you can't help but see how these events shaped Paul and the memories he held so fondly.
The book tells the story of a boy as he grows into a man and his relationships with his family, friends and wife over the course of his life. At a young age he is different from the rest, more empathetic and a dreamer who always sees the good of things, and often ridiculed by the people he craves recognition from for it.
As a young boy his life is spared by a solider whom he makes a promise to, and throughout the course of the book his experiences and stories with the other characters lead him through his attempts at keeping this promise.
The first chapter describing his birth sets the tone for the book and the author wrote it in such a beautiful way that you can't help but keep reading.
My favorite passage from the book:
"He understood from an early age that we all carry good and evil within us, like two suitcases which we fill as we please....humanity is built upon a strange contradiction that manipulates us from the shadows. He preferred to nurture the light rather than seek refuge in the darkness."
What an utterly delightful read with a main character, Paul, whom you will fall in love with. Even during some of the sadder points in the story, you can't help but see how these events shaped Paul and the memories he held so fondly.
The book tells the story of a boy as he grows into a man and his relationships with his family, friends and wife over the course of his life. At a young age he is different from the rest, more empathetic and a dreamer who always sees the good of things, and often ridiculed by the people he craves recognition from for it.
As a young boy his life is spared by a solider whom he makes a promise to, and throughout the course of the book his experiences and stories with the other characters lead him through his attempts at keeping this promise.
The first chapter describing his birth sets the tone for the book and the author wrote it in such a beautiful way that you can't help but keep reading.
My favorite passage from the book:
"He understood from an early age that we all carry good and evil within us, like two suitcases which we fill as we please....humanity is built upon a strange contradiction that manipulates us from the shadows. He preferred to nurture the light rather than seek refuge in the darkness."
xshann23's review
3.0
Eh
It was an interesting enough story, but the point got buried in excessive metaphors. It just seemed to drag on and on and the loose ends tied up without much thought.
It was an interesting enough story, but the point got buried in excessive metaphors. It just seemed to drag on and on and the loose ends tied up without much thought.
thearosemary's review against another edition
4.0
SEASONS OF THE MOON was one of those books that had me captivated by the first few chapters with its rich setting and intricate detail of emotions. I find most novels that have been translated from another language are often, well, lost in translation. But with SEASONS OF THE MOON, I found myself flying through the pages and getting lost in the story.
One thing this novel addressed throughout the entire story was the inequality of how men and women were treated. Women were not meant to have opinions or take part in anything serious. Men were not meant to be sensitive and kind, nothing more than soldiers made to kill.
I think Aranda did a wonderful job of discussing these topics, which are still relevant in our day. Men and women should be allowed to do and feel the same things.
Typically, when it comes to this time frame, I haven’t read about many male characters that are kind and sensitive (which is understandable with everything going on), so Paul was a breath of fresh air. He was a dreamer, always looking up to the moon, so full of hope despite the darkness of the world. And he actually acknowledged the inequality several times throughout the novel.
For my full review of this heartfelt historical fiction, click here: https://taylormaemarie.com/2017/09/15/book-review-seasons-of-the-moon-bu-julian-aranda/
That is how I grew up, amid a whirlpool of emotions nipped in the bud, suppressed, without realizing that one day all the corpses at the bottom of the river would float to the surface.
One thing this novel addressed throughout the entire story was the inequality of how men and women were treated. Women were not meant to have opinions or take part in anything serious. Men were not meant to be sensitive and kind, nothing more than soldiers made to kill.
Women didn’t have much of a choice in those days. They were born, grew up helping their mothers, got married, had children, took care of the household tasks, then died, worn out by domestic chores. No emancipation or liberty; men determined everything. Only a few, more resilient women managed to succeed I’m this battle between the sexes.
I think Aranda did a wonderful job of discussing these topics, which are still relevant in our day. Men and women should be allowed to do and feel the same things.
Typically, when it comes to this time frame, I haven’t read about many male characters that are kind and sensitive (which is understandable with everything going on), so Paul was a breath of fresh air. He was a dreamer, always looking up to the moon, so full of hope despite the darkness of the world. And he actually acknowledged the inequality several times throughout the novel.
War is nothing but the bloody projection of a pained soul lashing out. Because when everything is going wrong, it’s easier to hate than to love, easier to pick up a weapon than to open one’s arms.
For my full review of this heartfelt historical fiction, click here: https://taylormaemarie.com/2017/09/15/book-review-seasons-of-the-moon-bu-julian-aranda/
writingwwolves's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed the first half of this book but the second half fell short; a lot of it felt like gap filling just so the story could get to the end. The story wasn't what I was expecting & that's kinda sad; but the writing itself was poetic & beautiful in its way.
You can read my extended review here: https://writingwolves.wordpress.com/?p=5345
You can read my extended review here: https://writingwolves.wordpress.com/?p=5345
anjana's review against another edition
4.0
https://superfluousreading.wordpress.com/2017/08/30/seasons-of-the-moon-by-julien-aranda
shannon_magee's review
2.0
I was pretty excited to start this book. Some parts of it just sounded too good to miss. I'm here for a character that loves the moon and the ocean because, same. And the adventures Paul experiences could have been very interesting. But I could not get over the tone of the narration. And this may just have been something that was lost in translation, but a lot of it went back to that tired old creative writing workshop advice: there was a lot of telling and I'd prefer to have been *shown* some things. For instance, Paul keeps telling us how much he loves Mathilde, claims theirs is a great and beautiful love story. But why? What's her personality? We don't really get to know the characters for themselves, just the tiny adjectives Paul uses for them, so they wound up feeling really flat to me. Added to that, Paul's tone throughout seems so self-righteous. Even when he does things that are wrong and will hurt other people, he's somehow in the right. I didn't see Paul's flaws in action and the consequences of his actions (unless you count with his father, which I don't because Paul casts his father as the villain for the bulk of the story). Somehow, Paul is never in the wrong, never seems to admit a real mistake that forces him to undergo some earned pain and he doesn't grow as a consequence of his choices. His mindset never seems to be challenged, in a way that makes him doubt himself and question things and really change. And isn't learning through those doubts or overcoming them a part of living too? So Paul didn't seem as realistic and believable to me, because he didn't seem to really recognize his own flaws. And we're getting this story from him, in this state of constantly being on the moral high ground, which made the so-called "profound" observations sound preachy, adding to the frustration for me. Where was the tension? Where was the struggle and arguments between the characters? Show me the humanity of these characters so I can take a vested interest in these people! Otherwise, they feel as hollow as fairy tale characters preaching to the choir without feeling, without empathizing. The story was pretty, but with more substance it could have been beautiful.
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