dscotti's review
5.0
I highly recommend this story, it was beautifully written and you will absolutely fall in love with the characters.
kblincoln's review
4.0
Jazz and Olivia Moon live in a small West Virginia town with their alcoholic father and their Slovak grandmother-baker who supports the family with her biscuits.
Of course it isn't that simple. Their mother may or may not have committed suicide. Olivia is a synesthete (a person who experiences senses different from the actual sensory input) and Jazz-- set up by their mother to be the fulfillment of her own wasted life-- is ditching college to work full time at a funeral home.
There are letters, and an aging delivery-bus, and a quest by Olivia to travel to the place her mother has been talking about all her life-- the Cranberry Glades. If Olivia can just get to the glades, and see a will-0-the-whisp, the way her mother wanted to feeling that it would inspire the ending of her years-long novel, then maybe Olivia can understand her mother's end as well.
On the way, they meet some train hoppers, one of whom, Hobbs, hides dark secrets underneath swirling blue and green facial tattoos.
The novel has all the elements of an Oprah Book Club tale just awash in beautiful imagery, wise sayings by Slovak grandmas, sibling relationships complicated by love and envy and disappointment, and a veritable swarm of meta-literary poetics attached to the significance of the mother's novel story, the letters she wrote to her estranged father, and the quest for the will-o-the-whisp.
Despite some of the emotional revelations and beautiful imagery feeling a bit ....not forced, exactly, but slightly hollower than usual because of a self-conscious trying possibly...it was a lovely read which delighted me with descriptions of West Virginia, interesting character development vis-a-vis Olivia's blind synesthesia, and train-hopping terms like 'bull' I'd never encountered before.
Of course it isn't that simple. Their mother may or may not have committed suicide. Olivia is a synesthete (a person who experiences senses different from the actual sensory input) and Jazz-- set up by their mother to be the fulfillment of her own wasted life-- is ditching college to work full time at a funeral home.
There are letters, and an aging delivery-bus, and a quest by Olivia to travel to the place her mother has been talking about all her life-- the Cranberry Glades. If Olivia can just get to the glades, and see a will-0-the-whisp, the way her mother wanted to feeling that it would inspire the ending of her years-long novel, then maybe Olivia can understand her mother's end as well.
On the way, they meet some train hoppers, one of whom, Hobbs, hides dark secrets underneath swirling blue and green facial tattoos.
The novel has all the elements of an Oprah Book Club tale just awash in beautiful imagery, wise sayings by Slovak grandmas, sibling relationships complicated by love and envy and disappointment, and a veritable swarm of meta-literary poetics attached to the significance of the mother's novel story, the letters she wrote to her estranged father, and the quest for the will-o-the-whisp.
Despite some of the emotional revelations and beautiful imagery feeling a bit ....not forced, exactly, but slightly hollower than usual because of a self-conscious trying possibly...it was a lovely read which delighted me with descriptions of West Virginia, interesting character development vis-a-vis Olivia's blind synesthesia, and train-hopping terms like 'bull' I'd never encountered before.
daleann's review
3.0
I don't get why this book is making so many "must read" list. It was OK, but I wouldn't put it on my 2014 best books list.
debbiecuddy's review
3.0
I liked the story, but I have two problems with the book. The first is that synesthesia is not a disease or disorder, merely a different way of sensing things. It is not the cause of mental illness or irrational behavior, as the author presented in this book. In fact most people don't even know they think about things differently until it is pointed out to them. The second issue I had was one of spelling. The name "Francis" was given as the middle name of one of the female characters and it should be "Frances". "Francis" is the spelling one would use for a male.
whitedaylilies's review
Just couldn’t get into the story…possibly just not in the moon for it but wasn’t intriguing enough to want to push through
kemilyh1988's review
3.0
I won this from somewhere, and it was great! I will probably read Walsh's other stuff when I get around to it . . .
thatmagicalbunyip's review
4.0
Mama and I talked about death sometimes. "What do you think it's like?" I'd ask. And she'd tell me the same thing every time. Her father believed there was a big tree on the other side of life. When you died, it was your job to find that tree. Maybe you had to journey to reach it, maybe it took a long time. But when you succeeded your whole family would be there waiting for you. Not just the people who already died, but everyone. Because time was immaterial on the other side.
atjelea's review
4.0
***I received an ARC of this book from a Goodreads Giveaway***
I really enjoyed this book. It takes us on a journey of two sisters. As they make their way to the setting of their recently deceased mother's unfinished story, they also traverse and mark the stages of grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and ultimately, Acceptance. While they travel, each sister experiences these stages of in a manner that is both individual and unique. Jazz brings anger to each stage, and is always ready to judge. Her first impressions of others are superficial and tend to reflect her own insecurities. She sees what she wants to see. Olivia, forever marred by gazing at the sun too long, must view the world from the periphery. She also suffers from a condition that causes her to see words and taste sound. Her view of the world is fragmental and multileveled. She is less judgmental and more trusting but this also leads her to be more impulsive. Each sister is deeply different from the other, but as they travel together, they find themselves bound by the deep ties of family. Both Jazz and Olivia are attempting to recreate life without their mother, and in doing so find that in order to survive, they must rely on each other.
I really enjoyed this book. It takes us on a journey of two sisters. As they make their way to the setting of their recently deceased mother's unfinished story, they also traverse and mark the stages of grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and ultimately, Acceptance. While they travel, each sister experiences these stages of in a manner that is both individual and unique. Jazz brings anger to each stage, and is always ready to judge. Her first impressions of others are superficial and tend to reflect her own insecurities. She sees what she wants to see. Olivia, forever marred by gazing at the sun too long, must view the world from the periphery. She also suffers from a condition that causes her to see words and taste sound. Her view of the world is fragmental and multileveled. She is less judgmental and more trusting but this also leads her to be more impulsive. Each sister is deeply different from the other, but as they travel together, they find themselves bound by the deep ties of family. Both Jazz and Olivia are attempting to recreate life without their mother, and in doing so find that in order to survive, they must rely on each other.
heyhannahrae's review against another edition
5.0
This somehow ended up on my phone. It chose me; I didn’t choose it. But I absolutely LOVED this novel!!
lynnedf's review
2.0
I wanted to like this book. It had come pretty highly recommended by people whose book-lists I usually agree with. But The Moon Sisters just did not speak to me.
It reminded me slightly of [b:The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake|7048800|The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake|Aimee Bender|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320541766s/7048800.jpg|7299170]only combined with [b:Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood|137791|Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood|Rebecca Wells|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1368313817s/137791.jpg|1010054] tossed in for good measure. I didn't LIKE Olivia or Jazz until I'd read almost two-thirds of the book ... and even then, I can't say I like them, but I finally got to the point where I wanted to know what happened to them.
A story about trying to grieve a loss while trying to answer questions that might better be left un-answered. I struggled to get through this book and only gave it 2 stars because the ending was worth it. Otherwise this was a 1 star read through and through for me.
It reminded me slightly of [b:The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake|7048800|The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake|Aimee Bender|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320541766s/7048800.jpg|7299170]only combined with [b:Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood|137791|Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood|Rebecca Wells|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1368313817s/137791.jpg|1010054] tossed in for good measure. I didn't LIKE Olivia or Jazz until I'd read almost two-thirds of the book ... and even then, I can't say I like them, but I finally got to the point where I wanted to know what happened to them.
A story about trying to grieve a loss while trying to answer questions that might better be left un-answered. I struggled to get through this book and only gave it 2 stars because the ending was worth it. Otherwise this was a 1 star read through and through for me.