The Almost Moon
by Alice Sebold
List Price:
Our Price: $0.79
You Save: $14.20 (95%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Alice SeboldEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-09-08
ISBN: 0316067369
Number of pages: 291
Publisher: Back Bay Books
Book Reviews of The Almost Moon
Book Review: "A Day In The Life"
Summary: 4 Stars
THE ALMOST MOON gives new meaning to "a day in the life." The entire story takes place over the course of two days, but it's really a lifetime of memories that comprise this novel. It all begins when Helen kills her mother one day. No, the novel isn't as evil, twisted, and morbid as it sounds. Her mother has Alzheimer's and, as we discover, has always been a little unstable. It's really a favor. But is it a favor to her mother or herself?
The novel is very well written (as are Alice Sebold's other books, The Lovely Bones and Lucky). Sebold definitely knows how to write; her talent shines through. The story is told very conversationally from the viewpoint of Helen as she kills her mother and reacts to the death over the course of two days. During those two days, Helen is constantly reminded of events from her past that have led her to this point in her life. She spots something in her mother's house and it reminds her of a story from her childhood, which she readily relates to the reader. She goes to work as a nude art class model and is reminded of meeting her ex-husband. She cuts off her deceased mother's braid and she's reminded of the brushing of her hair. With these flashbacks, we learn more and more about Helen, her parents, her ex-husband, her children, the neighbors, and her relationship with each. It provides us insight into who she is and what events have shaped her life.
Granted, I did not like Helen all that much. I thought she was self-pitying and did not take responsibility for her own actions/life. Like with most any book, at times it drags and at times it's a page-turner. And, occasionally, I would get a bit lost when Sebold was going back and forth between past and present. But these factors did not detract me from enjoying the work overall or recognizing THE ALMOST MOON as a good piece of fiction. Like I said, Sebold has a gift for writing, and I look forward to more of her novels in the future.
Literary Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Literary Books
Island (Perennial Classics)by Aldous Huxley
Harper Perennial Modern Classics; Published: 2002-07-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.00
Price in other shops:
Angelsby Marian Keyes
William Morrow; Published: 2002-05-28; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $3.17
Price in other shops:
A Tree Grows in Brooklynby Betty Smith
Harper; Published: 2001-11-13; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.82
Price in other shops:
The Devil and Miss Prym: A Novel of Temptationby Paulo Coelho
Harper; Published: 2006-07-03; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $4.50
Price in other shops:
Boonville: A Novelby Robert Mailer Anderson
Harper Perennial; Published: 2003-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.01
Price in other shops:
Carameloby Sandra Cisneros
HarperAudio; Published: 2002-10-01; Audio Cassette; Book
Best price: $6.99
Price in other shops:
Headhunterby Timothy Findley
PERENNIAL PUBLICATIONS; Paperback; Book
The Crimson Petal And The Whiteby Michel Faber
Harcourt, Inc./Harvest; Published: 2003; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.50
Great Expectationsby Charles Dickens
Macmillan Pub Co; Published: 1979-06; Paperback; Book
Price in other shops:
This Side of Paradiseby Fitzgerald
Scribner Paper Fiction; Published: 1988-09-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.95
Price in other shops:
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
The Lovely BonesDreamWorks; Release date: 2010-04-20; DVD
Best price: $4.89
Price in other shops:
A Discovery of Witches: A Novel (All Souls Trilogy)by Deborah Harkness
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 2011-12-27; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.55
Price in other shops:
The Last Songby Nicholas Sparks
Grand Central Publishing; Published: 2010-03-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.99
Price in other shops:
The Time Traveler's Wifeby Audrey Niffenegger
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; Published: 2004-05-27; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.33
Price in other shops:
Shattered: Reclaiming a Life Torn Apart by Violenceby Debra Puglisi Sharp
Atria Books; Published: 2004-08-17; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.31
Price in other shops:
A Rip in Heaven: A Memoir of Murder And Its Aftermathby Jeanine Cummins
NAL Trade; Published: 2004-06-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.00
Price in other shops:
The Lovely Bonesby Alice Sebold
Back Bay Books; Published: 2009-09-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.94
Price in other shops:
Lucky: A Memoirby Alice Sebold
Back Bay Books; Published: 2002-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.49
Price in other shops:
The Lovely Bonesby Alice Sebold
Back Bay Books; Published: 2009-09-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.64
Price in other shops:
Lucky : A Memoirby Alice Sebold
Back Bay/Little, Brown & Co.; Published: 2002-08-31; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.44
Price in other shops: