Customer Reviews

The Birth of a New Moon

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book was one of Laurie King's best written works...and she's no slug to begin with. Her heroine is so very human, full of inconsistencies and faults, but so brave and ready to sacrifice herself for innocents that you find yourself admiring her even if you wish you didn't. I was mesmerized by the book. I wanted so very badly for all to end well - my idea of "well", which would be for Anne to survive and adopt both children and live happpily ever after. This is, of course, not exactly Laurie King's style. So I began to experience a sense of forboding, that went something like this - ohmygod, don't tell me she's going to die, that would be so unfair, that would be so awful, ohmygod, don't let those kids die, that would be so unfair...well, you get the picture. And I read faster and faster, hoping for the best, because I certainly wasn't going to get to sleep until I KNEW.

And after all that agony and suspense, the ending was NOT GRATIFYING. It didn't fulfill my worst fears, nor my fondest hopes. It was, in fact, a bit on the lukewarm side, which was quite surprising since the book absolutely sizzled until the very last paragraph! Laurie, wherever you are, I would have given a lot for an "afterword" telling us what happened to Anne and the kids! (And I'd love to read a sequel!)

Reading the reviews, I realized that this is a book of hers I have read. I don't do titles on the memory chache... I was interested in seeing that other people found flaws where I found gratifying realities in the book.

Anne Waverly is a very believable character to me, at 43, and a long time member of one of those "odd" cults. (I am of the Wicca.) I found her outsider's view very consistent with that of many others I have known that have tried to understand WHY I am what I am.

It has to do with emotions, the physical alchemy is supposed to be allegorical, but I know many hollow people who cannot handle the multi-tiered reality we work with and therefore desperately try to find a physical manifestation that will fill the need they have.

The criticism of the ending of the book surprised me. Whether Anne survives or not is not germane to the needs that drove her there and the resolution she obtained. The end is implicit in the beginning. I won't spoil it, but that IS the ending of that part of her story. Anything else that may happen will be another woman, another story.

Honestly, I hope Laurie revisits her. How she changes and does would be a very interesting story.

I've read all of Laurie's Mary Russell books, and all of her Kate Martinelli books and Folly....Folly went with me on last years vacation and I chose Birth of A New Moon for this years vacation...because I knew it would be something I could sink my teeth into....I trust Laurie R. King's writing to keep me interested and keep me guessing. I wasn't disapointed. Having become so familiar with Russell and Martinelli, their ins and outs, it was different and exciting to delve into Anne Waveryly. I found her very complex. I think it's interesting to read a character who isn't young, who isn't particularly beautiful, but has courage in spades, who has something to give even if you have to drag it out of her. I found her relationship with the FBI guy really intriguing. I admired her for holding together to come out the far side of the tradgedy she endured. I found her thoughts about the boy were kind of right on the money. Being a mother of boys, I thought King's character development of Jason, the way he opened up slowly was enriching. Alchemy isn't a subject I'd go out of my way to find out about, but, I can see somebody like the character's in the book believing that they can in fact do what no one else has been able to do, and covering up the fact that they can't...and who doesn't know that people who are at loose ends would grab at something like living in that compoud of people...or that they could live within a cult/religion and not necessesarily know what the leaders true or ulterior motives are. Anyway. I loved the book, couldn't put it down in fact. I was happy with the ending and didn't think that Laurie needed to take it a step futher than she did.

In looking at Amazon's catalog of Laurie R. King's published works, I got very excited when I saw this new title. I loved the Anne Waverly character in "A Darker Place" and hoped for another book featuring her. However, after some research, I found that "A Darker Place" was published in the UK as "The Birth of a New Moon" in 1999. SIGH -- Oh well! I'll just have to wait until "The Pirate's Curse" with Mary Russell is published later this year.

Mary

Laurie R. King's books always weaves an interesting view of religion with her protagonist. Again with Ann, she has created a view of a religion (and yes to the reviewer who thought it was fake and no intelligent person would remain a member of this group, it is a religion). Her background in Religious Studies is a huge factor in the amplification of the credibility in her writing and enchants the reader to the end of the novel. Her book keeps the reader of the edge of their seat and has so many strengths in the way she details scenes to paint a picture in your mind. This novel is a must read and I encourage all to partake in it.

My adventure with Anne Waverly and the world of Laurie King, came about because of my school assignment, I was dragged into reading a piece of prose fiction. I went to my local store and looked around at the selection of books, reading many back covers and still not becoming interested I saw the black cover from the corner of my eye. Reading the back I bought it and walked out the door reading. I loved King's character development, the way she is so feminine with her style and the was she potrays her own culture through the characters. The book was hard to put down and I was reprimanded several times in Maths for reading fiction instead of doing my calculus. Anyway a great read that will stay with you and change the way you feel toward America and all it's hidden secrets...

This book fascinated me from the beginning, and it kept me enchanted throughout - as long as I have not read the end of it. As it must be usual with King's books, the ending is flat, illogical, and worst of all, it leaves the main points (two murders, namely) completely unexplained. I also found it hard to accept that anyone could seriously believe in alchemy in the 20th century, much less make it the very center of a whole movement. The author promises to reveal the inner working of a religious cult or sect, but in the end, I think she fails in it. However, the superb writing style, and the description of the interesting personalities and the complex relationships of the characters (King's strong sides, no doubt) make it worth to read. Definitely better than "The Moor".

Cults interest me, but this novel failed to say, "Look at me, read me and don't give up on me." I have new time constraints, so I'm not going to sit around and wait for a book to get better. Oh, and I HATE how the author has used her middle initial - grrr. (DNF)