Customer Reviews

Forgive the Moon

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I loved this book. Maryanne Stahl has a style and expertise that raise this story of a woman trying to find her place in the world well above the simple romance it could have been. The protagonist's personal struggles--with her flagging marriage, a lover, her role as mother (and potential mother, because she might be pregnant), and the realization of her talents as a musician--are skillfully intercut with scenes from a childhood tempered by the mental illness of her mother. There is much going on here, and yet the book is a quick read. Almost too quick; I was sorry to put it down when I'd finished it.

Sue O'Neill
Author: Don't Mean Nothing: Stories of Viet Nam

Maryanne Stahl tells a story the way we live it, in calm moments, quiet whispers, slices of memories. She presents a complicated life without relying on melodrama or a loud writing voice. Her voice is understated; it has no ego. She removes herself so we can see a family, one not too different from any family. In this way (at least for me) the book becomes a generic journey for all of us, particularly women who are pulled by maternal strings, creative urges and sexual longings.

Amanda, the protagonist, struggles with neglect. It has haunted her all of her life. Her recently deceased mother was a schizophrenic, and her presence throughout Amanda's life was diaphanous. Her husband has grown distant and may be having an affair. Her cherished daughter has left the nest. And on top of all of this, Amanda thinks she may be pregnant.

The setting is the Long Island beach where Amanda's family gathers for their annual family vacation. The story flows seamlessly, moving in and out of time gradually so that we gather the complicated pieces of history as we watch the family interact in the present. The mood is sensual, earthy, and peaceful, like Amanda who finds her comfort in the natural order of life-- the ocean, the fertile soil, the innocent animals.

Ms Stahl plants the reader like a seed, with fine detail, allowing imagery to help her speak to us, and it does. By the end we understand more than Amanda and her family. We learn about how one evolves, rejuvenates and finds answers in a life that is like that ocean--complex, teaming with hidden, interconnecting lives, fluid and forgiving, yet tumultuous and unforgiving at times. But always, always demanding respect.

A great read. Thoughtful. It will fly by, but take time to read it and think.

Every summer Amandas extended family spends a week at the beach together. This year, things are a bit different though. Her mother died one week after last years vacation, she is on a trial separation from her husband, her daughter did not come because she just moved in with her boyfriend, and Amanda thinks she may be pregnant.
While in Mantauk, Amanda begins to rethink her life and where its been and is going. She also meet a man that instantly takes her breath away and makes her feel like a woman again.
Forgive the Moon is a beatifully written story about love, family, and dealing with your past.

The publisher insults the reader on the front page with the slogan "Fiction For The Way We Live." (Who's we?) But if you're willing to ignore the publisher's silly marketing, this book is worth the purchase price, and then some. The prose is clear, polished, and unpretentious, and the characters are richly drawn and compelling. Unfortunately, the narrator tends to whine now and then, and I did wish she'd get off her duff and DO something, rather than just reflect on her circumstances and let fate have its way. Also, part of the plot turns on the actions of a mysterious woman who is characterized as an aging hippie-feminist a la Pinkola-Estes, all crystals and myths, which is an unfortunate stereotype indeed. Nonetheless, it's a good read.

This novel was short and yet very effective. By taking a look at Amanda's life during a week of soul searching, we learn about her whole life and the incidents that shaped her. Stahl's use of the flashback is tremendous! Those parts of the book sing ina melancholy way. I agree with another reviewer about liking Amanda's father- wouldn't his story be an even better book?? Anyway, this is very well-written and as honest a treatment of schizophrenia as you're likely to find in a mainstream novel. If you like this, House Under Snow by Bialosky would also be your cup of tea.

Forgive the Moon is a fabulous story of one woman's coming full-circle. The protaganist goes on vacation with her family leaving her husband behind. A rocky marriage to busy her mind, she finds that there is life beyond her marriage, and probably a better one. It's a story of love, courage and family.

Fairness disclosure: I am an internet acquaintance of Maryanne Stahl's and value our cyber relationship. I would not be posting this if I had a poor opinion of FORGIVE THE MOON. But on the other hand, I have nothing to gain by falsely puffing her novel.

I live in Indonesia and ordered FORGIVE THE MOON from Amazon. If I'd been an anonymous bookshop browser (which is, alas, a delight mostly unavailable here), I doubt I would have taken the novel to the cashier. Where's the dead body? The buried treasure? The sweep of history and the imagination of fantasy? In other words, a quick scan would have told me that this was not the sort of novel that I normally enjoy reading (ahem -- that doesn't mean I'm a literary philistine, either). But circumstances (friendship, I bought it anyway, I was on a extended boat trip with only a few books, etc. ) forced me to read it. And I realized when I finished that those precious few times I have been in bookstores, browsing, I have passed up some excellent, excellent novels simply because of snap judgments.

FORGIVE THE MOON quickly drew me into its web of troubled family relationships by its superb writing, its acute observations, and its layering of everyday details that by themselves would be mostly mundane if not outright boring. But the way the author handles them, a world became alive to me that was, in its way, as vividly rendered as, say, Frodo's in the LORD OF THE RINGS. In the end, I was so caught up in Amanda's life that I was quite upset by the ultimate choices she made. But that's good -- that's a sign of living literature.

If you think that "Fiction For The Way We Live" (the publisher's blurb on the cover) is not for you, then live adventurously and give FORGIVE THE MOON a lunar shot.

For intelligent readers who like character-driven, beautifully written stories, it doesn't get any better than this. Stahl delves deep into the psychology of relationships in all their pain, joy and confusion, and emerges with a very human tale that buoys the soul.

Spend a week on the beach with Amanda Kincaid and learn much about your own life. The book reads like one's inner thoughts, and I found myself relating to Amanda in more ways than one. Initially uneasy about her life and where it is going, Amanda emerges as a willing participant in the path of her life. I felt as if I was spending time with a friend. The ending is not an insult to the reader either. You won't be disappointed.

This particular summer of Amanda's vacation on the east end of Long Island is different as her world is going through changes she can neither control nor is capable of facing: Her mother's death after years of mental illness during which she was emotionally absent even as she cooked dinners for her family (with that cigarette forever hanging at the side of her mouth, a feather of ash dangling at its end.) Amanda's husband, having recently launched a new business venture with a young female colleague, is asking for "space." Amanda's college-age daughter has made the next step of separation as she has moved in with her boyfriend and chosen to spend the summer away.

By the end of the week, oh, well, things are different. Surrounded by a cast of wonderfully detailed and distinct personalities, starting with the absent mother and ending with the new sister-in-law who doesn't quite fit the family constellation, Amanda's perceptions of herself and others alter in ways that are both obvious and subtle.

Stahl's lyrical prose surfs the reader through the scenes of the place, which she obviously loves. From what I hear, she will return to this part of the country in her next novel, and I hope it is another summer vacation.

Talia Carner, author,
Puppet Child and China Doll