Award-winning novelist Ann Tatlock once again lovingly crafts a story that will touch readers' hearts while illuminating a powerful spiritual truth. I'll Watch the Moon is the story of Catherine Tierney, angry at a God whom she no longer believes exists, and her painful journey back to faith. It is also the story of her friendship with Josef Karski, who teaches her how to trust in God as he reveals his own story of surviving the horrors of Auschwitz. And finally, it is the story of Nova Tierney, Catherine's daughter, and the threads that bind their lives together. Ann Tatlock has skillfully and gracefully woven a tale you won't soon forget.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
When polio stalked Minnesota in 1948, fear was every mother's constant companion, as Tatlock (All the Way Home) shows in this well-written story for the evangelical Christian market. Young Nova Tierney and her older brother, Dewey, live a mostly idyllic life despite sharing living space with a motley assortment of tenants at the boarding house run by their Aunt Dortha and mother, Catherine. Dewey, nicknamed "Galileo" for his love of astronomy, dreams of some day walking on the moon, and he and Nova spend many happy hours looking at the night sky together in their backyard. When Dewey is hospitalized with polio, Nova promises to watch the moon for him (thus the title) until he is well. But will he recover? In her bitterness over a childhood secret, her late husband's infidelity and her son's desperate illness, his mother turns her back on God. "Sometimes, I wonder how we all go on living," she muses. Hope begins to return when she strikes up a friendship with boarder and Auschwitz survivor Josef Karski. Meanwhile, Nova exchanges letters with her brother and dreams of having a father again. She takes comfort in the stars: "as long as the moon was in its place and the stars were burning and the planets were moving through their spheres... everything was all right." This beautiful story laced with hope, redemption and forgiveness should find wide appeal among CBA readers.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"This is a moving and wonderfully encouraging novel...one of the most realistic and significant ones I've read, and one that leaves a great inspiration and message of trust in God for the outcome of all things...I highly recommend it." -- Renownmagazine.com "In post-World War II America, nine-year-old Nova Tierney worries about Russian bombs, but mostly she wants to find a suitable candidate to marry her mother and give her a new "pa." Catherine, a tormented soul, is terrified that the polio epidemic will touch her children. When it does strike Nova's 13-year-old brother, Dewey, Catherine weathers the blow via an unlikely friendship with a concentration camp survivor. Dewey's dream is to be the first man to land on the moon, and Nova promises to "watch the moon" for him until he gets better. In her third novel, Tatlock continues to weave 20th-century history into absorbing, finely crafted literary tales with issues of spirituality springing naturally from the text. For all collections and readers who enjoy realistic and hopeful family dramas." -- Library Journal "Sometimes the greatest love is between two people whose hearts are someplace else," writes Tatlock. I'll Watch the Moon, set in 1948, is the beautiful and uplifting story of a family's relationship with a Polish holocaust survivor, Josef Karski. Told from a 9-year-old girl's point of view, this book builds slowly, lyrically, and inexorably to a heart-wrenching yet faith-affirming climax. I'll Watch the Moon evocatively communicates the characters' struggles with the problem of evil and the meaning of the Gospel, all the while transforming a story of single motherhood, abuse, and polio into a thoroughly satisfying read. This is novel with staying power. -- Kim Pettit, CBA Marketplace Ann Tatlock has sure made me into an instant FAN with this wonderfully sweet, moving, TRUE story! I loved the historical fiction aspect of the story outlining the polio epidemic and the influenza outbreaks from our not-so-distant-past. I was also touched by the sweet, tender relationship between siblings with a less than perfect mother. This is a MUST read for those who have lost FAITH in mankind as well as the Almighty/Providence!! Get ready to stay up all night with this one! A wonderful gift for anyone on your holiday list!! - D. Tinkham This was a very good book. This is a serious book about character and wondering about God in the hard times. I will be putting this book on the list of books I'd like my grown children to read/have. Along with "To Kill A Mockingbird". I got this one from the library, but I will be buying a copy now. - SP I enjoyed this book so much! A warm story of family relationships and caring friends. I will recommend this book and this author to all my reading friends. - Linda Murphree This book is a definite delight. So very captivating and just try to put it down. Excellent, Excellent, Excellent. Okay, I'm not a mental case. BUT this story will sound like I am. I started "I'll watch the Moon" and could not put it down. I read the entire book in 7 hours, I was completely engrossed with the family. Here's where I may seem crazy. When I went to bed that night, I included the characters on my prayer list. I had never done that before, but they became so real to me. Ann Tatlock is amazing. - Cecil Stokes This is a wonderfully told story of life, death, despair and hope, in uncertain times of the post WWII era. The relationship between young Nova and her family and friends is realistic and endearing. I was struck by the closeness between her and her older, teenage brother. She idolizes him and he truly loves her. The most touching moments for me, however, are between Nova and Josef, each providing a source of comfort and encouragement to the other. The story of hatred, loss and forgiveness are entwined in a heartwarming lesson of God's love. - TSW This is an incredible story of love and forgiveness. I will recommend this book to everyone I know! I can't remember the last time I read such a moving, touching story. - B. Anderson This was one of the best books I've read in a long time. From the first page, I couldn't put it down. It's excellently written and the characters are people I'll forever remember. - C. Dejean Heartwarming book dealing with facing the disappointments in life. Deals with the following themes: support of friendship and family, the reality of tragedy in our lives. The characters come alive on the pages. Excellent, captivating and well written book. I can't wait to read other books by Ann Tatlock! - Joan R
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
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More About the Author
I knew I wanted to be a writer from the time I tapped out my first stories on my grandfather's old manual typewriter in the summer of 1973. I studied English and theology in college and later went on to earn my master's degree in journalism from Wheaton College Graduate School. I worked as a writer and editor for Decision magazine from 1987-1992, when I left to pursue fiction writing fulltime. I find great satisfaction in my work, and I especially enjoy hearing from my readers. In addition to writing, I also teach at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, and online through the Christian Writers Guild.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Touching Story of Life & Discovering the Meaning of Faith,
This review is from: I'll Watch the Moon: A Novel (Paperback)
Nova Tierney lived her life shrouded in the secrets of the people she lived with. On her deathbed, her mother clears much of the mystery for Nova, helping her come to peace with her past and what brought her to the present. I'll Watch the Moon takes Nova back to 1948 when she was just nine-years-old. She lives with her mother and fourteen-year-old brother, Dewey, in a boarding house owned by her Aunt Dortha who took them in after Nova's father died in the arms of another woman. Nova didn't know the reason then, but that was just one of many mysteries she came to understand later. Dewey had big dreams. He loved watching the sky, the moon and the stars. Nova loved hearing Dewey talk about his dreams of being the first person on the moon. She loved everything about Dewey. They were as close as a brother and sister could be. So close, that Dewey's friends had nicknamed her Tag because she always tagged along. But on one fateful day, she didn't tag along. Polio had reared its ugly head and it seemed eager to spread in the water. Therefore Nova's mom always made them stop swimming at the first outbreak of the season. But that's exactly where Dewey and his friends were going - swimming. That one disobedience triggers many life changes. For Nova, she only realizes the extent of the effect in hind sight. Because of the absence of a father, Nova was always on the look out for a new pa. A neighbor, Thomas Diel, was her first choice. He had been in the army during the war and was kind and came to visit the boarding house regularly. Nova was convinced he came to see her mother, but her mother would have nothing to do with the attentions of Thomas Diel. So Nova turned her sights on Josef, one of the boarders. He had moved to the states after the war. The scars on his face told only part of his story. There were much deeper scars on the inside that he kept hidden most of the time. One scar Nova knew about was that his entire family had been killed when the Nazi's occupied his native Poland. Her mom couldn't understand how he could still believe God was good and gracious after all he had witnessed and been through during his stay in a Nazi concentration camp. She had been through things herself that Nova learned of later that had destroyed her faith and her willingness to love, but Josef told her something that stuck with her for the rest of her life - if he was God, he wouldn't change anything, but he would understand why. Ann Tatlock weaves the lives of several people together in this touching tale of life, faith and love in the midst of pain and suffering. You'll cry for the pain they were dealt, but also for the joy they found. Tatlock shows how the people in our lives stay with us and influence us forever - even after they're gone. Sometimes it's a comforting memory and sometimes we have to forgive and make peace. She also shows us how in hindsight, we realize why some people are the way they are.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of my all-time favorites! A true treasure!,
By
This review is from: I'll Watch the Moon: A Novel (Paperback)
Ann Tatlock has sure made me into an instant FAN with this wonderfully sweet, moving, TRUE story! I loved the historical fiction aspect of the story outlining the polio epidemic and the influenza outbreaks from our not-so-distant-past. I was also touched by the sweet, tender relationship between siblings with a less than perfect mother. This is a MUST read for those who have lost FAITH in mankind as well as the Almighty/Providence!!Get ready to stay up all night with this one! A wonderful gift for anyone on your holiday list!!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Faith in Bad Times,
By
This review is from: I'll Watch the Moon: A Novel (Paperback)
This was a very good book....along the same lines as "To Kill A Mockingbird" to me. Ok, so nothing's that good. But, this is a serious book about character and wondering about God in the hard times. I will be putting this book on the list of books I'd like my grown children to read/have. Along with "To Kill A Mockingbird". I got this one from the library, but I will be buying a copy now.
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