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The Moon Looked Down

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During the early days of American's involvement in World War II, it was common knowledge of how Japanese Americans were rounded up and put in interment camps. But what about Americans who had immigrated to this country from Germany?

Dorothy Garlock's new book, The Moon Looks Down, takes a look at how one German family in a small Illinois town had to put with bigotry, oppression and intimidation as the country was turned upside down during war-time.

Sophie Heller's family has lived and farmed outside of Victory, Illinois for many years, escaping the growing furor in their native Germany. So when a group of masked men burns down their barn, assaults her father and insinuates that the family is really a group of Nazi spies, the family's peaceful existence soon is filled with fear. Her father vows to continue on with their lives as normal, but Sophie knows that danger lurks around every corner as long as the threat of violence is in the air. When she discovers an old boyfriend might have been involved with the incident, Sophie doesn't understand how hate could have turned someone close against her.

Cole Ambrose knows something about intolerance and discrimination, having dealt with being severely handicapped all his life. He is also dealing with the estrangement from his family over an accident that took his mother's life. But he has returned to Victory to try and reconcile with his father while taking a job as a math teacher at the high school. When he encounters Sophie at a local diner as she confronts a group of men who have insulted her, Cole steps in before more violence can erupt. As he gets to know the pretty young German, he soon finds out that there is more to Sophie's problems than ignorant slurs, and Cole vows to do what he can to help.

As the two struggle to overcome the conflict that threatens the town, their love for one another proves to be the steady constant that will see them through.

Dorothy Garlock is well recognized for her heartfelt Americana-laced novels and with this latest release, "The Moon Looked Down," she once again proves why she is a master storyteller. Taking a page from history, Garlock makes you feel like you are right there in that time and place as you are drawn into the story. With over 50 novels to her credit, Garlock once again delivers a spell-binding heartfelt tale that is sure to be another success.

(One note about the review above this one - I read this book carefully, and there is NO train derailment in the story...anywhere!)

The Heller family fled Germany for America. They settled in Victory, Illinois where they were welcomed by their new American neighbors.

A decade later, the neighbors some of whom befriended the family a decade ago when they moved here and remained friends throughout suddenly think they are German sympathizers. Angry over the growing threat to her family, twenty years old Sophie Heller wants it to end, but cannot figure out how to do so as vigilantes harass her and her loved ones because of their German heritage. A train wreck occurs nearby leading to many neighbors suspecting the Heller brood as Nazi saboteurs. When Sophie meets schoolteacher Cole Ambrose they are attracted to one another. He understands hatred as he has received his share for not serving though his leg kept him out of the military. Now the locals have a new cause, keeping the couple apart.

This is a warm WWII on the home-front romance starring two likable lead characters. The support cast especially the anti-German antagonists are super with what today would be hate crimes; they make the tale fun to read. Although the psychological impact on the Heller family and the mob mentality of much of the townsfolk towards German immigrants they have known for years is shallowly explored leaving THE MOON LOOKED DOWN as a gripping historical worth reading that could have been a classic.

Harriet Klausner

THE MOON LOOKED DOWN by Dorothy Garlock historical romance set in Victory,Illinois during the early days of World War II after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
The story is well written and descriptive. It involves romance, forgiveness, redemption prejudice, courage, and hatred. The main characters a strong willed and have faith, they easy to follow and have you pulling for them as their relationship progresses. The secondary characters help carry the story, while some of the characters are full of hatred, others pull together to help the hated family. If you enjoy Dorothy Garlock's books you will enjoy this one also. This book was received for review.

The reader will be fooled by Dorothy Garlock's "The Moon Looked Down," since although it is written in what appears to be seemingly a sophomoric-hand, the story is still an important one to re-tell. The book begins with Sophie Heller being awakened by three men burning down her family's barn. She later finds out that the men are townsmen intent on driving her and her family out of town because they are of German heritage. The story intertwines with that of another family in town, the Ambrose family who own the local hardware store. The father, Robert and son Cole have strained relationships as Cole returns home after a long absence. The reader understands Cole, a man born with a clubfoot, who is searching to find himself and repair a broken relationship with his father that began when his mother died. The father and son will need to make amends if they are ever to move forward and heal after the tragic event of the mother's passing.

The reader is drawn into the story at this point, as it begins to develop the blossoming love relationship between Cole and Sophie. This is directly juxtaposed with the story describing the underlying racist hatred that is directed towards Sophie and her family. In her defense of her family from the three characters (Riley Mason, Ellis Watts, and Graham Grier) intent on "teaching them a lesson," and "finishing them off," Sophie gets closer to Cole, develops a sense of courage and learns that fighting hatred and racism is more empowering than cowering and running away from adversity.

The story is told with simple themes, short manageable chapters and carefully chosen words to express the plot of the story with clarity and believable prose. There are no scenes depicting stunning imagery, and no words are wasted in this book. But the reader will find a story of courage and a strong lead female character who learns to stand up for herself and what is right, at any cost, to make a life for herself and her family in their hometown of Victory, Illinois in the mid-1940's.

Nothing stirs a female heart more than a handsome man with a handicap. The inherent mothering instinct is intertwined with a mixture of physical desire and deep-seated admiration. In Dorothy Garlock's "The Moon Looked Down," Sophie Heller is entranced by the club-footed Cole Ambrose. Her focus is more on the muscles under his shirt than the hitch in his gait. Cole has zero experience with women, but his confidence is buoyed by the determination to protect Sophie from the dangerous intentions of a local group of thugs.

The time is summer 1942. The place is aptly-named Victory, Illinois. The rural community is composed of homes adorned with flags and businesses displaying anti-German propaganda. Ellis Watts and his cronies view German immigrants, like Sophie's family, as Nazi spies. In a planned attack, they set fire to the Heller barn leaving Sophie and her father brutally beaten. With fear of reprisal, they do not report the true nature of events to the police.

Tensions are high when Sophie enters Marge's Diner only to be taunted with the slur, "Kraut." Feeling invincible, her tormentors issue their accusation in a public place. Sophie confronts them only to be viciously grabbed. Like a scene out of "Back to the Future," Cole comes to her defense. Mocked by the men, his bravery nevertheless makes an impression on Sophie. With her trust in tatters, she is still able to appreciate the fact that Cole is an honorable man.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Sophie," he said, his voice determined and firm. "After everything that happened at the diner, I think you have plenty of reasons to trust me."

The sincerity in his voice gave Sophie pause. Though she had met Cole Ambrose only an hour earlier, she could feel that there was a depth to him, a strength in the way he carried himself that put her at ease. She found herself believing what Cole told her.

"I don't think you'll hurt me," she heard herself answer.

"I'm not like the men at the diner," he added.

"No, you're not."

The spark is lit. The memory of him was a powerful thing, coming unbidden yet not unwanted. With the idea of a gimpy man as her protector, Sophie's heart melts. Like Jenny in "Forrest Gump," Sophie knows she can depend on Cole regardless of his infirmity. She tells Cole what really happened the night of the fire, and he vows to keep her safe.

"Sophie found that she wasn't quite so scared. Looking at Cole's square jaw and broad shoulders, she knew that he was a man willing to rise to her defense, just as he had at the diner. If she were to meet any of the men who meant to harm her, she felt sure she would be safe as long as she was in Cole Ambrose's company."

Taking matters into his own hands, Cole confronts an inebriated Ellis in Victory's lone tavern.

"So you decided to play the hero, huh?" Ellis smirked.

"I'll do what I have to do."

"You're only going to get yourself hurt."

"We'll see about that. It'd be a mistake to underestimate me."

"I'm learnin' that very thing."

"You'll find that I'm full of surprises."

"Like the fact that you're sweet on poor Sophie. You ain't ever been with a woman have you? I've known a couple of fellas like you. All of 'em shy and more than a little unsure of themselves. With your leg, wouldn't be nobody that'd blame you for it. Ain't never had no attention from a lady. Then some pretty girl starts talkin' in your ear and you start thinkin' with what hangs between your legs instead of using your head."

"It's not like that. Stay away from her, Ellis," Cole warned him. "Or you'll be sorry."

However, Cole's insecurities lie less with his malformed leg than with his fractured relationship with his father. Like the broken father/son dynamic in "Garden State," the father blames the son for the accidental death of the mother.

"If you wanted to come back here, back to this house and to Victory, that's your business, [Cole's father] said evenly. "You can stay here until you find somewhere of your own ... I can do that much for you. But don't think that I will ever forgive you."

"She would not have wanted it to be like this between us."

"All that she would have wanted was to have lived, but you took that away from her that day, took it away from all of us," his father said, the words spoken flat and cold, each of them jabbing at Cole's heart as if they were knives. "It was because of you that she's gone. It was your fault. Don't ever forget that it was your fault."

To make matters worse, further violence descends upon Cole in the form of Graham Grier, a childhood friend of Sophie, who instigates a bloody fist fight with his new rival. Afterward during a dance to celebrate the community re-building of the Heller barn, Graham makes a drunken scene.

"You're not good enough for Sophie, and you never will be! You worthless cripple! She should be with me!"

From that moment on, things come to a head. Over the course of the evening, the score is finally settled in Victory, Illinois.

Overall, the moon is a witness to scenes of love and acts of violence on the WWII home front.

It does not matter whether a place is large or small fear can grow inside of men until a what makes us humane no longer dwells in a person's mind or body. In "The Moon Looked Down" by Dorothy Garlock, fear takes over a small town outside of Chicago called Denver. Three men named Ellis, Riley and Graham become men without hearts. Therefore, they are brutal, use no common sense and are blind to real events and only tune in to see what is not truly happening in their town.

These three men led by Ellis become fixated on the Heller family. The Hellers are Germans. This family, Sophie, her brother Karl and her parents are kind, decent people. No different from other American families except they are German during WWII. This was a time when some people chose to think all Germans were Nazis. These three men become obsessed with protecting Denver from this horrible family of Nazis.

This story moved me deeply. I cried for the Hellers. I also thought about how false fears can make our vision cloudy. People can become lost in the night around the corner from their home where there is only sunlight. I thought about how fear can make us become different, frightening to other people. Because we naturally attack the bears in the night.

This is Historical Fiction. The web of the story is tied loosely. Meaning what happened in the American Forties can happen now in America, 2010. If I allow my fears to brew, churn and steam, I will find myself with a heart unable to give love because what I "think" is happening to destroy my family, friends and I.

Dorothy Garlock also added a beautiful love story to the plot. The romance between two young lovers is beautifully told. True love sees imperfections. Then, love chooses to love sacrificially. Valuing the person loved more than their disability. Love is complex. Love is not always real. Love also can cloud our vision. Dorothy Garlock deals with all sorts of issues the ordinary person experiences throughout life. This author writes about reality with hope and faith and a better day coming tomorrow.

There is a poem at the beginning of the novel. When I got to the middle of the book, I read the poem. When I came to the end of the book, I read the poem again. The poem is titled The Moon Looked Down. In the book the word "moon" is used over and over again. I started to write down the sentences in which moon appeared throughout the book. I did not have time. I had to hurry and read the next page. Yes, the book is full of suspense with the moon looking down on a small town in America.

Wow, I think for the first time in a while I'm done with a book that has just left me in awe. I loved this one.

I almost immediately was connected with Sophie, through the entire book I could feel her emotions. Fear, love, disgust, happiness, longing this book has it all. And it's not just Sophie that I connected with. I loved Cole and was almost as attached to him as I was Sophie. The other main characters (the bad guys) were also just as well written, and although I didn't want to connect to the bad guys I think I did anyway.

The story takes off with a bang (almost literally) and while there was a short lull in the action it really keeps you going. I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next, and I didn't have to wait long to find out. The ending to the story was a bit predictable, but the path taken to get there was anything but. I couldn't have imagined some of the twists until the happened.

This was such an easy book for me to get lost in. I was so connected with what was going on I could see it as if I were right there in the story.

I'm surprised I've never heard of Dorothy Garlock, as she's written many titles, but I'm glad I've found her. I will be picking up more from her in the future. I have a lot of catching up to do with her...

I WOULD BE GLAD TO GIVE A REVIEW IF I EVER GET THE BOOK AS OF TODAY 3-4-11 I HAVE NOT THANKS ANYWAY DEBBIE STRAYER

I have enjoyed this author for a long time. This is not one of her better books but still enjoyable. I would rate it a 8 of 10

The Moon Looked Down
By
Dorothy Garlock

The story unfolds as Sophie Heller heard someone yelling FIRE! FIRE! She awoke from her dream and started looking for her family. They were outside as the barn was burning.
The family had immigrated to America from Germany trying to escape the Nazis before Hiltler took over Germany before World War 2.

As the family all gets outside they are trying to find out what started the fire and three hooded men came around the house and said they were going to run the Nazis from their town. Some fighting took place and the barn burn to the ground.
Sophie worked at the newspaper in Victory, Illinois and her father was a farmer.

Cole Ambrose came back to town to become the math teacher in the local high school, as he had been gone for fifteen years. He had been a cripple all his life, but he met Sophie in the store and thought she was so pretty. He became determined to help the family find out who burned their barn.

There are fights, love and everything in between in this story. There is some explicated sex and some words that offended me but I read the book, as it really is a great story.

The book was supplied to me free of charge and did not ask that I do a positive review.