Customer Reviews

The Owl & Moon Cafe

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I always cringe whenever someone says they or someone they know is a writer and would you mind reading something they wrote and letting me know what you thought of it because I think this person is a really great writer and I respect your opinion....

Oh God. Not another one.

The problem is that I can't lie. I've been hardwired (sometime during my early formation, no doubt) to spout the truth about a piece of literature and how I feel about it. This has led to some rather hard feelings by authors who expected me to put on my kids gloves when critiquing/reviewing their work.

So when the son of Jo-Ann Mapson handed me a copy of his mother's latest literary offering, I felt the critical hairs on the back of my neck rise. Oh no. Would I have to crush any friendship I might have with this man by telling him his mother was a hack writer? That her prose stunk? That she needed to take a course on plotting? I opened The Owl & Moon Café with a heavy sigh, plunged in and ...

...was immediately enthralled. I'll have to be honest and say part of the attraction was that The Owl & Moon Café takes place in my hometown of Pacific Grove, California. But I've read stories by other authors that take place here and was, shall we say, less than impressed. The thing that really struck me was that this novel is a women's book -- covering the lives of four generations of women within the Moon family -- but completely engrossed me (a guy) with its excellent plotting, perfect characters, and flowing prose.

The Owl & Moon Café is ground-zero for these women, starting with "Gammy", the widowed owner of the cafe and mother of Allegra, grandmother of Mariah, and great-grandmother to Lindsay.

After losing her teaching job, embittered single mom Mariah returns to Pacific Grove to work at the café in order to support her brilliant daughter, Lindsay, and keep her in private school. But at the café Mariah has to deal with her aging and bible-thumping "Gammy," and her 60s-loving mother. Things quickly turn sour for Mariah as the family learns that Allegra (her mother) has leukemia and must undergo chemotherapy. But into Mariah's life comes a handsome Scotsman who sweeps her off her feet. Trouble is, though, he's only here for a short while.

Lindsay, an 8th grader, is infatuated with Carl Sagan and science in general. She doesn't have many friends and stresses about everything. In fact, she's so worked up all the time that her stomach goes sour, often resulting in visits to the nurses office at school. She also needs to come up with a science project and when she learns of her grandmother's (Allegra's) cancer, she quickly comes up with a topic: medical marijuana.

Allegra, forced to deal with her cancer, finally goes to the hospital only to meet up with a doctor she knows. Dr. Al Goodnough was the love of her life during her younger, wilder days and the two of them rekindle their passions during the treatment of Allegra's deadly cancer. But will she survive?

All of these women coalesce into a melting pot of family, what-ifs, and probabilities as they battle love, family, cancer, marijuana, and finding out the true meaning of belonging somewhere.

I have to share one paragraph from the story that really caught my attention when it came to character development, prose, and flow. This is on page 107 and it's from Allegra's point of view after she'd learned of her leukemia and started having trouble with Mariah, her adult daughter: `Doc had resurfaced at the worst possible time. She was almost fifty, dried up like an old walnut. Her life would play out like a World War II movie, a romance that might have been; only in her case, instead of Nazis, goose-stepping leukocytes. Doc would do his valiant best, but eventually those cells would beat him down. All that would be left of them was Mariah. Hurricane Mariah.'

It's incredible how much information about the characters and the story are revealed in this little section but, there you go, that's great writing.

So the next time my friend at work mentions that his mom has a new book out, he won't have to prompt me to read it; I'll run to the bookstore!

Okay, I admit I'm a bit partial. More than a bit. She's my friend. But, trust me when I tell you she's a dynamite writer. I would love her books even if I didn't know her. And this one is as wonderful as all the others. It's got her trademark down-to-earth, complex characters, absorbing and always fresh and original plots, plural intended because she writes the type of books I like to read, ones where, like life, many things are going on in the character's lives and all of them interesting and familiar. I haven't gotten my piece of fudge yet except fictionally, but I'm telling you, this book is like very, very good fudge, the kind my Kansas grandma used to make, the REAL kind, where you have to time it to get it right...this book is

that, real and right and so, so good. Buy one for yourself and one for your best girlfriend. You won't be sorry.

One of the things I love about Jo-Ann Mapson's books are the way the characters seem like someone you know -- or wish you knew. In this novel we get to hear from two young girls (yep, Sally's back!), and Mapson is just as good at understanding teenagers as she is the cranky grandma. Nobody does dialogue better. Mapson has always reminded me of Larry McMurtry at his best. But she's stayed at the peak of her craft. Another funny and wise book from one of my favorite authors. (The fudge is dang good, too!)

I GET IT! I get the meaning of the name! Here we have four generations of women running The Owl & Moon Cafe. Gammy, the great-grandmother is religious and getting older. Allegra (Alice) is the hippie grandmother. Mariah is the over-anxious daughter who wants to know who her dad is and then there is her daughter Lindsay. Mariah loses her job at the college and has to move into the upstairs part of the cafe with her mom and grandma, with her daughter in tow. Allegra collapses one day to find out she has leukemia. Lindsay is an 8th-grader, very intelligent and curious about life.

This book has just the right amount of love, friendships and family. You won't want to put it down!

When asked who my favorite author is, Jo-Ann Mapson's name is always first to cross my lips. It's books like The Own and Moon Cafe that keep her in position number one. Her characters are real people meeting real-life crises. A reviewer above stated it more aptly: they're people you know or want to know.

My husband asked me about the book this morning. I was only 50 pages into the tome, but I told him that I already didn't want it to end. The story called to me whenever I manged to put it aside. I just turned the last page, sated and satisfied, but also sad that it had ended.

All of Mapson's books are gems. This one may be her strongest yet. The characters, the story, the emotions....all blend into a masterpiece.

If you're on the fence about purchasing this book, rest assured that it's a top-notch read. You'll be a Mapson fan in the first chapter.

Wow. Jo-Ann Mapson has done it again. This book is like a fine box of chocolates that you cannot stop eating until the whole box is gone. What I love about Jo-Ann's books is that she creates characters you want to know more and who glue themselves to the reader's heart. This book is awesome. I love the way she creates a community of people who live in your soul. This book is exceptionally well crafted and touches upon subjects that need talking about. I fell in love with each character and needed to finish the book in record time because I came to care about each and every one. I simply wanted to know what fate befell each one. There were so many moments in which my eyes watered as we each face aging and its issues. I am grateful to have visited Monterey once because it helped me to visualize as I read. Great job Jo-Ann especially in having the Bad Girl characters surface a bit here too. Please let these characters come again in your writings. Bravo girlfriend!

I've been patiently waiting for Mapson's next novel & I am happy to report that I was not disappointed. The Owl & Moon Cafe is now my favorite Mapson book (with Bad Girl Creek a close 2nd!). Mapson delivers a cast of colorful and quirky women and paints the coziest of settings. I especially liked the delightful voice Mapson gave to her youngest character, Lindsay. She did a fantastic job speaking from a young adult perspective. I was truly sad to finish the book and say goodbye to these women (as well as AL & Simon) who I had grown to love.

Jo-Ann Mapson has done it again! Her characters are so wonderful and her story lines are engrossing. I loved that she tied the characters to the Bad Girl Creek folks and really loved that she added references to her friend, Earlene Fowler's books by mentioning Dove Lyons and San Celina.Both of these authors make you feel that if you are visiting that part of California you might just run into these people. I sincerely hope there is a sequel!

Jinni Turkelson, Grand Rapids, MI

If I had a video thingy or an Ipod or whatever you use (yes, I'm a Luddite) to create a video review, I would do it, so you could see me laughing out loud and weeping shamelessly as I tore through this book in two sittings. I tried to make it last longer, but I had to know what happened.
I've loved every one of Mapson's books, and until now my favorite was Blue Rodeo, but Owl & Moon Cafe is a very close contender. If you're a fan of compelling stories, interesting and fully developed characters--I'm partial to Mariah because nobody writes pissed-off females like Mapson-- witty dialog, and prose that is expressive, yet subtle...then look no further. This is your book.

This is a wonderful book, so very well written and really strikes close to what real life is and can be like.I would recommend this book highly.I do not think it would be a disappointment to anyone who reads it.