Review – The Girl Who Chased the Moon
The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen [ Amazon Barnes & Noble ]
Sarah Addison Allen quickly joined the ranks of favorite authors on my bookshelves, from her very first book, Garden Spells. She has the most wonderful way of writing – everything she describes is so beautiful and sweet, I can’t help but smile as I read them. I can’t get enough of the traditions, quirks, and romances she writes about.
Her latest book, The Girl Who Chased the Moon, is no exception. Set in North Carolina, again, the book centers around Emily, a young girl going to live with the grandfather she never knew after her mother dies, and a forbidden friendship between her and a local boy; and Julia, a woman with a difficult past trying to get out of the ruts created by her high school self – mainly a sweet and sour relationship with a local pretty boy.
The book mainly focuses on these two love stories, mixed in with all the wonderful extras Allen throws into her books – her delicious way of describing everything (in meeting one of the main characters, a baker who has a fondness for cakes, we’re treated to this: “It was like she was made of cake, light and pretty and decorated on the inside – with her sweet laugh and pink streak to her hair – but it was anyone’s guess what was on the inside. Emily suspected it might be something dark.”); all the little quirks of the small towns where she sets her stories (the Giant of Mullaby - Emily’s 8 ft. tall grandfather, the Mullaby lights – strange unexplained lights that flicker through the town’s forest at night, and other local oddities that all the natives just take as par for the course); and of course the little bits of everyday magic scattered throughout (wallpaper that changes with your mood, sweet things like cakes and candies visibly sparkling in the air).
But I think what I love so much about Allen’s books, while everything I just said could be enough … what really gets me is the way we get to see both sides of everything. It’s like this is all her books – two characters circle around each other. We follow along in the shoes of one character for the majority of the story, feeling with them how impossible a relationship is with the person they desire, how confused and flustered they get in the other’s presence. It can be a little heartbreaking. But then, midway through the book, we suddenly get to see the situation through the eyes of the other person in the “relationship” and we learn that they’re just as flustered and confused. It’s so wonderfully dream-fulfilling that it makes me grin every time I read it.
Nearly everybody can relate, or at least recognize how great the situation would be – adoring somebody from afar, getting thrown together, and then discovering that they had been adoring you right back, too scared or shy or cowardly to do anything? Come on. I’m smiling right now just thinking about it, and I’ve only ever had that happen once, and the result wasn’t even intense or long-lasting. But it’s still a great feeling, and Allen’s books, along with all her great story telling, give me that feeling. Particularly in this book, there’s one section told from the vantage point of Julia’s love interest that is truly one of my favorites in the entire book.
So in conclusion … read this book! I cannot say enough how much I love it, and Allen’s others – Garden Spells and The Sugar Queen. The author’s bio in the back says she’s currently working on yet another novel … hooray! Now if only I didn’t have to wait so long between publications.
More reasons why I love Allen’s books? She gives me extras – just like the Special Features I love so much in movies. Check out all the fun bits included with this newest book:
Click here to get a virtual tour of the Mullaby Main Street.
Here’s where you’ll find all sorts of fun: down on the right, where it says “Extra Goodies” you’ll see
- Tidbits (fun little factoids from the author about the book)
- recipes for some of Julia’s cakes mentioned in the book
- information about North Carolina BBQ (a major player in the book)
- * my favorite * the evolution of the cover design
- “Not Just Fiction” (read about the small truths behind one of the major magical elements of the book – read the book before you read this or it’ll give away the big reveal in the story!)
