Cover of The Girl Who Chased the Moon: A Novel
I used to think that I hated to read…the thought of breaking open a book after a long day of work was enough to make my stomach turn…I hated reading when I was a teen and never thought I could think of myself as a “reader”…I did not know what all the fuss was about…that was, until my recent “retirement” from teaching. Now I cannot get enough!
My new love of the written word I must say came from the inspiration of my dear friend Sheryl. She is an English teacher at a local school district and an active community member. If I had her as an English teacher I probably would have loved reading at a far younger age. Her passion inspired me to ask her for recommendations on what I should read…Her first suggestion…anything by Sarah Addison Allen.
I will say that in a week and a half I read all three of the Sarah Addison Allen books Sheryl gave me. Once I started them I could not stop. They are a breath of fresh air with characters so easy to identify with and love. They are all beautiful stories…sometimes you laugh, sometimes you cry, and sometimes the story pulls so heavily at your heart strings you wish the book would go on forever. Each has just a bit of magic sprinkled in creating the perfect literary experience.
I have thought long and hard, trying to decide which of her books is my favorite. I do not think I can choose…I love each of them for a very different reason.
The first book I read was “The Sugar Queen”. It is the story of Josey Cirrini, a wealthy young women in a small town, who is (as Sarah Addison Allen describes) a poor excuse for a Southern Bell. She lives a quite uneventful life, with only sweets to comfort her, until she finds Della Lee Baker hiding in her closet. Together they work to help Josey escape the bonds of her overbearing mother and rewrite the reputation of her childhood. Along the way she gains a new perspective about family loyalty, friendship, and love. I absolutely loved each moment of this book.
I finished “The Sugar Queen” one evening around midnight and was so moved that I immediately began reading “Garden Spells”. “Garden Spells” recounts a story of two sisters attempting to reconnect after a long and mysterious absence. As Waverley’s they have always been branded as a bit odd by residents of their small town. While one sister embraced this the other ran as far as she could to escape only to find herself right back there, in the home she grew up in, with her small daughter, only ten years later. They work together to overcome the demons of their pasts in an attempt to embrace their common legacy. The passion and unexpected beauty conveyed in this story made it almost impossible to put down. I finished it in about three days.
As soon as I finished “Garden Spells” I moved on to “The Girl Who Chased the Moon”. After having such success with Sarah Addison Allen’s other two books I was not surprised to find myself unable to put it down. “The Girl Who Chased the Moon” tells the story of Emily Benedict, a young girl who returns to her mother’s hometown following her unexpected death. She lives with her grandfather she never knew in a room which wallpaper changes depending on the mood of its inhabitant. On her first night there she already experiences what locals call the “Mullaby Lights” believed to be anything from a figment of ones imagination to ghosts. Emily works to understand the childhood and people her mother left behind while forging her own path into adulthood determined to find herself in this town of misfits. By the end of this book I was in tears. It is a beautiful story.
Sarah Addison Allen has a new book out called “The Peach Keeper” which I have not yet read. I wanted to finish my latest book, “The Help”, so that I may be prepared for the movie expected at the end of August. It is at the top of my list and I hope to get to it before the summer ends.
So if you find yourself in need of adding a bit of magic into your summer please visit your local library (The Riverhead Free Library is wonderful) or book store and pick up any of Sarah Addison Allen’s books. They are the perfect summer read.
Happy Reading,
– The Mad Mama
The Mad Mama 