The Girl Who Chased the Moon | Book Review and Contest

Book: The Girl Who Chased the Moon

Authoress: Sarah Addison Allen

Publisher: Bantam

Release date: March 16, 2010

Formats: Hardcover, Kindle

Genre: Adult Fiction

Goodreads: The Girl Who Chased the Moon

Tagline: "Emily has just moved to a town full of inexplicable mysteries..."

What they say: "Emily Benedict came to Mullaby, North Carolina, hoping to solve at least some of the riddles surrounding her mother's life. For instance, why did Dulcie Shelby leave her hometown so suddenly? Why did she vow never to return? But the moment Emily enters the house where her mother grew up and meets the grandfather she never knew—a reclusive, real-life gentle giant—she realizes that mysteries aren't solved in Mullaby, they're a way of life.

Here are rooms where the wallpaper changes to suit your mood. Unexplained lights skip across the yard at midnight. And a neighbor bakes hope in the form of cakes.

Can a hummingbird cake really bring back a lost love? Is there really a ghost dancing in Emily’s backyard? The answers are never what you expect. But in this town of lovable misfits, the unexpected fits right in."

My say: Like a glass of sweet tea on hot Southern day, The Girl Who Chased the Moon is refreshing, rich, and deliciously Southern. The day my book arrived I had reached a reader's plateau. Nothing seemed interesting. Then I arrived home to a tiny package. Immediately (with in moments of opening the parcel) I knew this was the book that would reignite my vigor for reading. Sarah Addison Allen doesn't write. She paints beautiful images with her words. The kind of words you can almost taste.

Characters: Perfectly flawed

Plot: Mysterious and engaging

Writing: Descriptive and scrumptious

My verdict: The Girl Who Chased the Moon is a magically infused tale of mistakes, forgiveness, and making peace with your past.

My recommendation: Go to your favorite bookseller and order this book right now. It is down right charming.

My star rating: 5 out of 5 stars; I LOVE LOVE LOVE this book and want a hardcover copy for my collection.

My meter readings:

• Kiddie-o-meter: This tale is for grown girls and therefore features some mature themes that are best suited for older teens and adults. I hesitate to tell you what they are because I refuse to give away the mystery. Email me directly if you are itching to know.
• Adult-o-meter: I can not think of a woman I would not recommend this book to.

My favorite quotes:

• "It was like she was made of cake, light and pretty and decorated on the outside - with her sweet laugh and pink streak to her hair - but it was anyone's guess what was on the inside. Emily suspected it was something dark."
• "It was one of life's great injustices, that you can move on and be accomplished and happy, but the moment you see someone from high school you immediately become the person you were then, not the person you are now."

My cover thoughts: I love this enchanting cover. It not only fits the story perfectly but it also comes from a passage in the book.

My notes:

Sarah Addison Allen has a beautiful web site that you simply must visit.

You can take a virtual tour of Mullaby or print recipes from the book like this one:

Southern Peach Pound Cake

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

2 cups white sugar

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups fresh peaches, pitted and chopped

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla. Reserve 1/4 cup of flour for later, and sift together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually stir into the creamed mixture. Use the reserved flour to coat the chopped peaches, then fold the floured peaches into the batter. Spread evenly into a 10 inch tube pan that has been buttered and coated with white sugar. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes in 325 degree oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Allow cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

My contest: Want to win my ARC of The Girl Who Chased the Moon? Comment with your email address below. You must be a follower and resident of the US or Canada to enter. Contest ends one month from today on April 17th.

My final say: Sarah's writing snapped me out of my plateau. Has that happened to you recently? What author helped your snap out of your last slump?

Thank you to Pump Up Your Book Promotion for making this review possible.