The Almost Moon

It's quite rare that I don't finish a book I start but I found Alice Sebold's "The Almost Moon" so horribly depressing and totally warped that I closed it about 1/3 of the way through and gave up. Perhaps some of it hits too close to home for comfort, and I can certainly relate to some of the emotions and feelings, but her protagonist acts them out and they offend and frighten me.

I struggled through this warbled tale, which sends the reader back and forth through time, confusing them with names of characters that are not well-defined enough for us to recall who the heck they were to begin with...None of the characters are sympathetic, so it's hard to really to connect or care about any of them. In a nutshell, not a good read, at all.

Since I was one of the few that thought that Sebolds first novel was way over rated...could of been shelved as Young Adult actually...I think that the reviewers are being way to hard on this one.Unpleasent? Oh absolutely... but why do people find so unbelivable that someone raised in such an abysmal hell as Helen would not be a psychotic mess.Oh,I did not like her either...but I found her to be totally authentic.Both of her parents were severely mentally ill...the real fairytale would have been her being portrayed as anything but a trainwreck...Sebold is bright and very grounded...read this very talented author with an OPEN mind...you do not have to LIKE or identify with every protagonist...

This is a tedious book about a completely unsympathetic group of people, from the main character on through just about everyone else in the book. A couple very minor characters are tolerable, and the neighborhood stray cat, who appears very briefly, is the only bright spot in a very plodding, detail-oriented-to-the-painful-extreme book. I kept anticipating a page turn to read "I sat down. I took in a breath. I let it out. I looked at the fingernail of my right index finger. It had been recently trimmed, I remembered, along with the other nine. I breathed in again. Oxygen swirled in my lungs like invisible shadows, darkness within darkness. I breathed out. Air surrounded me, and I realized my mother also had breathed air, at least until I killed her, so I breathed in again. And thought of my mother." Etc.

Unless you enjoy reading about mind-numbing details in a book where nothing much really happens except endless reporting of what one inexcusable character is thinking, don't bother.

Like many others who have read this book, I was anticipating this read after having read "Lovely Bones". I felt mentally challenged as I weaved my way through paragraphs that jumped from past to present, character to character, and what was real and what was not. I have 60 or so pages to still read as I am not one to give up on a book that I have started. This is not what I expected from this author. It was a big disappointment.

This book follows what many have called the typical Sebold formula--starts with a bang and then falls flat (although I actually liked The Lovely Bones). I read it entirely, which is a pretty good sign, because if it was terrible I'd have no qualms giving up on it. But the dialogue was weird in a lot of places... a character would say something, and another character would respond with something that was irrelevant or made no sense. It was disjointed and not entirely believable to me. And (without giving too much away) the scene with the mob of neighbors coming to urge the Knightlys out of the neighborhood verged on absurdity.

Bottom line, Sebold's style of prose is great (minus some dialogue, as mentioned), but the novel just didn't have enough in it to make it outstanding. It's not something I'd ever read again.

I loved the Lovely Bones and I was so excited to find this book but I was very disappointed. I couldn't make it through this book. I kept looking for excuses not to read it. It started off way too morbid and bitter. I just kept thinking that this book was written for a deadline and the author didn't really care about it.. It was not put together well. The main character was bitter, immature, crazy and not in a good way. I will give this author an other chance just because The Lovely Bones was so good.

Had a tough time with this book. Did not know if I was going to finish it or not, but I did. Really a sad story, not my thing to read. Felt really sorry for the ones left behind to carry on. Her family.

There is nothing even vaguely likable about this book. I ploughed through The Lovely Bones because it seemed vaguely compulsory at the time (and thought it was over-rated) but the Almost Moon takes the biscuit for dreadfulness. It is one of the most unpleasant, obnoxious unreadable piece of nonsense that I have ever experienced.

The only reason I actually finished it was because I was stuck in an airport for 6 hours and the bookshops were closed. I think Ms Sebold was overwhelmed with her own cleverness after the success of The Lovely Bones and thought she could foist this drivel on her fans.

If you, like me, find yourself stuck in an airport with nothing except this book, do yourself a favor. Flush this book down the toilet and go watch the arrival and departure screens instead. Trust me, it will be a more uplifting experience.

I was completely transfixed by "The Lovely Bones" and have read all of Ms. Sebold's books since. The first book was such a rare success - the others have just not been able to measure up.

I work in hospice and so the emotions of the main character rang true to me, but I still had a lot of difficutly feeling anything for her. I was able to appreciate the book simply because it made me remember again what the caregivers for our patients go through each and every day.

I would not recommend to anyone unless the book is given to you or you find it in a clearance bin. Ms. Sebold may have exhausted all of the heart that she had for terrific writing when she finished "The Lovely Bones".

I really did not like this book and that says a lot coming from me. I read 2-3 books a week and I read all types. It is very rarely that I think a book is terrible. I liked her other books but this one was almost unreadable. I felt like the whole thing was just disjointed, I didn't care about the characters and just wanted it to be over. I found myself skimming to just get through it.

From the first chapter of this book I had the sinking feeling that I was not going to enjoy it. There's something about a poorly plotted and executed murder that leaves me with a sense of dread for the main character that I'd prefer to be introduced to first.

It unfortunately did not get any better as I suffered through the rest of the book. Despite being over 300 pages, Helen's character never made me feel the slightest bit of sympathy, fear or compassion. While her mother was pretty rotten, she certainly wasn't bad enough to elicit the response that she got from her daughter. The only relationship that was fully developed was the one between Helen and her ex-husband, which was confusing.

This is supposed to be a raw look at mental illness and the troublesome relationships between mothers and daughters. It fell flat on all accounts. I would not recommend wasting your time on this novel.

This was the first novel by Sebold that I've read. I was moved by it. There were characters in her book that I found myself feeling I have known my entire life. Her mother's mental illness really hit home. Having grown up in a home full of mental illnesses, I understood the loneliness that the main character felt growing up. Yes, I admit that some of the things she says or does are strange and don't make much sense but that's life. Not everything makes sense and it doesn't have to. That's the beauty in life. It is a dark novel, yes, but it is one you have to dive into with an open mind. I am surprised so many people disliked this novel, but humans have a tendency to dislike things they don't understand. Such as the main character, who killed that which she couldn't understand. Is she to blame? No, she was as much victim as her mother.

I was really looking forward to this book. I loved both The Lovely Bones and Lucky. I balked when my mother-in-law said "don't bother" after reading it herself. I received it as a Christmas gift from my the store wish list. I finally got around to reading it and literally just finished the book. I liked the book for the most part, up until the end. It felt like the ending was rushed. It just abruptly stopped with no conclusion. With as much detail as the rest of the book gave, is this the best she could do for an ending?

I thought this book would be interesting...and it was for a while. But around page 75 I had grown tired of the way the scenes jumped back and forth from what was happening in the present (how Helen is dealing with the murdering of her mother) to memories of Helen's family experiences that somehow were trying to explain her actions in the present. Although the book is interestingly written, I just couldn't take the jumping around from one thought to another and trying to keep it all straight. On top of that, Helen's actions were just incomprehensible after killing her mother. Nothing she did made any sense. I got bored with the part where she decides to have sex with her best friend's son for no apparent reason. I finally just skipped ahead to the last 10 pages of the book and read the ending and felt like I really didn't miss all that much by leaving out the 200 pages inbetween.

Alice Sebold is a fantastic story teller. I got "The Lovely Bones" as a audio book, and would re-listen to it while driving, walking the dogs, etc. Her new book "The Almost Moon" is a similiar story, only more reflection of madness. The audio book is read by actress, Joan Allen - a fantastic choice. I'm loyal to anything from Sebold because her vocabulary is lyrical and emotional connections are bittersweet. I love sad movies and sad stories, and Sebold recognizes the attraction we have to that type of story. I loved this book.

Maybe some of you wanted the cherry on top, happy ending version, but you should have known from Lovely Bones that Sebold is capable of and will take you to the deepest, darkest depths and dungeons of the human heart. This time, she gave you the dark without the light and I feel that this is what most of you got turned off to. It hit closer to reality, maybe too close for some of you hiding bad feelings in your closets that you are too afraid to think about. Such is life. Not everyone is going to kill their mother, but every dialogue, every decision of Helen's, every recollection hits home with incredible realism and depth. Most of us hide screwed up lives and it takes courage from Sebold to probe those buried feelings and write about it with such tenacity.

I think the bad reviews are unjustified. The Almost Moon was sincere, and powerful. Most importantly, it was deep on a whole other level than the rest of light reading popular fiction out there that I despise.

Open up to this book and appreciate it for what it really is. Thanks, Sebold.

I haven't read all the other reviews but wasn't surprised to see the mediocre overall ratings. I greatly enjoyed Sebold's 2 prior books so was anxious to read this one. It lacked something from the beginning, but I kept reading because I thought it had to get better. The characters weren't compelling, the plot never pulled me in, and too many of the background parts were confusing or irrelevant. Quite disappointing.

This is just not my kind of book. I have read dark stories before and have survived them, but this one is just not for me. The story of what it takes to kill your mother and then what to do after you have done that just does not grip me. Sorry.

J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the Isms" and "Wesley's Wars"

I, like many of the reviews I read, seriously considered putting this book down about a third of the way though. Instead I powered through thinking the story would get better, the characters would strike some kind of chord and suddenly become vibrant and relatable. Unfortunately, that never happened. The story was dull and the characters never became people I cared about or was even able to muster an interest in. I loved The Lovely Bones, which prompted me to buy this book without so much as a glance at the synopsis. The $2.99 bargain bin price should have tipped me off that I'd be more entertained reading Chinese takeout menus.

I actually found this book a good read. I can't say it was enjoyable, because it's not that type of subject matter, but there were numerous times that I totally empathized (and sympathized) with the main character.

THE ALMOST MOON is no The Lovely Bones: A Novel, and I don't believe it was meant to be. Some people are going to like the book, and others will hate it, but I think it was a good showing of Alice Sebold's range in fiction.

I thoroughly liked this book because I GET IT! Mental illness of one family member is one thing, but in this book everyone is affected by their own mental illlness AND how and what it does to each other overlaps and causes more pain. You never know what is going on in your neighbors home. This book is a capusule of such and a true to life story, very well written.

But this book is a jumbled mess and had me so confused many times I had to go back to make sure I understood. I didn't like the ending. I did want to like this book, but, sorry to say, it didn't end up that way.

I'll be honest. I didn't love "Lovely Bones." I found myself skimming often. Bored. Yeah, yeah, get on with it. Yet I took a chance on "Almost Noon." Thought the subject matter provided an interesting avenue to offer up a second chance to Ms. Sebold. Nope. Real people do really bad things sometimes. The characters in this novel did not strike me as real or likable and I couldn't care less who dies, who hooked up with whom, or whether or not the main character was arrested. Felt angered though, at spending the money on this novel. Read Augusten Burrough's latest to make me feel better. It did.

I have read Alice Sebold's other books and have enjoyed them. But, is this one a weird book or what? It starts out with a description of how a daughter kills her mother after dragging her body all over the place. It was very uncomfortable to read this and I kept reading just thinking it was going to get better, but unfortunately it didn't. I wish I wouldn't have wasted my time. When I was reading this book I keep looking at the back inside cover at the picture of the author, thinking, 'she doesn't look crazy' YIKES!

You have to admit writing a dark and mysterious book is pretty tough whithout trying to sound like a total creeper. I thought this book was magically written and had so much detailing that I feel like I have seen a movie of it. Basically, it is a dark book with a beautiful light about it. I loved it.

I believed the bad reviews and decided to skip this book... until a friend I trusted said it was compelling and moving. I practically held my breath the entire time I was reading it. Not every book is written to fritter away a few hours at the beach. I am astounded at Ms. Sebold's bravery and literary voice.

I was tempted to put this book down after the first 20 pages but kept on reading hoping for more clarity on the events that led up to the main characters murder of her mother. It never came. Because the details of the back story were so sketchy you never develop any empathy for the main character. The ending was unbelievably abrupt and did nothing to tie up events it was very unsatisfying.

I was so disappointed with "The Almost Moon" as "The Lovely Bones" is one of my all-time favorite books. I have no idea how these books were written by the same person. The book is mostly about mental illness and I have to wonder if Alice Sebold had a momentary lapse into psychosis while writing this. The story is not at all believable, the characters and plotline are disjointed, and the back and forth between present day and her past is confusing. The book is almost entirely made up of "oh, and this one time..." type of childhood stories. I was so frustrated with the book I decided to just skim through the last 100 pages or so to find out how it ended, hoping for a nice conclusion. That didn't happen; it was a bad ending to a poorly written book. I'm disappointed I wasted my time and money on this book. Hopefully Sebold snaps out of it and will write another amazing book like "The Lovely Bones" or "Lucky" and we can just forget about this one.

Terrible. Absolutely Terrible. Yes, I finished this book. No, I didn't read the Lovely Bones.

The entire story drags on forever, with the only anticipated moments in the last 10 pages of the book. I wanted to quit this book 30 pages in, but relaxed and read more - only because I was trapped in a 5 hour traffic jam outside of Washington DC.

I would rather sit in idle traffic than read this book again. The characters seem like an effort for Sebold to have some twisted over development that leads to absolutely nowhere.

This was a huge let down after Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones. The Almost Moon lacked the lyrical prose and magic of Sebold's first novel. This was not due to the depressing subject matter of the story, but a rather strange approach to the craft and development of the story. The reader is left with a sense of incompletion and bewilderment at the end of the novel. You kind of even hate the main character and feel no sympathy for her or her predictament.
I actually uttered the phrase "That was a terrible book." upon finishing the last paragraph, I would not recommend this book....

It takes me a LOT to be able to give a book a bad review. This book, however, deserves the honor of being the worse book I've ever attempted to read. That's right, attempted to read. It was so boring, so tedious, so terrible I couldn't get a quarter of the way through it. Can't imagine forcing myself to try and read the entire book. This is a case of having hopeful thoughts after reading another book by the author that you loved (The Lovely Bones) and being so hugely disappointed. I guess the positive is the author can only go up from here.

I really liked the Lovely Bones, that's why I bought this book. From the intriguing first sentence, I was thinking "okay, another great book"; that thought lasted about 2 pages; then the depression began to set in. I tried to stop reading it (couldn't do that) as I had hope the spirit of the book might pick up a bit. It didn't.

This is a miserably dark novel that explores generational mental illness. The graphic details told by a disturbed daughter don't make for enjoyable reading. I wanted to give up and not finish, but I admit I was interested enough to see where the author was going with it. When I came to the end I found out - nowhere. My recommendation, as many others, is not to waste your time. There are better things out there.

Alice Sebold is such a brilliant writer. Many people obviously are turned off by this book because it is a very dark and distasteful taboo~~murder~~of your mother. I thought the book was beautifully written, and was at times painful to read, but mostly, I have to say that I admire Ms. Sebold's willingness to explore some pretty dark territory.

This book is a huge bummer. I'm only a couple of chapters in but HATE IT so far...none of the well-crafted characters of The Lovely Bones and really, none of the suspense.

My other beef is that the back cover of the book told me almost nothing about the story. I wish I hadn't bought it. I loved Alice Seybold's other two books and wish this one was just as good.

I had heard about this book from the interview with the author on NPR - and from a couple of friends that had heard the interview and thought of me and my caregiving relationship with my mother. Although there were a few choice quotes and sections that I considered being good writing and interesting, I really didn't care much at all for this book - especially the ending! How in the world can you just end a book that way!? I must say I kept reading because I kept thinking that it had to get better. Unfortunately it never did. Such a waste of a potentially good plot for a story.

Mental illness, and other serious disabilities, almost always have a profound effect upon families and the individuals that make up those families. The Almost Moon tells a story about one such individual, Helen Knightley, whose mother has suffered from severe agoraphobia all her life and as the novel commences is sliding rapidly into senile dementia. When Helen impulsively smothers her mother, who has just soiled herself and continues to snipe at her daughter while she attempts to clean her up, the severe repression that has always crippled Helen is violently ripped away. In the course of 24 harrowing hours, the truths of Helen's life and identity rush to the surface with almost unbearable clarity.

Sebold wrote The Almost Moon using a combination of stream of consciousness and memory. Readers who are not comfortable with novels based upon irrationality, and inner rather than overt forms of action, will probably dislike this novel. But mental illness is illogical. Watching Helen come to terms with what she has done, and why she has done it, is a slow, unpleasant process. But unlike those who found the ending of this book inconclusive, I found it to be clear and, well, logical. I think I know very well what is about to happen. I won't say more to avoid spoilers.

I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb, and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon, are other titles that deal with mental illness in a way that seems more palatable to many readers. But, though I find myself in the minority here on the store, I enjoyed The Almost Moon as well, dark as it is. Life is not always sunny and warm.

There is nothing redeeming about the characters in this book. In an effort to make them complex, the author manages to make them perversely disgusting. I can handle reading about difficult subject matter and don't expect sunshine and rainbows all the time. Sebold writes about life's tragic turns adroitly in her first two books. This book, however, is just a whole lot of depressive nonsense that doesn't lead anywhere.

The main character is a washed up divorcee with a mentally ill mother. The dialogue in this book is forced. You pick up the book feeling that the mystery of this family will be revealed, but it isn't. You just learn they are bizarre.

The pacing of this book is terrible, even though other critics lauded it. The flashbacks will sometimes last a page, and sometimes last 20 pages. I felt like a ping-pong ball being bounced between the protagonist's past and present. There is no fluidity. Skip this one or wait for a deep discount.

Alice Sebold is such a brilliant writer. Many people obviously are turned off by this book because it is a very dark and distasteful taboo~~murder~~of your mother. I thought the book was beautifully written, and was at times painful to read, but mostly, I have to say that I admire Ms. Sebold's willingness to explore some pretty dark territory.

This book is a huge bummer. I'm only a couple of chapters in but HATE IT so far...none of the well-crafted characters of The Lovely Bones and really, none of the suspense.

My other beef is that the back cover of the book told me almost nothing about the story. I wish I hadn't bought it. I loved Alice Seybold's other two books and wish this one was just as good.

I had heard about this book from the interview with the author on NPR - and from a couple of friends that had heard the interview and thought of me and my caregiving relationship with my mother. Although there were a few choice quotes and sections that I considered being good writing and interesting, I really didn't care much at all for this book - especially the ending! How in the world can you just end a book that way!? I must say I kept reading because I kept thinking that it had to get better. Unfortunately it never did. Such a waste of a potentially good plot for a story.

Mental illness, and other serious disabilities, almost always have a profound effect upon families and the individuals that make up those families. The Almost Moon tells a story about one such individual, Helen Knightley, whose mother has suffered from severe agoraphobia all her life and as the novel commences is sliding rapidly into senile dementia. When Helen impulsively smothers her mother, who has just soiled herself and continues to snipe at her daughter while she attempts to clean her up, the severe repression that has always crippled Helen is violently ripped away. In the course of 24 harrowing hours, the truths of Helen's life and identity rush to the surface with almost unbearable clarity.

Sebold wrote The Almost Moon using a combination of stream of consciousness and memory. Readers who are not comfortable with novels based upon irrationality, and inner rather than overt forms of action, will probably dislike this novel. But mental illness is illogical. Watching Helen come to terms with what she has done, and why she has done it, is a slow, unpleasant process. But unlike those who found the ending of this book inconclusive, I found it to be clear and, well, logical. I think I know very well what is about to happen. I won't say more to avoid spoilers.

I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb, and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon, are other titles that deal with mental illness in a way that seems more palatable to many readers. But, though I find myself in the minority here on the store, I enjoyed The Almost Moon as well, dark as it is. Life is not always sunny and warm.

There is nothing redeeming about the characters in this book. In an effort to make them complex, the author manages to make them perversely disgusting. I can handle reading about difficult subject matter and don't expect sunshine and rainbows all the time. Sebold writes about life's tragic turns adroitly in her first two books. This book, however, is just a whole lot of depressive nonsense that doesn't lead anywhere.

The main character is a washed up divorcee with a mentally ill mother. The dialogue in this book is forced. You pick up the book feeling that the mystery of this family will be revealed, but it isn't. You just learn they are bizarre.

The pacing of this book is terrible, even though other critics lauded it. The flashbacks will sometimes last a page, and sometimes last 20 pages. I felt like a ping-pong ball being bounced between the protagonist's past and present. There is no fluidity. Skip this one or wait for a deep discount.

I like dark. I like weird. I like different. I like reading about mental illness, I find it fascinating. And yet, I hated this book! It had nothing to do with the subject matter - a woman killing her mother, dealing with her own mental illness and the illness of her family members. I found no empathy, nothing to connect with the character, nothing to make me say, "This story is interesting, I want to see how it ends." I had to force myself to finish it, hoping that something might redeem the story by the end of the novel - but here's where it all went wrong... I know there is definitely something wrong when I am rooting for the character to just go ahead and do herself in, just so we can be finished with the story and get on with life. Then, when that didn't even happen, I felt like I was let down in the most severe way - nothing at all happened!! I have just experienced extreme disappointment from an author I was hoping would soon become one of my favorites.

Alice Seabold fell short of her reputation. I read The Lovely Bones and Lucky and was so excited to read The Almost Moon, but ended up extremely disappointed.
This book was hard to read, it really just was not that interesting. I got the point of the book pretty much in the first few pages, Helen and her mom have been crazy all their lives, the other characters victims of they horrible antics. To be honest, this book did not need to be this long. I had to make myself finish reading this book.
I love Alice's previous work and look forward to reading more of her work.

The Lovely Bones and Lucky are probably in my top favorites. I read this book the second it came out (seriously) and read it as fast as possible. I was so upset at the end of the book, because I couldn't believe a book like that came from Sebold. Disappointed is putting it nicely. I mean, I think I would have enjoyed a random paperback at the supermarket than this. I say, give it a try, because it either seems that you love it or hate it, but I think you need to lower your expectations.

Had to skim most of this book. I hoped it would get better but it never did. I enjoyed her other books she has written but this one is not worth reading. I could not relate to the main character, agonizing details, and poor plot. And overall hard to believe. Save your time and read something else!

"When all is said and done, killing my mother came easily" -Helen

Like most of Sebold's reviewers here, I had waited on razor's edge to read her next novel.

After reading it in one day, only to get through it to start "Love in the Time of Cholera", I let out a loud harrumph of frustration, waking my husband.

Sebold's writing jumps around much like her protagonist's mental state. I never felt "attached" to this novel or it's characters.

Caregivers of the world, be warned... this book is not for your eyes!

I wish I could say something good about this novel, since I was so looking forward to it, but - I can't.

This book is disappointing, it was a good premise and timely in the so called sandwich generation however I really find nothing to like about Helen and cannot even care about her to finish the novel. Somewhere it went wrong. OK her mom was nutty and her dad offed himself but you never get to why. And Helen herself is very weird and selfish, she never learns anything she just trudges through and martyrs over caring for her mother. I guess I just don't get it.

I have read The Lovely Bones (which is still my favorite) as well as Lucky and now comes this book (which oddly enough my mother bought me for Christmas.) It did not dissapoint! Although it was anything but normal, it was amazing. I don't think people read Sebold's books to read "normal." I enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down. If you are looking for something different, this book is the way to go!

I can't believe I actually read the whole book. It was such an easy read and I thought it would get better on the next page. It didn't. It was depressing and stressful and the heroine was stupid and unexciting.

I just finished this book last night, and I can't stop thinking about it. It has been a long time since I read something that picks up so much steam as it unfolds. The insights, not just into Helen's family life, but the relationships in every family -- just beautiful. And what I like about Alice Sebold's writing is that everything isn't just laid out for you. You're really challenged to delve into these characters and situations, draw conclusions based on your own experiences, and move along from there. I've never read an author that does that so effortlessly.

Full of suspense, and surprisingly enough, humor...I just can't recommend this book enough. Buy it. Read the whole book, not just the first one or two chapters so you can feign outrage at the perceived subject matter.

I haven't read a novel this good in quite some time. I'll certainly never forget it.

Not much more to say beyond that. This book was incredibly frustrating due to overwriting and a ridiculous storyline. I finished it only to see what ultimately happened to the lead character and by the time I got there, I could not have cared less. Just a mess. Wish I could get the time back.

The Almost Moon is one of the worst books I have ever read. You read this book thinking "Something is going to happen that will make all of this make sense." Don't hold your breath. This story takes the place over the course of one day, a feat that very few authors can/should tackle. The main event in this book is perhaps the only event, one waits for another shock, anything really, but the remainder is just monotonous dialogue. I continued reading the book thinking that it would get better, after all it's the same author that wrote "Lucky." It's as though they are written by two different people. If you have not read Sebold's "Lucky," get that instead but DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY on this book, you will be disappointed.

Who better to write a book about a dark theme and infuse humor into it...ALICE SEBOLD! I loved THE LOVELY BONES and then her memoir LUCKY...so when my mother said she read a book and it was really weird and thought I might like it (I guess she was telling me I am weird) and I found out Sebold authored it I was ready to read and climbed right into the story with all its contrived madness and zaniness and I loved every word of it. BRAVO! Can't wait to see what Alice comes up with next...bring it!

I just finished Alice Sebold's The Almost Moon. I am still disturbed by the entire experience. I enjoyed both of her previous books and was ready for her dark writing style. This book was way beyond anything that I would ever have anticipated. I read through it very quickly and wanted to put it away several times but I kept hoping that somehow the novel's tenor would change. In retrospect, with such a morose plot and dark details, I should have known that no good would have come from this novel. This book is nothing like her earlier two, if you liked those you may not like this one. I for one am disappointed by the fact that I spent my time reading this book and it actually gave me nightmares! I would not recommend this book to anyone!

Alice Sebold has a talent to draw in, yet thoroughly disgust her readers. Her stories are like a car crash that you just can't seem to pull your eyes away from. I managed to get through The Lovely Bones. However, this book just got too graphic for me and after the first few chapters I gave up, not wanting to retain the mental images she was creating for me.

The Almost Moon: A Novel

Well, I couldn't put the book down. I really enjoyed the author's other books and couldn't wait to read this one either. It might magnify the drama of real life a bit, but that's the kind of reading I like. The absurd. The outlandish. The things I wouldn't have the guts to do myself - although I don't see myself ever murdering anyone. My mom had dementia and there were times I missed her sooooo... much and felt so sad for the empty shell she had become, I understood the character's actions. I think the author is an artist with words. A recent NPR interview convinced me that I had to read the book. Look for the podcast to hear why it will give you more introspect to the book. If others can recommend more books like this, please do. I'm a fan of The Bell Jar too, so you can see I'm an audience of one of the damaged and bizarre. Try Geek Love.

WEIRD............the first half of the book talks about how she killed her elderly mother followed by different things she did with the body.............there are flashbacks of the killers life throught the second half of the book......I read this book after the lovely bones (same author) and I am a little disappointed.

In spite of the beginning of Sebold's novel, where she impulsively smothers her eighty-eight-year-old mother, Clair, the topic offers much material, the complicated relationships of mothers and daughters, especially the kind of toxic relationship that often develops in dysfunctional families. What is extraordinary- almost slapstick- is Helen's resolution to years of seething resentment, as well as her decision about what to do with the body, who to contact and what her actions will mean for the immediate future. The death is a fait accompli; once done, little is left but deciding the next step.

Sebold quickly disabuses me of any pretensions about this pathetic mother-daughter connection, a long history of rage, resentment and twisted love the hallmark of a mother and daughter who act out their tug of war on a small stage. Any similarity to other such situations end there- Helen's disposal of the body narrated with the embellishment of years of pain, their history related in a disturbing diatribe, giving vent to a girl's efforts to find love where there is none. At forty-nine, Helen is a mother and a grandmother, certainly having learned something along the way about what we pass on to our children. But Sebold clings to Helen's commitment to her action, regressing to an angry child raging at a terrible mother. In death, as in life, Clair has nothing to offer; her daughter having stolen her mother's bitter legacy, her last breath.

Sebold offers her readers but page after page of anguish, turmoil and a profound lack of love in a family of three. Ex-husband Jake, a stupid and meaningless coupling with her best friend's son and her recreation of an unfortunate childhood leave a vacuum in their wake, save a shocking decision by a daughter whose life might have been far less successful, given her family history. Helen chooses to descend into this madness, her adult life clearly different from her childhood. I find it impossible to fathom the point of this story, except perhaps as a matricidal fantasy. The Almost Moon is a human train wreck, the only fascination in passing the scene of the accident, a piece of work unremitting in its self-absorption. I simply cannot care about these characters or whatever purgative message the author intends. The title, "The Almost Moon", refers to an almost mother, never quite there, the perfect foil to an almost novel.

Whatever Sebold's talents, this novel fails to inspire me, a toxic stew that is vaguely repulsive for all its fantasy fulfillment; I haven't the energy to consider the context of this work, weighted by overwhelming emotional burdens that certainly describe Helen's state of mind and her years of denial at the hands of a selfish woman; but there is no meat here other than the temporary exorcising of Helen's demons, a daughter in eternal lock step with a destructive woman now that the deed is done. Luan Gaines/2007.

I concure with the other reviews. This book was a disappointment and I couldn't wait to get through it, hopeful to the end that somehow the plot? would all come together. Does Helen have the courage to kill herself and what has she done with her life? Devoted daughter, so what. Disfunctional wife and mother, so. I had no sympathy or empathy for her or for that matter, any of the characters. Question, why were her parents so disfunctional? What occured in their lives to leave them so damaged? With a little more substance this could have been a better book. So, some authors can only write one super, good novel, like "Lovely Bones."? The Almost Moon

I thought it made for a good story and I do like to read books by authors such as Alice Sebold that take on subjects that most authors won't touch. However, I found a lot of the book to be somewhat disturbing. I wanted to go hug my mom immediately after finishing the book.

I knew going into this story that it would be an uncomfortable read given the subject matter, but I was disappointed to find not one moment I could relate to as a daughter, mother, wife, friend or human being. Helen is thoroughly unlikable, which might have been all right if her actions at least had some kind of logic. Instead, not one thing she did made any kind of sense, even if she had been overcome with emotion after realizing that she had killed her mother. I have read books that I haven't enjoyed before, but rarely have I read one that I felt was a complete waste of my time.

I was 3/4 of the way through this book and told my book group -- DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK ... I found it disgusting, disjointed, disappointing and I was disgruntled. I loved Lovely Bones and liked (probably too strong) Lucky. If you can get through the first 3/4, the end is pretty good. Sebold softens a bit. T=While the end is good but I would still recommend that readers put this on the VERY BOTTOM of their reading lists... Too bad...

Don't bother with this one. You may be able to relate to the deliberate murder, by an unstable daughter, of her elderly mother who is no longer "alive" due to the mental and physical ravages of illness and age, but, beyond the first few pages, this book totally fails to deliver. A blatant effort to capitalize on the success of "The Lovely Bones", this pathetic excuse for a book should never have been published. It should rate 1/2 of one star.

Like so many others, I was waiting for this book to come out and was even willing to pay for the hardcover because I figured I wouldn't be wasting my money because I usually read my books more than once, but I couldn't even get through the first few chapters of this book without feeling nauseated by the whole plot. What daughter would kill her own mother because she is demented and has an "accident" whether she was a good mother or not??? I just don't see that as a good subject line to begin with and couldn't really get past it. After that there really wasn't enough left to keep me interested and by then I was so disgusted with the storyline that I put the book aside. Not worth the money. I'm hoping Alice was rushed to get another book published, but next time I'll wait for paperback.

I picked up this book because I liked The Lovely Bones. I kept reading it because my own mother's relationship with her mother was similar to Helen's. Regardless, the book was morbid and I hated everything about it. Don't read it!

This novel left me shaking my head and thinking, "This is the same author who wrote Lovely Bones? Huh.."

Reading it was like driving by a car accident - you don't want to look, and each time you get a periphial glimpse, you can see it just isn't good. Then when you finally give in and take a good look, you immediately wish you had chosen a different road.

This was one I looked forward too and then didn't even finish. Did everyone have to be so unlikeable? Yes, we can understand the motivation, the life-long abuse but nevertheless this book felt ugly to me. Sorry Alice, loved "Lovely Bones" and "Lucky".

I kept hoping that there would be some point to the story, but it never happened. Yes, the subject matter was disturbing, but that's not why I hated the book. To me, the worst offense of the book was that the characters were never well developed. With such shocking subject matter, I was searching to understand the characters but I never figured out who they were. When I ranted about the stupidity of the book to my husband after reading it, he said, "Why are you torturing me with this story now?" Save your time and money for a better book.

ALMOST MOON has a clever title and a few instances of almost lyrical writing. Unfortunately that does not make up for the absurd plot line, unrealistic characters, and elements that seem to be in place simply to shock the reader. As I mentioned in my title Sebold seems to be trying to place a Southern Gothic - a very poorly rendered Southern Gothic complete with grotesque features in Pennsylvania. The book's conclusion seems to happen just because Sebold had finished enough pages to declare herself finished and this book would never have merited publication if Sebold was not all ready a proven best selling author

Don't judge Helen; just read the book. Just because it's not a predictable, formula-based, paint-by-numbers "bestseller" doesn't mean it's bad. Life is not all skin warming sunshine and cheek licking puppy dogs and cookie baking moms. It is dark and light, and that is okay.

This was the first novel ever that I was unable to finish. It was a thoroughly unbelievable and contrived story. I have always been one to slug through anything to find the gem. Unfortunately, as each page unfolded it seemed clear that there was no gem to be found in this book. So, I decided to check the online reviews (possibly it was me), but I soon discovered that the majority of readers were having the same issues with this particular read. Do not....I repeat....do not spend money for this book. If you feel so compelled, find it at the library.

I had been looking forward to The Almost Moon, as The Lovely Bones is one of my favorite books. I am so disappointed in The Almost Moon - it was dark, gloomy, and didn't make me feel any attachment toward Helen whatsoever... I had to force myself to finish reading it, and then the ending was awful! I hope Alice Sebold's next book exhibits her writing talents, as this book did not...

This is a great book. I am a huge fan of Alice Sebold's and couldn't put this down! Her memoir, "LUCKY" was very well written. "THE LOVELY BONES" was a great novel. Now, this.....awesome!!

I can't wait to see what she writes next.

I love a dark book and this was definitely one of them. A crazy lady with an even crazier mom, always good. I've got to say though, the ending was just awful. It's frustrating to know you could have ended a book much better than the author. I've also read "Lovely Bones" and there was a part towards the end that was the most ridiculous thing I've ever read. I don't think I'll be reading any more Alice Sebold.

As someone who's stayed up late on many occasions pondering the meaning of life, the size of the universe, the possibilities of man's future, etc. I was very eager to get my hands on a copy of this book. I borrowed mine from a friend and sat down one evening to read it through. As I turned each page, a few things repeatedly jumped out at me that kept turning me off.

1. I'm not the average reader. I've spent the past seven years of my life studying languages including Spanish, Russian, English and a plethora of different computer languages. I found almost every page seemed to be plagued by too much use of the thesaurus. It's not that it's overly tough to understand the book as a whole or look up words I don't quite know. It's more so that he attempts to use words instead of valid points to further his own ideas. As Einstein once said, if you can't put it simply you don't know it well enough.

2. There are constant references made to movies that have had some sort of impact on the author. He spends time trying to explain who is who, what they do, their experiences, why they do what they do, who played the character etc. While it typically doesn't take up more than a page, I can't help but think he would've had a better time coming up with his own examples instead of using someone else's work.

3. The one thing that bugged me the most about the book was the author's lack of sincerity with religion. I'm by no means a religious aficionado and have my own beliefs, but the author's words are often contradictory. On one page he'll say he doesn't wish to criticize religion but on the next he refers to religious ideas as myths. How can you refer to yourself as a scientific philosopher yet quote the big bang as truth and religion as myth? The big bang has an origin that is heavily supported by M-Theory, which basically states that something *caused* the bang. It produces a hierarchical set of questions (if x caused y, what caused x?) but it's definitely something to think about.

I really wanted to give the book three stars for some of the great content it actually does contain, but his treatment of religion bugs me too much. It's like he's not trying to find the answer to life by observing different ideas, it's more like he's trying to subtly define the answer to life through his own belief system.

What a bomb. Sebold is a good writer, but really this story has ABSOLUTELY NO craft to it. THIS STORY GOES NOWHERE. In fact there is no story to it at all. CK out the elements of STORY by McKee. It will help next time.

A waste of paper.

Overall, I enjoyed it. Yes, twisted, but everything Sebold writes it. The subject content of matricide was more normal to me than Sebold's lesbian ghost surprise ending that I hated in Lovely Bones.

Ultimately, I would rate Lucky to be my favorite, then Almost Moon and last, Lovely Bones.

This novel is worth the read.

Words can't explain the story behind this book. It is amazing how we live our lives masked by every day issues. How sad to have grown up in a house like that. Although Helen didn't even know how bad it was to the end. It is a wake up call for all parents who are depressed, and to get medication and the help that you need. Its a great book for a book club. I highly recommed it.

I bought this book in the airport and didn't have time to check on the store to see if it is good or not. I had liked "Lovely Bones." This one is a disgusting, boring, sick, dark book. Save your money. Now I know I will toss it as was my first inclinations.

Where are you Ms. Sebold? I don't know what happened! Her last two books left me wanting more...now I can't even finish this book! I went from reading 'World Without End' which I couldn't put down to this which I can't pick up. It's confusing, boring, gross (lots of diarrhea!) and well, just plain awful. I want my money back!

I'm rather upset with myself for finishing this book. Ordinarily, I don't bother if I don't like any of the characters within the first few pages. In this book, I couldn't stand the main character almost immediately. I kept reading, I think, hoping to find a more reasonable (?) explanation for murdering one's mother, but self-pity and selfishness are ridiculous reasons as far as I'm concerned. Too much of this book was spent on oddly picturesque descriptions of depressing surroundings that didn't matter to me. Maybe if some of the characters were given a little more depth, they might have been more likeable, but I doubt it.

Although not a lover of The Lovely Bones, I read The Almost Moon because it was recommended as a "favorite paperback" at the book store. Mistake. It is dark and nonsensical. The best thing I can say about the author's work is that she does a good job of describing the protagonist's physical characteristics. If this is a "#1 National Bestseller," it is only because readers were expecting something better from Alice Sebold. Do not waste your money.

I am sorely disappointed by this disjointed mess of a novel. The exploration of the taboo subject matter collapses under the weight of unending tedium. It is not revelatory, sadly is not even remotely interesting. I can't believe how such a talented author could send this to print and dupe her fan base.

This had to be the worst book I've ever read, and I've read many. Yes, the subject matter was dark, but that had nothing to do with my dislike. If the author was hoping we would feel sorry for the main character, it was missed on me. The more I read, the more I found myself not liking Helen. I hoped the ending would make me feel like I hadn't wasted my time, but to no avail. I was so disappointed at the abrupt end to the story. I am very happy I got this from the library and didn't waste my money .

I can see why some people might call this book "dark" or "disturbing." It is both those things. It deals with a situation that, if presented improperly, becomes not about the complexities of human nature, but rather about titillation. This book is too Texas Chainsaw Massacre and not enough The Ring. Sorry, Ms. Seabold, but I hated this book. I stuck with it until the end, believing in you and hoping for some big reveal that would make it all ok, but it never arrived.

Anyone who has read Alice Sebold shouldn't be expecting chick lit with her second fictional release. If you were, move along to another author. Sebold is honest and, what some may describe as dark, but she is also breathtaking and captivating. I couldn't put this book down.

I have been very surprised by so many negative reviews. Yes, portions of this novel are extremely graphic but I think they are there for a reason. Give this book a chance.

Haven't finished the book yet so can't comment on the ending, which some other reviewers criticize. However, I must say that I find the book terribly dark and horrifying and yet totally compelling. So I will finish it.

I found this book extremely boring, hard to read. Not enough dialogue or storyline in general. I'm surprised and disappointed, because I thought I would really enjoy it the same way I did The Lovely Bones. Not the case. Pass on this book if you were under the same impression.

I admit that this was a dark perverse novel, but it kept me going as I really wanted to find out how Helen would get out of it. The parents were just quirky enough to make them real in a very odd way. I was disappointed with the weak ending.

After reading Lovely Bones I was looking forward to another novel by Alice Sebold. The book was very diappointing to me, as it left you with the feeling of being incomplete. I cannot fathom a situation like this. The entire book was just too strange.

I loved the book Lovely Bones and thought this book would be well written also, but I was dissapointed. I only read through the part where she kills her mother and I just could not go on anymore. I just could not get into it. Im glad I borrowed the book and didnt pay for it.

I admit that I didn't finish this book - I couldn't, and, after reading the other reviews, I saw no reason to. The plot is ridiculous & vile, the main character disgusting, and the writing boring. Avoid it.

Not a single likable character in this book ESPECIALLY the main character. Easy to read, therefore, two stars, but it's just not a story worth reading and I wish I would have known that before wasting my time.

You will either love this book or hate it. (As all the critics did.) It helps if you have no preconceived notions about the author. (I haven't read "Lovely Bones" yet.) Think that taking care of your elderly parent isn't hard and tiring? Ever been puzzled and horrified by the thought of a person suddenly reaching their breaking point and snapping? Then read this book. If you bear with it and keep an open mind, it will be worth it.

Having read "The Lovely Bones", I was really looking forward to Alice Sebold's next novel. What a disappointment! I found the main character, and what she did so unbelievable that I felt it was a waste of my time reading it.

"When all is said and done, killing my mother came easily". So begins Alice Sebold's latest novel, "Almost Moon". Helen Knightly is a divorcee, whose elderly mother is suffering from dementia and who is abusive and unpleasant to be around. Her mother is clearly mad - but it turns out she has been so her entire life, it's just the medical terminology that has changed. Helen is at breaking point: she suffocates her mother, dumps her in the freezer and goes off to sleep with her best friend's son.

I enjoyed "The Lovely Bones" and looked forward to reading this book, but I disliked it so much that it was a struggle to finish it. I intensely disliked Helen - I thought she was unbelievably self-centered and I hated the choices that she made. I think it was Sebold's intention for us to dislike Helen but at the same time to understand why she did the things she did (and so we learn about her extremely dysfunctional childhood and failed marriage). Which is fine, and we do grow to understand her, but it doesn't make for enjoyable reading.

Sebold came up with a good premise for a novel - and a great first line - but ultimately she fails to deliver. This is an unpleasant book and I cannot recommend it. If you liked "Lovely Bones" - avoid this.

I absolutely loved Sebold's first novel "The Lovely Bones" but this book, The Almost Moon, was TERRIBLE! It was boring from start to finish and moved at the speed of a snail. It was an interesting concept, but was very poorly executed. I don't recommend wasting your time on this disaster of a book.

For only the second time in my life I have been unable to finish a book. This book is revolting from the start and gets worse as the pages drag on. I made it to the scene with her best friend's son and I cannot go one page further. I loved Alice Sebold's first two books but this one is only fit to use in a fire or put in a landfill.

I picked up this book from the clearance section at Target, I couldn't believe how cheap it was. Now I see why. This story has absolutely no plot and is just plain weird. I will not make the excuse that Ms. Sebold is just a "dark author". The Brontes were dark authors. This book is complete trash.

I was eager to read this new novel by Alice Sebold. However, I must say I was more than disappointed with the story. I found it extremely difficult to follow the plot. I continued reading the story only because I wanted to see how the story would end. I must admit, I scanned many parts because it became difficult to follow.

I had a very difficult time finishing this book- it was hard to read. While it was very well written, I hated the story. I finished it out of curiosity and was left unfulfilled anyway. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

I looked forward to this new Sebold novel having read Lovely Bones and Lucky. I found some parts gripping and understandable like the opening matricide scene ; only to have the rest of the novel become unbelievable and boring. Awaste of good reading time.

On September 30, 2007, I posted an admiring review about Alice Sebold's first novel, "The Lovely Bones." That book was a literary sensation in 2002 and sold more than ten million copies worldwide.

Sebold was gracious about her success, but seemed a little baffled that millions would interpret it as a sentimental message of hope - because she herself, despite overcoming great personal adversity - isn't a born optimist. In "The Lovely Bones," she parsed violence without being graphic and explored relationships with a delicate hand. Her detached and deconstructive writing style - then and now - reminds me of the great Joan Didion.

Unfortunately, the success of "The Lovely Bones" works against Sebold in "The Almost Moon." I believe it will anger readers who made her first novel a blockbuster. The title refers to someone who's not all there - a celestial body in periods of darkness - hiding bits of itself to the naked eye. It's a story about things we hate about ourselves, things we go to great lengths to hide to meet society's demand to be "normal."

While "The Almost Moon" is a superbly crafted tale of madness, it's also a house of horrors better suited for readers used to the savage imagery of Luis Buñuel, Man Ray, Salvador Dali and David Lynch. It's as surreal and unpleasantly graphic as one of Francisco Goya's Black Paintings, a monster eating one's child. Unlike "The Lovely Bones" - which unfolded dreamy observations with subtlety - "The Almost Moon" arrives like a sledgehammer. It feels deliberate and unflinching, as if Sebold had no interest repeating the atmosphere that made her first novel a critical and commercial success.

Helen Knightly is an artist's model near 50. She murders her mother Clair - who has dementia - after Clair loses control of her bowels. (Sebold owns the template for writing dazzling openings too compelling to ignore, pulling you into a riptide that won't let go.)

But "The Almost Moon" quickly takes a sharp turn into the bizarre - and becomes an incessantly bleak novel of mental illness that leaves nothing to the imagination - sometimes in ways more disagreeable than shocking. However true it reflects the things we think about, it's one of the darkest works of 2007. Any non-crime novel that explores, for example, the swirling blood patterns left behind on a staircase wall from a man who falls after shooting himself - isn't aiming to be a breezy read during the holiday season.

During the next 24 hours, Helen Knightly feels liberated and caged. She succumbs to sexual and subjectively deviant impulses others might try to suppress. But she still has the presence of mind to annotate her behavior in ways which show she's no dummy. She washes and drags her mother's body to the basement. She has sex with the 30-ish son of her best friend, who's all sensuality and no substance. She thinks about Clair, her sarcastic, reclusive, once beautiful and now dead mother.

Helen recalls her dead father (loving and gentle but also mentally ill, who liked to carve wood into whimsical shapes). She thinks about her ex-husband Jake (supportive present-day accomplice), her two daughters (apparently normal), her art teacher pal (for whom she poses in classes as a model) and her neighbors (generically nosy and friendly). She thinks about her best friend Natalie (unhappy but in love with a construction worker) and Natalie's son Hamish, Helen's aforementioned one-night paramour.

Is Helen herself insane? Does she get away with murder? Without giving away the ending, we sense her fate can't be as bittersweet as Susie Salmon's in "The Lovely Bones." Life's cumulative disappointments and low self esteem prevents Helen from planning too far ahead or from expecting too much from the world. She's forever trapped in the muck of low expectations.

In sum, Alice Sebold remains a dazzling writer. She doesn't preach, hates sentimentalism and keeps her prose deceptively simple. She cares more about relationships - and the events which pull them in every direction - than about churning out a potboiler every two years. She's become a thinking person's horror writer, exploring the wreckage of dysfunctional people after hooking you with a stunning premise.

But by sticking to her guns, exploring the gory truths of mental illness, adding layers of misery to ensure Helen's story feels plausible - Sebold challenges the paying reader to enter a hell from which there may be no return.

Even if "The Almost Moon" is an accurate depiction of mental illness, I wonder if it really breaks new ground in a work of modern fiction. Ironically, the same uncompromising approach we admire about Sebold - makes her second novel too harrowing to recommend to everyone.

This is one slow story of a crazy person. I thought it would get better and finished the book. The ending left me thinking there was a page cut out. I was left feeling confused and horrified. Don't waste your time on this one.

This book was a waste of my time. I'm sorry I didn't get some hidden message, if there was one. I wanted to throw this book across the room when I was done with it. It's well written and all, just bleak and weird and goes nowhere.

Having been a hige fan of The lovely Bones it was with great excitement that I began The Almost Moon and I am happy to say I wasn't dissapointed. Though dealing with a very difficult subject matter I felt that this book provided an extremely realistic picture of the often complicated mother daughter realtionship. Over all a moving and enjoyable read.

I also loved the "The Lovely Bones" but I just could not get into this book. I stopped reading after the second chapter. There must have been a lot of pressure to write an amazing book, and I realize that there aren't many who could even write an entire chapter, but I expected more from Ms. Sebold. Hopefully the next book will be better.

This book was a waste of my time. I'm sorry I didn't get some hidden message, if there was one. I wanted to throw this book across the room when I was done with it. It's well written and all, just bleak and weird and goes nowhere.

Having been a hige fan of The lovely Bones it was with great excitement that I began The Almost Moon and I am happy to say I wasn't dissapointed. Though dealing with a very difficult subject matter I felt that this book provided an extremely realistic picture of the often complicated mother daughter realtionship. Over all a moving and enjoyable read.

I also loved the "The Lovely Bones" but I just could not get into this book. I stopped reading after the second chapter. There must have been a lot of pressure to write an amazing book, and I realize that there aren't many who could even write an entire chapter, but I expected more from Ms. Sebold. Hopefully the next book will be better.

What a sad, depressing, grim tale. A woman kills her elderly mother in the first chapter and it just gets worse from there. I couldn't finish this book either....... Come on Alice, surely you can do better than this!

I should have known after being disappointed by "Lovely Bones" that I would not like this book. It starts off good, but gets boring quickly. Each scene is dragged out. I don't think I'll ever bother with another book by Alice Sebold.

This book is a definite "miss." Strange characters, contrived situations and no logic. It was impossible to believe that this plot was anything but a hallucination. I am all for plot twists but this was simply senseless. Another book I finished since I was trapped on a plane.

I enjoyed The Lovely Bones and expected to enjoy this book on my beach vacation. What a waste of time! I kept reading it, expecting it to make sense... but it does not get better... only more strange! Don't bother with this book.

Lighten up, folks. I was laughing out loud from page one. This is an honest book about honest life situations, illnesses and emotions. I am 67 and live in a retirement center with a dementia unit (I am not there, yet!). Life around here is epitomized by the comedy and drama masks--as is most of anyone's life if they are honest. If you think you have never wanted to kill your mother, you are either forgetful or in denial. Thanks, Alice, for a wonderful book and for telling it like it is for those of us who don't hide from reality.

I'm an Alice Sebold fan and even though this book got mixed reviews I definitely got caught up in it. Emotions were raw and right there in front of you. You find yourself feeling, I'm assuming, some of what she felt.

I am a big fan of Alice Sebold's other two books, "The Lovely Bones" and "Lucky," which are brilliant. I wish I could say the same for "The Almost Moon," but I can't. This is a TERRIBLE novel! It was literally painful to read. The premise of the book is interesting enough: Helen, a middle-aged woman, kills her elderly mother, Clair, when she grows sick of caring for her. Clair has tormented Helen and slowly sucked the life out of her every day of her entire life, and Helen finally has enough and smothers Clair with a towel. The book follows Helen's attempts to cover up the crime and flashes back to key moments from her childhood, when she was living under the care of two parents who were each abusive in their own way.

I expected to love this book, but I despised it. I could tell from the second page that it was going to suck, but I forced myself to plow through it in the hopes that a miracle would occur and I would find something redeeming within the book's pages. Needless to say, that didn't happen. I hated Helen's character, and it wasn't just because she killed her own mother. The things she did with Clair's corpse were absolutely ridiculous and disgusting, and her behavior directly following the murder was also completely unbelievable. This entire book is just way too bizarre and weird for my taste, and I was very put off by the whole thing. Do not even bother with it.

I strongly recommend steering clear of this book. I'm sick that I spent close to $30 for it at the airport, hoping for another great read like "The Lovely Bones". Disgusting subject matter and a story that goes nowhere.

Don't listen to the reviewers.
Read The Almost Moon for yourself.
I absolutely loved it.
It is a raw, beautiful, ugly, powerful book.
Alice Sebold is a daring and brutally honest author who writes about the emotions people are afraid to look at.

I have read about a third of this book so far and will not read any further. This book is a tremendous disappointment and a travesty. It's distasteful and plain disgusting to read. Shame on the author!

No matter how one tries to twist and explain, there is nothing about Helen, her history or her actions over the 24 hours of this book that create any sense of understanding or compassion. "The Almost Moon" may work well for some readers but with less absurdity, could have been a powerful book for many more. A disappointing second novel.

This book starts out with a bang, but falls flat. It's well-written in the typical, dark and somewhat crude style of Alice Sebold. However, (SPOILERS FOLLOW), I felt the true motive behind Helen's actions was never really given. She states repeatedly that she didn't hate her mother...she seemed very calm during the "incident." I was really left wanting more at the end. It just felt like the book was empty throughout. I expected more.

I'm sure that many of you remember the popular 2002 novel, The Lovely Bones and the movie adaptation of the same title that was released in 2009. You may also remember a later novel by Alice Sebold called, The Almost Moon. This book received a lot of negative response, and even so, I've been planning to read it since it was first released.

The Almost Moon cuts right to the chase. The story's main character, Helen Knightly immediately informs us that she has just killed her elderly mother. As the story builds we learn of Helen's long-suffering devotion to her parents and adult children. It's from this that Alice Sebold builds us a picture of what Helen's childhood home was like and all the trials she withstood in her adolescence because of her parents' mental illness.

I think the main reason that this book is so widely abhorred is that readers just can't relate to, much less sympathize with a woman who would commit patricide. It's because of this that I believe Almost Moon is for a very small audience that can understand that it isn't a story about a woman who kills her mother, it's the story of a girl who suffers being raised by a mother who is unable to care for herself, much less her daughter.

I would love to hear what other readers think about this and other books. You can find more of my reviews at my blog and on my Instagram account. Just look for Lina Loves Lit.

This is one of those looks into a life and a life pattern that, I'm told, is more common than I would have believed. I found the main character, Helen Knightly, to be impossibly passive, even in killing her mother. She was, as she stated at the end, just doing what she did so well, waiting.

Helen's mother is like the "almost moon", she's almost sane. Living with that situation as a child and later as an adult, makes for an interesting, albeit crazy, relationship between mother and daughter. Sometimes a crazy relationship leads to crazy circumstances, and that is what happens in Almost Moon. That makes sense, but even that is not enough of an excuse to explain the very unrealistic events that unfold. As if in slow motion, we are presented with a very strange plot which just gets stranger and stranger. Nevertheless, it is an interesting read, if merely for the what-if factor. The whole book is "almost moon".

This was one weird book and hard to follow sometimes.. I got to where i was not going to read anymore.. but then i wnet ahead and finished. Very strange and scattered on this one.
Helen has been the good daughter for years to a mentally abusive mother. Her father commited suicide several years back, and Helen secretly resents the fact he got out..
One evening she is caring for her mother and the breaking point comes.
she smothers her mother.. the anguish and the emotions are real and vivid, just the story itself is scattered.
Did not like this story as well as the lovely bones..