Member Reviews
The Half Moon is a bar owned by Malcom and his wife Jess, though Jess doesn't know how he bought it. We follow their story throughout a blizzard where their small town shuts down. They are recently separated and living apart and learn how they got to where they are. Huge trigger warning for fertility issues.
I don't know how I feel about this book. Overall it was an enjoyable (but heartbreaking) story, but I'm not exactly sure the point of the story. There was a random crime subplot which I could have done without.
I really didn't enjoy this book; the characters felt very flat and distant, and though I usually enjoy this genre, I thought The Half Moon was poorly executed. As soon as Jess was described as "not like other girls," the book was over for me.
Thank you NetGalley for this advance copy of the Half Moon. Malcolm and Jess have both financial and fertility issues, causing strife in their marriage. Compounded by a multi day snowstorm and power outage. This story jumped around time periods a bunch. Hard to follow the story progression at times. I felt sad and frustrated for the characters.
Ask again Yes was one of my favorite books the year it came out and so I was so excited to read Half Moon. This story is Jess and Malcolm’s, a couple in crisis. Both grew up in the same small town so while they seem mis-matched since Jess is an educated lawyer and Malcolm is a bartender-turned bar owner, they are tied to each other in many ways. The first quarter of the book was difficult for me to get through because it was all in Malcolm’s voice and just very depressing; Jess has left, the bar is failing, a snowstorm is coming – I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy the rest of the book. But finally Jess’ voice and perspective joins and the book came to life.
I didn’t love this as much as Ask Again Yes but it kept me reading and I enjoyed the story and the characters and their evolution (even if they weren’t people I necessarily would choose to have dinner with) and I wanted them to find their way regardless of what that meant to each of them. I always enjoy Mary Beth Keane’s writing and I look forward to her next novel as anxiously as I did this one.
Thank you Scribner and NetGalley for the chance to review.
Genuinely thought this was going to be something else. This book was a little too unlikable as a whole for me, I found it hard to get through. And it seems like I am not the only one struggling with this. It was very depressing but yet I wasn’t sad and didn’t “feel” for the characters. Mid read.
This was an engaging read with relatable if not entirely likable characters. The subject matter as a little bleak but well written. My only issue with the writing was that the narration switched frequently from Malcolm to Jess without warning and it was disorienting to go from being in one person’s head to another’s mid-scene. There were also several times when we were dropped into a flashback without warning and that took a while to sort out every time, and other times when a character’s thought about how something would play out seemed like how things were actually playing out, but then at the end of a long paragraph or two it became clear that nothing had played out at all. It was a fairly confusing read! But I didn’t dislike it nevertheless.
I thought that I would relate to this book. I am familiar with that neighborhood.
But the book was slow moving, overloaded with details.
It seemed like the whole first chapter was devoted to thinking about the weather forecast. Will there be a snowstorm? What time will it begin? Is it windy? How does the sky look? Will the customers go home? What time should the bar close?
I was not interested in the characters.
I was not interested in finishing the book.
Wow! Hello perspective! What a heart wrenching story about love and growth between spouses. It’s so important to read novels that express the true nuances and difficulties within relationships. Nothing is black and white. Trials and tribulations are just as significant as the joys. I loved the story within the story and how the author wove the timeline. Filled with emotion and a few surprises, this novel kept me enthralled from the very first page.
This book was heartbreaking in a difficult to read but really beautiful way. There were parts I really loved and parts that I found underwhelming, but overall I think the author is incredibly talented to make me feel so emotional reading about Malcolm and Jess.
When the book opens we find that Malcolm and Jess have been separated for a couple of months, and quickly learn that Jess has moved in with a friend of a friend, romantically. The book travels back in time to various points of their decade (?) long marriage, discussing the highs of being younger and freshly in love but also detailing the incredible pain and expense involved in trying to have a baby, as well as the debilitating trajectory of the bar that Malcolm owns - so the struggle is person and financial, and just so sad. I think part of why it’s so emotional is because it’s real - these could be very real people living right outside anyone’s door.
I appreciated that we saw things from each of their perspectives, and just when you felt like you could side with one, you understood the actions and the feelings of the other.
Overall I think this is a 4 star, but it’s been creeping up in enjoyment the more I reflect back on it. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
This is a book that will be lingering in my mind for days to come. It was a book that solidified the fact I will read anything that Mary Beth Keane writes.
Malcolm and Jess have hit middle age and their lives are not what they planned. They are still childless after years of expense, effort, and hope. Malcolm finally owns the bar he has worked at for years but even that seems to be at risk of slipping through his fingers. Years of choices, decisions big and small have brought them to this moment in their lives. Neither of them has gotten exactly what they wanted but where does that leave their lives together?
This was an emotional read. I could feel each character’s inner feelings as if they were my own. Their lives in their small town were so well drawn I felt as I, too, had been at a backyard party at Patrick and Siobhan”s. They felt so real to me that even when an aspect of the plot that I cared much less for unfolded, it didn’t mar my enjoyment at all. This book is all about the characters that you grow to love. The plot is secondary.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Dang, this is one depressing novel. Not at all the lighthearted read that I expected based on the author’s earlier book.
Mary Beth Keane is one of my favorite writers because she truly endears her characters to her reader. Just as in Ask Again, Yes, we meet a cast of characters that is imperfect and so beautifully relatable. Jess and Malcolm’s love story was so beautifully described, and so heartbreaking/hopeful. This is a quiet, character driven novel that just sits perfectly in your heart. The “mystery” side story is certainly interesting, but Jess and Malcolm steal every moment. I loved it. If you loved Ask Again, Yes, or Signal Fires, you won’t want to miss this.
2/5 stars! The premise of this book was really interesting and I was looking forward to reading it. This contemporary fiction story. This story worked as a deep dive into relationship dynamics and dealing with the grief of a lost dream. But the characters fell really flat and I found myself having to take frequent breaks in order to stomach the story. Just really wasn't for me.
I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
Malcom needs very little in life to make him happy. He's fulfilled his dream of owning his own bar and although he and his wife have been unable to have children Malcom is ready to give up that dream and move on to the rest of their lives together. When his wife leaves him for another man and his bar looks like it's going under, Malcom has to reassess what he thought was the rest of his life. The Half Moon is a real, honest look at what drives couples apart and what possibly could bring them back together.
From the author of Ask Again, Yes, a devastating and hopeful portrait of a marriage in crisis. Told over the course of one tumultuous week, a confluence of events—a blizzard, a missing person, and a shocking revelation—leads the couple to reckon with their past, and decide whether there's hope for their future. I drank this down.
The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane is a Story About Perception and Perspective!
It's hard to hold onto a dream. It's even harder when you and your spouse have different dreams.
Malcolm's dream is to own his own bar. It has to be the "Half Moon" where he's tended bar for years. When this bar is offered for sale, he'll be the buyer, at all costs.
Jess's dream is to have a baby. For years she'll go from doctor to doctor for the newest procedures to become pregnant, no matter the cost.
As both dreams begin to falter and fade, it creates tension, sadness and blame between Malcolm, Jess, and their marriage. Living in the small community where they grew up, even the most well-meaning family members and friends cause unnecessary interference and complications.
How can this relationship between Malcolm and Jess, and their marriage, possibly end well?
The Half Moon is the first book I've read by this author and I'm completely convinced she knows how to write character driven stories that dive deeply into a relationship. The atmosphere is thick, dark, and tense and both Malcolm and Jess are broken and damaged just like their marriage. It's heart-wrenching to read and to witness their pain. It's palpable.
It feels like the reader hears mostly from Malcolm, however Jess voices her memories and perspective of their relationship, giving a balance to the backstory and current standing of their marriage. I love the depth of detail the author shows this relationship in her storytelling.
There are several surprises as the storyline wanders and begins to feel like a story within a story, but it always travels back to Malcolm and Jess's marriage. IMHO the addition of this second storyline is a genius move by the author and creates another layer to the story and a different perspective overall. Pretty clever, Ms. Keane!
I love character driven stories, especially one that's as well-written as The Half Moon. I have a hardcopy of Ask Again, Yes sitting on my desk that I'll definitely be reading soon.
I love and highly recommend The Half Moon! 4.5 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley, Scribner, and Mary Beth Keane for an ARC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review.
I loved Mary Beth Keane’s novel, Ask Again, Yes, so much, it felt life and heart changing. Yes, fiction can be that way for me even more than “self help” books. I insisted all I knew they had to read it. This zeal made me afraid to begin The Half Moon. I thought, there is no way it can be as all encompassing. Mary Beth has proven me wrong. The pages kept calling and I found myself not only reading of the blizzard which all in the story are in, but was right there with them. She illustrates for the reader how it is in the character’s imperfections, which ultimately make their humanity perfect, like few writers can. They are who we are. Will I drive all I know nuts again talking about The Half Moon? Absolutely!
Thank you so much to Net Galley, the publisher, and author for providing me this book for my honest review. This is a very thought provoking character study primarily focused on a husband and wife. This book takes place during a week but there are flash backs that connect well to the present. I love how there are two perspectives- the husband and the wife. The reader really gets to know each character so much that it feels like the reader is in the bar too. This book really makes the reader think of life and choices made. This book and these characters will stay with me for quite some time. If you love character driven books then this is one to pick up. Thank you so much again to Net Galley, the publisher, and author.
Received as an ARC through NetGalley and Simon & Schuster. Mary Beth Keane's newest novel, The Half Moon, traces a marriage through a winter storm, but also the storm of small business ownership and unwillingness to see beyond one's hometown.
Malcolm has lived his entire life in his hometown and worked most of his adult life at The Half Moon. When he purchases the bar from his retiring boss, he finds that he has bit off far more than he can handle. While his professional struggles continue, you find out that he is also struggling with his marriage and his wife, Jess, has left him.
Keane has an ability to make her characters feel very lived in and relatable. She also delves deep into the psychology of a marriage in a way that many other authors would make feel imaginary. Her characters, including Malcolm and Jess, feel very real.
While this book isn't nearly as much of a gut punch as Ask Again, Yes, Keane has created an exceptional story that will show readers that leaving the comforts of home can actually be what is really needed.
Malcom and Jess are separated and the evening the story opens- there is a blizzard starting. The couple tried for years to have a child and are now both at a crossroad in their lives. Malcom is pursuing his dream of owning the bar and Jess is a successful attorney. Also that evening a regular customer of the Half Moon goes missing. The entire story takes place in one week.
thought the storyline as well as the characters were realistic. The former however is depressing at times, and I wondered how anyone could come out of it okay, especially Malcolm. I definitely had doubts and blinders on.
I was completely enraptured by this couple's story and the direction it would take me. The characters are well-developed, with distinctive voices. The first 2/3 of the story was so stressful. However, the last third of the book became noticeably more clunky in writing and plot development. I was also hoping for a bigger reveal to bring the story full circle but I appreciated the way the ending was written. It was believable and not all tied up nice and neat, just like real life. But it was hopeful, which satisfied me. Keane is an excellent storyteller. I look forward to more from her in the very nearfuture.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC