Publishers Weekly
Joan Allen fails to breathe sufficient life into Alice Sebold's second novel to make it worth the listen, but she really doesn't have much to work with. Helen Knightly, a divorced mother of two grown daughters, impulsively murders her 88-year-old mother, Claire. The story then flips back and forth between Helen's response to her present-day act and long flashbacks exploring her love/hate relationships with her emotionally volatile, agoraphobic mother and her suicidal, peculiarly obsessed father. Allen's calm, even voice makes Helen's most irrational actions (smothering her mother, cutting her clothes off, bathing her dead body and dragging it down to the basement) sound nearly as reasonable to listeners as they do to Helen. Allen also marvelously evokes the cracked, demented tones of Helen's aged mother. Unfortunately, the older Claire Knightly appears in only the smallest portion of the book, and Allen barely troubles to distinguish the voices of the other characters. Her unvarying voice, combined with the tediously introspective text, make this audio a real slog. Simultaneous release with the Little, Brown hardcover (Reviews, Aug. 27). (Sept.)
Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information
Library Journal
Much has been made of Sebold's opening line to her new novel, but it immediately sets the listener up for a roller-coaster journey into ethics and family relationships that may seem too familiar to some and too discomforting to others. Helen Knightly's climactic decision opens the book, but her history with her mother, Clair, and her deceased father are brutally explored through the skillful weaving of memories and haunted immediacy. Almost Moonis very different from The Lovely Bones, and yet the strength of the author's sense of danger told rather matter-of-factly is highly compelling. Joan Allen's reading is almost hypnotic. Highly recommended.
—Joyce Kessel
From the Publisher
Listeners might be more easily absorbed into this brief lyrical novel were they not told in its opening sentences that the story's narrator has just suffocated her rapidly deteriorating mother. From that point on, the story is told as a flashback involving an only child, a mentally ill mother, and a father who finally succeeds at suicide. Flashback requires reflection. Despite Joan Allen's more than adequate rendering, audio by nature pushes ahead, not leaving a lot of space between the words. Repetition and slight variation, two of Sebold's strong points on the page, become petty annoyances. New-age musical interludes between chapters are out of place with the tone of the novel. In this case, Sebold's excellent writing has to be read on the page to be fully appreciated. R.R. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/ MAY 08]—-
It's a stunning and gripping story that I would rate as one of the best novels of 2007.. It's bizarre that some reviewers complain that the bok is emotionally incoherent or that Helen's actions make no sense. The whole book is an exploration of what leads to the murder... Sebold's depiction of Helen's point of view is complex and gripping... The reading of he unabridged audiobook by Joan Allen is very strong. Her performance helps to make Helen a character one can identify with, and she also brings out the humor of her observations....The Almost Moon is if anything more memorable than The Lovely Bones, and is far more rewarding work to reflect on.—Christian Perring, Metapsychology
APR/MAY 08 - AudioFile
Listeners might be more easily absorbed into this brief lyrical novel were they not told in its opening sentences that the story’s narrator has just suffocated her rapidly deteriorating mother. From that point on, the story is told as a flashback involving an only child, a mentally ill mother, and a father who finally succeeds at suicide. Flashback requires reflection. Despite Joan Allen’s more than adequate rendering, audio by nature pushes ahead, not leaving a lot of space between the words. Repetition and slight variation, two of Sebold’s strong points on the page, become petty annoyances. New-age musical interludes between chapters are out of place with the tone of the novel. In this case, Sebold’s excellent writing has to be read on the page to be fully appreciated. R.R. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine
