I'll get my only gripe out of the way before I rave about the story. It's a personal one probably, and doesn't really reflect on the ability of the author, which is amazing.I did not understand how Em could fall in love so quickly with Sean when her and John had such an epic love. The story unfolds pretty quickly with a glimpse of her flirtation with the love of her life's best friend. It didn't really connect for me.That being said, this was an awesome book. Any book that can have me laughing out loud in parts and tearing up in the next moment is one for the favorites shelf. The book is exploration of loss, the fragility of life, and the joy of living. The circle of friends and their dialogue is very real and unforced. The humor in serious type issues reminds me of Marianne Keyes, another Irish author. Definitely worth checking out. ( )

Pack Up the Moon is a book that I found online while browsing at Borders.com. The first time I picked it up, during camp this summer, I kind of read a few pages and then set it down. Around Thanksgiving time, I picked it up again and was immediately drawn into Emma's world.

The book is written from Emma's point of view and starts with her taking a pregnancy test. She is very hesitant about taking this test-even though she's been with her boyfriend, John, for several years and they are living together. To her relief, the test is negative. She doesn't tell John about this test and off they go to a party for friends of theirs who have just received an inheritance and are having an "I am now rich" party.

Tragedy strikes at the beginning of the book when John is hit by a car and killed. Emma feels immense guilt about the accident and immediately closes herself off from her circle of friends and family. Other important characters in the book are Emma's best friend, Clodagh, a friend who is always dating different guys; Anne and Richard-the I am now rich couple who are struggling with their own marital difficulties; Sean, John's best friend who has turned to alcohol for relief from his grief; and finally Noel, Emma's older brother, a Catholic priest, who has not only lost his friend but is in the midst of his own struggle for identity within and without the church.

At times, this book sort of reminded me of P.S. I love You, by another Irish author, Celia Aherns. While there were some similarities, what them both being set in Ireland and dealing with the death of a partner, these are two very different books and show two very different ways of handling grief.

While Holly, in P.S. I Love You, had time to prepare for her husbad's death and received messages from him after his death, Emma was not as lucky. John's death was sudden and heart-wrenching and the only messages she receives from John come in the form of her own dreams.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who is a romantic at heart and anyone who still believes in love surviving death while still believing in a second chance at love. ( )