Moon Tiger (original 1987; edition 1997)

I loved this book. It’s engaging, thoughtful, beautifully written. It’s a woman’s life, written in her head as she lies dying, and she’s a wonderful character. ( )

No rating because I am not yet sure how I feel about this book. Well written it is but I can't help thinking I've read another story about a strong woman who loses the love of her life somewhere in the Sahara during World War II. In fact, it was central to the movie version, wasn't it? Hmmm. ( )

We were supposed to read this for my book club and I didn't, but I finally picked it up this weekend.
It was such a short easy read that I'm a bit surprised how much it's stuck with me. I keep thinking about it like you do when you've seen a really good movie.
Also: Laszlo! Love him. ( )

Talk about a slow burner. For some reason, I plodded on through the patchy plot and came out with a winner. This book really kicks into gear just over half way through.

Claudia is the story. She narrates it, mostly, and is telling it from her rest home bed. Alongside her telling her history of the world that is. She is a writer and an outwardly successful and capable person. It is fitting for someone like her to tackle a writing project as complex as "the history of the world" while ill and in decline. She is like that.

She also has a personal story to tell, one of the usual trials and tribulations of life and love. And also some very surprising and moving events which end up shaping her as a person, more than even she would like to admit. Through being a war correspondent in Cairo, her close relationship with her brother, her casual marriage and her disdain for the uninteresting we learn enough about Claudia to figure out that she is eventually thoroughly likeable. And all written so cleverly.

Lively has a distinctive writing style here, in that other characters throw in their perspective in a scene where the voice is all Claudia. A snippet here and there from someone elses voice shows so neatly how it is in life- when what happens is in the eye of the beholder.

I am so glad I put in the time early on to read large-ish sections at a time. It really kept things moving and set me up for the page-turning second half. ( )

An absolutely brilliant book. A fabulous story and a wondrous meditation on history. Claudia is a fascinating character. She is her own person. There are no 'shoulds' in her world, and I admire her for that. I love the non-linear structure and the way that Lively shows us the same event from more than one viewpoint (often three). ( )