Heather B. Moore

Emotional, heart wrenching, quietly triumphant. I love the way Heather Moore brings history to life. Based on the true story of Marie (Rita) Vischer Elliott, Under the Java Moon shares the gripping account of the Japanese invasion of Java Island through the eyes of five year old Rita, her mother Marie, & father George. It’s a WWII story that’s never been told & in a location rarely discussed. It’s a powerful story that’ll touch your heart & leave you hopeful.

Rita & her family moved show more to Java Island for her father’s naval work. At that time, Indonesia was occupied by the Dutch & known as the Netherlands East Indies (NEI). When the allies declared war on Japan, the NEI did too. As war comes to Indonesia, Rita experiences its terrible effects first hand as she witnesses bombings, the invasion, beatings, once friendly neighbors becoming enemies, & is eventually sent to Tjideng camp with her pregnant mother, her Oma, & brother. Her father George was on a mission to join the allies in Australia when his boat was torpedoed. He survived but endures the most awful circumstances until he’s eventually captured & sent to an internment camp.

Rita experiences fear, starvation, & the brutalities of war in the internment camp. Though at times hard to read, I appreciated the resilience of Rita & her family mainly due to her mother’s hopefulness. She’s a quiet strength through it all. What little Rita endured was unimaginable, yet the author takes care to never be overly graphic. Don’t miss Rita’s letter at the end. It brought me to tears. She never spoke of the war until now, & her story needs to be told. It’ll tug on your heartstrings & make you hope we learn from the past & never repeat it.

The audiobook version is fantastic! The narrator is brilliant and really brings this story to life.

Highest of recommendations for this book! It’s a must read and beautiful tribute to a remarkable woman. I received an advanced complimentary copy from the author. All opinions are my own and voluntarily provided. show less

From the start, The Healing Holiday was instantly engaging and felt familiar. While tragic, this story was also a calming escape during a rather stressful time in my life. It made me thankful for the many blessings I have in my life and reminded me that no matter how bleak things can seem, there is always a light.

This novel took a few turns I wasn’t expecting, which continued to keep things interesting. I felt invested in these characters and truly wanted to see where their stories led. show more The ending was predictable but pretty darn sweet. It was nice seeing someone who had endured so much get such a perfect happily-ever-after. This was a great, relaxing read with tremendous heart, sweet moments, and showed that the holidays don’t have to just be hectic but can be healing as well.

*I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I received from the author/publisher. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest, and my own. show less

Did you know that Julia Child was a terrible cook at first? I was absolutely floored when I read this book & learned about all her abysmal attempts before she worked hard & through trial & error became one of America’s, if not the world’s, leading French cuisine cooks. From housewife to household name, I was charmed by Julia’s down to earth personality, her humor, & her drive to succeed.

I absolutely loved this book & found it so inspiring. I devoured the pages & related to Julia Child show more in a way I didn’t think I would. Julia was a cultural icon during my early childhood & I enjoyed learning about her early life before she became famous. This book explores Julia’s military service with the OSS, meeting her husband Paul, learning how to cook those magnificent French dishes, & the publication of her first cookbooks & creation of her famous tv show. It’s a wonderful historical fiction that captures Julia Child in a fresh, new light.

When Pearl Harbor plunged American into WWII, Julia Child wanted to make a difference. Though a lackluster student in college, she put her charm & organizational skills to work & later joined the OSS overseas in India & then China. She met her husband Paul in India, & theirs became a real life friends to more romance. The tall beauty at 6’2” & her poetic, encouraging, champion of a husband Paul at 5’9” were an amazing duo who helped each other through the sorrows & disappointments in life. I loved how Paul was ever patient with her cooking disasters & also her penchant for stray cats.

Julia’s experience learning to cook was so relatable & gave me hope that it’s never too late to learn something new & excel at it. Her passion for good food & fresh ingredients was at odds with the times where everyone wanted convenience & fast meals. Soon French dishes that she took years to master were an instant hit. She pioneered cooking shows on television & became a household name. Her wit & charm was evident in all she did.

I absolutely loved learning more about her & her inspirational life. Highly recommend this amazing historical fiction based on actual events & her own diaries. I received an advanced copy from the publisher. All opinions are completely my own & provided voluntarily. show less

I have admired Julia Child for a long time, and seeing her through a different lens was so refreshing. I’ve always thought she was a remarkable woman, and after reading this novel, I feel that on an even deeper level. Her zest for life is palpable, and how she grabbed life by the horns and lived to the fullest is both admirable and inspirational.

The first thing I noticed was Julia’s energy. She was always doing something, always on the move, which is the polar opposite of me but so show more amazing. How I wish I had that trait! There was a wealth of information I didn’t know about Julia Child before reading this novel. Being a disastrous cook myself, reading about Julia’s early mishaps actually gave me hope. I’ve always wanted to learn to cook, but I have a love/hate relationship with the kitchen, but seeing a woman who was a cooking legend have her fair share of flops and mishaps made me feel that maybe I just haven’t found the right dishes for me to discover my own culinary passion.

The direct quotes from Julia at the beginning of multiple chapters were some of my favorite moments as I was able to feel the connection between the fiction and nonfiction. In my opinion, there’s nothing better to connect with the source material than to hear words they themselves spoke.

This is how historical fiction should be written! Heather B. Moore has such an incredible talent for bringing strong women to life. You can feel the heart and passion that went into the writing of this book as well as the hours of research required to capture Julia’s story. I cannot tell you enough just how much I enjoyed this novel! Bon appétit indeed!

*I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I received from the author/publisher. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest, and my own. show less