Light of the Moon

I am not a big romance story fan but I found this story interesting. Albeit much of the romantic interaction is not realistic, but the story line is quite interesting. I have been to southern France and have visited the places in the story. So perhaps this helps. It is somewhat predictable in that it has a happy ending with the child recovering her color vision.

Feeling adrift in the wake of her mother's death, anthropologist Susannah Connolly travels to the French Camargue to investigate a saint linked to her family's history, but her life is changed by an encounter with a lonely man and his wounded daughter.

Rice captures the reader's emotions on many fronts...the breathtaking beauty of the French Camargue, the heartbreak of Sari's disability and grief over the loss of her mother, the love between Grey and Susannah and Susannah's own grief and guilt over her mother's death. This one was hard to put down.

This is the first book I have read by Luanne Rice and I was pleasantly surprised. Initially, I was afraid it was just your typical romance story with all of the predictable scenes. Rice spun a wonderful tale with lots of interesting material about the history of the French Camargue, tying in gypsies, curses, white horses, a mother's dying wish, a family torn apart, and on top of that, romance. I especially enjoy it when I feel like I have learned something after I read a book.

Light of the Moon, Luanne Rice’s latest novel, introduces us to Susannah Connoly, an anthropologist at a small college in Connecticut. Devastated by her mother’s recent death and estranged from her long-term partner, Susannah feels lost in the quagmire that has become her life. With the encouragement of her mentor, she decides that it is time to get away and take a trip to Camargue, France – the trip that she and her mother had been planning to take since Susannah was a child. The Camargue region is best known for its white horses, but Susannah has a different reason for going there: the saint who was responsible for her birth, Sara-la-Kali. Susannah’s parents thought they would never have children until going to the saint and show more praying for a child; Sara-la-Kali blessed them with Susannah.

Upon arriving in the Camargue, Susannah meets Grey Dempsey, a journalist-turned-horse rancher living with his daughter, Sari. Sari’s mother, Maria, was a gypsy who left the family when Sari was only eight years old. In desperation, Sari rode her horse, Mystere, in pursuit of her mother, only to be thrown when her horse was frightened by oncoming headlights. Now, five years later, Sari has all but recovered from the physical traumas of that event (with the exception of her lingering colorblindness), but the emotional damage is still raw. What’s more, she has not even visited her beloved Mystere since the accident. Understanding that Sari is exceptionally fragile, Grey puts his personal life on hold in order to accommodate her. However, once he meets Susannah, he has more and more trouble with that decision, especially when he sees how good she is with Sari. As the three grow together, they learn about friendship, family, and what the bond between a mother and daughter really means.

Light of the Moon is a wonderful story of the mother-daughter relationship and how nothing can replace this fragile bond. One of the best aspects of the books is that many points of view are presented, so that by the end of the book, there are no “bad” characters. There is deeper meaning behind every decision made, and Rice makes sure the reader is aware of this. Often in stories, it is all too easy to demonize one character and elevate another. However, in Light of the Moon, the characters face bad decisions they have made in the past and, at least in part, realize that they may be complicit in their own situations. For example, the most frustrating of these in the book is Sari. She is fragile, damaged by her mother’s departure, and therefore seems to sabotage any relationship her father has. While this is understandable given the predicament she finds herself in, Sari realizes that she is perpetuating her unhappiness by not allowing anyone in rather than taking a chance on something new. It is frustrating to read this storyline as Sari makes this personal journey.

The one superfluous aspect of the story is Ian, Susannah’s former lover. He seemed rather unnecessary, and his characterization changes entirely through the book (he doesn’t seem like the same character at the end as he was at the beginning). Part of this may be due to Susannah’s experiences in France: she sees him in an entirely new light after being in the Camargue. However, that doesn’t explain it entirely. There also is little closure to that storyline, as he simply disappears as a character in the middle of the book.

One of the qualities that makes the book a sheer delight to read is the setting. Most readers probably don’t know much about the Camargue, or that it is famous for white horses. It is always nice to read about a place that you are unfamiliar with, and Rice has a talent for making the setting an integral part of the novel. The reader can’t imagine the story taking place in any other locale; Camargue is as much a character in the book as Susannah or Grey. It is a pleasure to read her beautiful descriptions of the area. I’m certain that anyone who reads this book will feel a longing to visit the Camargue.

Light of the Moon is a touching story that is a joy to read, and while there are frustrating aspects to the book, Rice more than makes up for them with her wonderful descriptions and moving relationships. It is a story of a woman seeking her maternal roots and how important that mother-daughter bond really is.

From S. Krishna's Books show less

This is another Rice charmer set in a particularly interesting locale. Anthropologist Susannah Connolly has traveled to the Camargue region of France to fulfill her mother’s dying wish. Camargue is home to the Romany. Driving into the region, Susannah parks by the side of the road and steps out into the mist hoping for a glimpse of the famed white horses. Instead she finds herself surrounded by the black bulls that roam the region. As fear sets in, Grey Dempsey rides up on a white horse, holds out a hand and pulls her up out of harm’s way. Thus starts the story of a romance, of a miracle, of trying to bring the colors of joy rather than the gray shadows of despair to a young girl, the legend of the Three Marys and of the horses that show more have roamed the region for thousands of years. When I finished the book I found myself compelled to read further of the Camargue, the Romany and the white horses. show less

Interesting locale an background and most of the adult characters were well drawn. The story was complex enough to be interesting and, if you are a romance fan, this would be a nice choice. The juvenile characters, and, in particular, the key character of Sari, struck me as being inauthentic. I just couldn't make myself believe in this little girl as a real person. The book was in need of some strategic editing. It would have been a much more readable, tighter novel at about 250 pages. The growing affection between Grey and Susannah was adult and well written for the most part; a bit too much in the way of "passionate, lingering kisses" for my taste.

I really liked this book!! I loved the characters, I loved the setting, I loved the story! Best romance/chick book I have read in a lonnng time! The story line was just magical, both literally and figuratively. I would highly recommend this book. It was a very quick read without being simplistic. I also love the substory of the little girl. I would very much like to see another book about the little girl grown up, I want to know what happened to her. I would say that the ending was predictable, but really, most books are, arent they?