I definitely enjoyed spending time with Esther in What the Moon Said. This book is oh-so-easy to recommend for young readers who enjoy historical fiction.
What the Moon Said is set in Chicago and Wisconsin in the early days (1930) of the Depression. When Esther's father loses his job, the family decides to move to Wisconsin and start a farm. They know that farming isn't necessarily an "easy" or "sure" way to make a living. But they are used to hard work, and her dad has previous farming experience. They'll be able to raise their own food, and, of course, to sell what they need. Esther makes friends in this small rural community; she even makes a BEST friend, a girl named Bethany.
Esther's biggest problem, and it's a problem no matter where they live, is her mother. Esther cannot figure out why her mother does not show any sign at all of loving her or appreciating her. Esther sees her mother acting affectionately and kindly to her siblings, but, when it comes to Esther, well, it's scold, scold, scold, ignore. The few times when Esther reaches out to her mom, to hug her, to kiss her, to touch her hand, etc. It does not go as she hopes. She wants so much for her mother to love her.
Her mother does seem to have some issues. For example, she's extremely superstitious. She lets signs, her reading of the signs, determine every thing no matter how big or small in the family's life, whether it effects just herself or her whole family. Poor Esther! At one point, she dictates to her daughter that she can no longer be friends with Bethany because she has a mole and is marked.
I may not have loved, loved, loved this one, but, I did enjoy it very much!
© 2014 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
2 comments:
As long as you enjoyed it. :)
This sounds interesting. In fact, my grandmother's family did move out to a farm during the Great Depression, though it was in Georgia, not Wisconsin.
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