The Half Moon: The compelling new novel from the New York Times bestselling author

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I can’t help recollect the song lyrics, ‘You say it best, when you say nothing at all.’ So I”ll just stop this rant here and hope that it’s for the best. I might have liked the small town depiction of this story (with its nosy characters who know everything about others and nothing about themselves) had I not been reading another novel set in a small town that has handled the same brilliantly. This felt staid in comparison. His wife, Jess is dedicated to her law career, but what she wants more than anything else is to be a mother. Unfortunately, the Infertility treatments haven’t worked, and it’s taking a toll on their marriage. I didn’t always like her, but I understood that some of the choices she made came from pain. The ending of this extraordinary tale leaves us with a sense of both closure and new beginnings. It is a testament to the power of love, resilience, and the unyielding human spirit. I wholeheartedly recommend this captivating novel to all who seek a profound and emotionally resonant reading experience. A story of family, of love - who, how, and why we love, the decisions that follow when all seems lost, and learning to accept love for what it is.

The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane | Waterstones

I loved the masterful way Ms. Keane wrote the character of Malcolm. I felt I really got to know him by the end of the book. He is not perfect by any means, but I grew to understand him. I also really liked his wife, Jess. She is smart and knows when to change course in her life. She also cares deeply for Malcolm flaws and all. Three woman who join together to rent a large space along the beach in Los Angeles for their stores—a gift shop, a bakery, and a bookstore—become fast friends as they each experience the highs, and lows, of love.

An angry, powerful book seething with love and outrage for a community too often stereotyped or ignored.

The Half Moon: The compelling new novel from the New York

Malcolm Gephardt is the guy that everyone loves! He had worked at the local, neighborhood bar, THE HALF MOON, for 26 years, with the intent of buying it, when the owner retired. Now that it’s his-he has tried to modernize the place, but what he didn’t realize is that the regulars just want what’s familiar-what feels like home. Following up on her success with Ask Again, Yes, Mary Beth Keane provides us with The Half Moon. The Half Moon is the bar that Malcolm owns. After 24 years of bartending there, he had finally been given the opportunity to buy it. But things aren’t going well. The bar isn’t profitable. Malcolm and his lawyer wife, Jess, have separated. They’ve spent years and over a hundred thousand dollars on trying to have a baby. But it was never in the cards and Jess is trying to decide what’s next. Overall, this is a depthy tale of a marriage in trouble. I was impressed and will seek out Ms. Keane’s next book without any prodding. Highly recommended for those looking for something real. Inspired by David Copperfield, Kingsolver crafts a 21st-century coming-of-age story set in America’s hard-pressed rural South. This may be the most accurate portrayal of marriage I have ever read. Marriage can be messy. It can be all consuming and lonely at the same time. With marriage comes compromise but sometimes a person can only compromise so much. I loved both Malcolm and Jess. Neither one was perfect and both made mistakes but through it all they were still good people at their core. People you want to see happy and successful in their endeavors. My heart broke for their predicament. Keane took such care in crafting not only this story but the characters. Slow burn, quiet stories like these don't always work for me but I was completely invested in this couple and their outcome. For me, the ending was absolutely perfect. 4 stars!This book just seemed way too unnecessarily long. It took me ages to read it and I even read books in-between to refrain from DNFing. I initially hesitated when I was offered an advanced review copy of this one as I had awarded Ms. Keane’s first novel, Ask Again, Yes, only 3 stars, and I tend to grade high. In my opinion there were a lot of positives to that book but also several disappointing issues as well. In the end, I decided to go ahead and try The Half Moon, and I am glad I did! I admit the start was slow as it took me a while to warm up to the protagonist, Malcolm. Once I did, I became totally immersed in the story. Jumped around so much that I had a hard time telling which character I was reading about very frequently. Malcolm’s boss is retiring and Malcolm decides this is the time to make his dream of owning a bar a reality. He has years of ideas he’s collected to make it attractive to a broader clientele, and therefore more prosperous. The problem is that while he’s spent years there as a bartender, knows his side of the business inside and out, he knows very little about owning and running a business successfully.

Book Marks reviews of The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane Book Marks reviews of The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane

It’s like lightning in a bottle that you’re trying to capture, and when you capture it, there’s no greater feeling, but when you’re chasing it and you’re not quite getting at it, it’s really hard,” Keane says. The Half Moon has been rolling with the good times at Putney Bridge on the banks of the Thames for decades. Whether it’s the live music or a rumbling belly that brings you to our doors, we’re sure you’ll like what you find inside. From expertly poured pints & seasonal British pub food, to live entertainment and private parties, we do it all, and we do it well. Malcolm’s wife Jess is smart, confident, and has dedicated herself to her law career. But after years of trying to have a baby, she’s struggling to accept the idea that motherhood may not be in the cards for her. Like Malcolm, she feels her youth beginning to slip away, and while her hopes and expectations fall short of the current reality, she wonders how to reshape her life. Mary Beth Keane wrote characters that are believable. They are selfish and arrogant at times but also heartbroken and relatable. I liked Malcom more than I liked Jess. She made some choices that I didn't agree with. I did feel bad for her not being able to get pregnant. Malcolm also made huge decisions without getting much input from Jess.During a storm they both have to reconsider the choices they have made and get on with their lives but will it be alone or together? The story is gripping, and as readers we want resolution. We root for the characters, and wait for resolution to happen.

The Half Moon: A Novel: Keane, Mary Beth: 9798885783675 The Half Moon: A Novel: Keane, Mary Beth: 9798885783675

These are two people with vastly different goals and desires. Keane totally gets the range of emotions that both feel toward the other - rage and anger, but also disappointment and regret, that feeling of just not knowing what the right decision is. I liked that I could totally feel for both of them, despite the wrong decisions each has made. As is so often the case, tunnel vision and selfishness get in the way of understanding and forgiveness. It’s a realistic look at not just marriage, but life in general; of knowing when to compromise or when to just walk away from something. The ending totally worked for me. Jessica, 41 – Malcolm’s wife. Lawyer. Desperate for a child and willing to do anything to be a mother. Malcolm not in agreement. The cover of this book reminds me of the famous optical illusion, where the viewer sees either a vase or two faces. And much like an optical illusion, once my view of the picture flipped...I just couldn't see it any other way. From the bestselling author of Ask Again, Yes, a masterful and “absorbing” ( The New York Times) novel about a couple in a small town navigating the complexities of marriage, family, and longing.Then a blizzard descends on Gillam, paralyzing the lives of its residents and emphasizing the feelings of entrapment felt by not only Malcolm and Jess but also a host of other wonderfully portrayed characters who work in and frequent the bar. As the story unfolds, the many fascinating behind-the-scenes details about running a bar range from heartbreaking to humorous. It’s a masterful setup, laid out in a careful, intriguing way. The disappearance of one of the bar’s patrons during the storm, lends a sense of urgency to the plot and adds a layer of impending doom that plays out in both emotional and physical terms. The narrative chronology, which, while limited to a week, goes meandering across past and present like nobody’s business. This is a rather melancholic look at a struggling marriage, a failing business, infertility, and the loss of a couple’s hopes and dreams. For Malcolm and Jess, their once-solid bond is tested largely by a yearslong infertility struggle that takes a massive toll on their finances, mental health, and trust in each other. Jess, in particular, struggles to let go of her motherhood dreams and resents Malcolm — overwhelmed by job pressure and their diminishing savings — for being more willing to shut the door on the possibility.