Book In Review

      Light of the Moon was written by one of my favorite authors, LuAnne Rice.  This book took me a while to get into.  I don’t know why…it started out slow for me.  However, as always, LuAnne captures her characters and their emotional connections to others in a way that feels as if you have known them for years.

       The main characters are interesting; Susannah is the female who is a research and cave anthropologist.  She is seeking solace in her work around the world as she heals from the loss of her mother.  She goes to a place which holds power over her…it is the place where her mother and father went to seek assistance from their faith in having a child.  Susannah is the result of that faith.  She was destined to complete the circle by coming back to the place where it all began.  At the statue of Sarah.

        Grey is the male character that brings the circumstances of her trip to completion by falling in love with Susannah. Grey gave up much for his wife Maria.  He also lost his freedom when his wife left.  He became a rancher who understood the wild white horses of Camargue.   Grey has a daughter who has been traumatized also by the loss of her mother.  Her mother left her to go on and start a new life….her mother Maria was born a gypsy.  Her marriage to Grey was forbidden and therefore caused great harm to her relationships.  She was cursed and so were her children and her marriage.  She fulfilled that curse by believing in it.  She left her husband and her child and caused intense harm to her child Sari.  She didn’t know how to balance her calling, her family, her freedom and her happiness.  She paid a heavy price for her freedom.  Unresolved regrets can eat away at the soul of a person.

         In the end, love and healing are allowed to flourish.  It is a mystery to understand the spiritual realm.  Yet, we all live in it too!  This book is worth the time it takes to get emotionally involved.  It is beautifully written.  The mystical white horses of Camargue add an old world quality to the book.  The intensity of human emotions and the damage they can do to others that we care about is underscored throughout the book.  It teaches us the power of love, forgiveness and moving forward through the healing process.  It is transforming to know that we do not have to be held hostage to the mistakes that we make in this world…that we have the power to change course at any given time. 

           This book was copyrighted in 2008.