Once in a Blue Moon

Once-in-a-Blue-Moon I have been doing many hours of intense computer time at work the last couple of weeks (thank goodness I only have about a week more left on my project), so at night I have not really felt any desire to get back on my laptop to do some reading (thus all my blog friends have noticed my absence). Nor did I want to dive into any of my social media or business books. I wanted an escape.

Fortunately, I had received an advanced copy of Once in a Blue Moon and it was just the ticket. I would normally steer clear of this genre of book à la Danielle Steele, Barbara Bradford Taylor, etc. But this Eileen Goudge novel was a surprise.

The official description:

Lindsay and Kerrie Ann are sisters who have known hardship from an early age. Without guidance from their neglectful mother, their only aid came from an unlikely source, a retired exotic dancer by the name of Miss Honi Love. When the girls’ mother was sent to prison, Miss Honi tried unsuccessfully to save them from being separated and sent into foster care.

Thirty years later, Lindsay is still trying to reconnect with her sister. The owner of a bookstore in the sleepy California seaside town of Blue Moon Bay, she was lucky enough to have been adopted by a loving couple. Unbeknownst to her, Kerrie Ann has suffered a very different life. Bounced from one foster home to the next, she ran away as a teenager before becoming a drug-addicted single mother. Now, newly sober, Kerrie Ann is fighting to regain custody of the little girl who was taken from her.

Neither sister’s expectations are met when they’re finally reunited. But as the two sisters engage in the fiercest battles of their lives, they are at last drawn together despite their differences, restoring belief in the unshakable bond of family.

Why I liked it:

The things that resonated for me in the book were the unspoken characters – angels, food (and cooking), and books/bookstore. Each of these are woven through out the book and it was interesting to me to “feel “their presence. In addition, there was the location. Part of the book takes place in Blue Moon Bay which is based on Half Moon Bay near me in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a town I love. I have gone there for different reasons with different people through out my adult life and have always felt something there. Reading about it in this book was like a virtual visit, a refreshing break.

Although difficult, I tried not to focus too much on the sister aspect of the story. As my own relationship with my sister is tumultuous at best, I focused on how people from different worlds can come together to join forces to fight for something. Humans are at their best when fighting for something they believe in.

The sisters’ relationship is complex and validates that old saying, “the grass is always greener on the other side.” One sister appears to be wildly successful, yet struggles with her own happiness, while the other sister, who seems to have had the harder life and has suffered greatly, has a fortitude of character that is impressive. She is brave, open-minded and strong.

Bottom line is that although this novel has often been labeled an “easy read,” it tackles several challenging issues including addiction, foster care, infidelity and loss with more intuitiveness than I expected. It was a great read and an unexpected surprise.