Moonrise

By: Cassandra King

Narrated by: Jennifer James Bradshaw, Willow Hale, Elle Newlands

Length: 14 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

When Helen Honeycutt falls in love with Emmet Justice, a charismatic television journalist who has recently lost his wife in a tragic accident, their sudden marriage creates a rift between her new husband and his oldest friends, who resent Helen's intrusion into their tightly knit circle. Hoping to mend fences, the newlyweds join the group for a summer at his late wife's family home in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. Helen soon falls under the spell not only of the little mountain town and its inhabitants, but also of Moonrise, her predecessor's Victorian mansion, named for its unique but now sadly neglected nocturnal gardens. But the harder Helen tries to fit in, the more obvious it is that she will never measure up to the woman she replaced.

Someone is clearly determined to drive her away, but who wants her gone, and why? As Emmet grows more remote, Helen reaches out to the others in the group, only to find that she can't trust anyone. When she stumbles on the secret behind her predecessor's untimely death, Helen must decide if she can ever trust - or love - again.

©2013 Cassandra King (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

King’s latest novel takes inspiration from Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, keeping the best of the latter’s atmospheric tension without falling into melodramatic cliché...A suspenseful Gothic that gives a nod to its predecessors while still being fresh." (Publishers Weekly)

“Moonrise touches all the night notes to make it a suspenseful story and also a romantic one. Kudos to Ms King for getting it right…this is a story that impacts the reader, and its mixture of emotions will linger long after you have closed the book." (Huffington Post Books)

“Though darker than King’s other novels, Moonrise succeeds at what she does best: masterfully weaving a story with threads that bind some characters together while pulling other strands loose. Moonrise dives into the waters of women’s friendships with the same level of honesty readers admire in Margaret Atwood’s “Cat’s Eye” and “The Robber Bride.” Moonrise further cements King’s high standing as a writer of contemporary women’s fiction.” (Charlotte Observer)

Gothic Wannabe

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

No one.

What could Cassandra King have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

There are too many characters ~~ many of whom have no obvious relationship to the story ~~ she could have eliminate some of them and given serious development to the remainder. The principals at the core of the book are Emmett Justice who is described as "charismatic", but appears totally devoid of any personality whatsoever. He spends the majority of the novel "improving" everything about his new wife Helen ~~ her speech, her grammar, her manner of dress, etc. Her obsession to please him and be accepted by his Highland "social" friends renders her unable to see how demanding and emotionally abusive he treats her. She is so busy cooking for all these people, so they won't hate her for marrying him, that she doesn't even appear to be aware of his infidelities until the end of the book, although it was obvious to the reader from the beginning.
As an outline for a novel, the concept may have been good, but the characters required work to make them interesting.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of the narrators?

I cannot think of any narrator (or even a group of them) who could have saved this one.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

No.

Any additional comments?

In the future, I will read the printed book first and not just reviews. Moonrise is not a mystery, it is a mess !! The reviewers who found the story even remotely similar to "Rebecca" either did not understand the premise of that fine old classic, or were as alcohol-soaked as Ms. King's characters in this book.

Willow Hale Excellent Narrator

Where does Moonrise rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Moonrise is high on my list of my audiobook experiences. Although I had not read the print book, this Southern Gothic immediately drew me into its atmospheric web with high level, dramatic performances by the narrators. All were good, and I especially liked the performance of Willow Hale, who narrated Tansy. Her rendition is full of heart and soul in expressing the catty, quirky, complex Tansy. It results in the listener being actively engaged in wondering what is the real story about this character and how does it compare to the face she shows the world.

What other book might you compare Moonrise to and why?

Moonrise reminds me of books I read long ago, such as Rebecca and one of my favorites, Nine Coaching Waiting by Mary Stewart. One surprising and gratifying aspect of Moonrise is that the characters, including the heroine, are in their forties or so. Not ingénues or twenty-somethings, but southern women in their forties! This is a delightful bonus. Another plus is the wonder and beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina, one of my favorite places on earth. The setting in the book is exquisite. I love a good gothic novel, and Moonrise delivers.

Which scene was your favorite?

I especially liked the scenes between Tansy and Noel. Doesn't get quirkier and more complex than that! Totally kept my interest.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The book as brought to life by the narrators caught me up in its compelling mystery and intrigue. I found myself roaming around my back yard as if it were the desolate gardens.

Any additional comments?

Great story and narration, especially by Willow Hale, who did Tansy. I'd like to hear more by her; she apparently has a knack for making a character come to life. I love a good gothic novel, and Moonrise delivers.

Really Enjoyable

What made the experience of listening to Moonrise the most enjoyable?

I was really excited about this book because I loved Rebecca. I understand some of the complaints about the Tanzy narrator. While she was my least favorite narrator (the other two were great) it was not so bad that it was unlistenable. A great listening experience.

Great escape for a long commute

If you could sum up Moonrise in three words, what would they be?

Intriguing southern story

Who was your favorite character and why?

I enjoyed both Helen and Willa as they came from two very different worlds. It was nice to have the variety of characters throughout the book.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I enjoyed that this book had three different readers, as it gave variety to the story that matched the various characters. I preferred the readers doing Helen and Willa. In fact, I enjoy listening to Jennifer James Bradshaw's readings and seek out audiobooks she has read. She always does a great job with a variety of character voices (hear her Willow Springs reading). Willa's character was well done also with the Appalachian/Scottish accent. My least favorite was the Tanzy reader, but I chose to use the 1.5 speed function on the audible app to get through her parts more quickly so it wasn't a big deal.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I never have that much time in my life, so probably not! But, I do typically listen to two 40 minute stretches a day during my commute to and from work.

Any additional comments?

This was an enjoyable story and was enhanced by the Helen and Willa narrators.

Great!

Would you listen to Moonrise again? Why?

Yes!

What other book might you compare Moonrise to and why?

Modern day Gone with the Wind! LOVED it!

Which scene was your favorite?

I loved the ending!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Modern day, better version of, Gone with the Wind!

Book OK, Readers were Great!

Book wasn't half bad, and I thought the readers did a really good job, especially the person who read the character, Helen. I enjoyed listening.

Engaging and enjoyable

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This is the first time I've written a review, but after reading the other posts, I have a very different reaction. Foremost, it's about the story and not the narrators. It's engaging and enjoyable which is what I want from a novel I listen to while I'm driving. I'm not expecting something terribly complex or abstruse and this fits the bill. Secondly, the three narrators created distinct characters which is what the author intended. I can't imagine one reader playing all parts. Even though I have lived most of my life in the South, I'm not sure I can distinguish between Tennessee and Mississippi accents, but it doesn't matter. The story could be in Michigan and Maine accents. What does matter is that the characters come alive in the readers mind. I liked Tansy's bitchiness; she's real and yes, a bit annoying, but I don't think Cassandra King meant for her to be sweet and loveable. That's her character and I think Willow portrayed her well and was consistent in her role throughout the novel. And similar kudos to Jennifer and Elle. Thank you. And yes, I would (and have) recommended this book to my friends.

Excellent!

Loved being in Highlands! Story was fun, exciting, and gripping with good characters. The narrator of Kit Rutledge was often quite annoying, but turned out to be right on target.