The Girl Who Chased the Moon

A Novel

By: Sarah Addison Allen

Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman

Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

In her latest enchanting novel, New York Times best-selling author Sarah Addison Allen invites you to a quirky little Southern town with more magic than a full Carolina moon. Here two very different women discover how to find their place in the world - no matter how out of place they feel. Emily Benedict came to Mullaby, North Carolina, hoping to solve at least some of the riddles surrounding her mother’s life. Such as, why did Dulcie Shelby leave her hometown so suddenly? And why did she vow never to return? But the moment Emily enters the house where her mother grew up and meets the grandfather she never knew - a reclusive, real-life gentle giant - she realizes that mysteries aren’t solved in Mullaby, they’re a way of life: Here are rooms where the wallpaper changes to suit your mood. Unexplained lights skip across the yard at midnight. And a neighbor bakes hope in the form of cakes.

Everyone in Mullaby adores Julia Winterson’s cakes - which is a good thing, because Julia can’t seem to stop baking them. She offers them to satisfy the town’s sweet tooth but also in the hope of rekindling the love she fears might be lost forever. Flour, eggs, milk, and sugar...Baking is the only language the proud but vulnerable Julia has to communicate what is truly in her heart. But is it enough to call back to her those she’s hurt in the past?

Can a hummingbird cake really bring back a lost love? Is there really a ghost dancing in Emily’s backyard? The answers are never what you expect. But in this town of lovable misfits, the unexpected fits right in.

©2010 Sarah Addison Allen (P)2010 Random House

Critic reviews

"There are love interests, big family secrets, and magical happenings (color-changing wallpaper, mysterious lights) aplenty as Allen charts the spiraling inter-generational stories, bringing everything together in an unexpected way." ( Publishers Weekly)

This book is now in my top ten.

The performance of this audio book was incredible. She really gets the Southern accent right. As a native of the South, it’s really annoying when the accents are bad.

Satisfied!!

I love this book!! I will definitely listen to it again! It was totally worth it!! I love all her books!!

Too much of the same

I love Sarah Addison Allen's other two books, Garden Spells and Sugar Queen, but this book was just so-so. It was as though she needed to pay her mortgage, so she threw together another book. It had the same magical elements as the other two books. I don't know if this book was too similar to the others, or whether the plot was just not compelling enough.

Magic, Cake, and BBQ

Would you listen to The Girl Who Chased the Moon again? Why?

I have listened to this story more than once. I love the way Sarah Addison Allen uses magical realism in her stories: her stories aren't really about magic, but it's always incorporated into her stories in beautiful and interesting ways.
I also enjoy Rebecca Lowman's reading: she has a very soothing way of speaking, but at the same time does such a wonderful job giving each character their own voice.

What about Rebecca Lowman’s performance did you like?

I really enjoyed Rebecca Lowman's portrayal of Stella: something about the way she did the accent made it very easy for me to picture a flirtatious southern belle.

Charming!

Ms Allen has a wonderful ability to mix magic and stories of real-life characters create a wonderful tale . Loved this book!

Sarah Addison Allen does not disappoint!

The Girl Who Chased The Moon is a captivating blend of magical realism, heartwarming romance, and small-town sensibility. Emily and Julia's parallel storylines were both engaging and refreshing to read as they both chase the moon in search for happiness.

“It took me a long time to realize this: We get to choose what defines us.”

All of the characters in this story were likeable and the plot was infused with steady-paced intrigue, romance, and moments of mystical enchantment that kept me captivated the entire time.

“He reached for her and kissed her. It was all at once passionate, as if there was too much in him to contain. He was immediately swept up in it. It took no effort, the difference between swimming on your own and being washed away in a flood.”

The Girl Who Chased the Moon is all about finding that elusive point called home.

“I spent so much time telling myself that this wasn't home that I started to believe it," she said carefully. "Belonging has always been tough for me."
"I can be your home," he said quietly. "Belong to me.”

The more I read, the more I fell in love with the men in the book - Win and Sawyer. The way they chased after the love they wanted made me want to keep turning the pages to find out more.

“He lifted up on one elbow and looked down at her. What she wouldn't give to see what he saw, to know what made him look at her that way.”

This is a great read that will leave you wanting to read more about Emily/Win and Julia/Sawyer, but not because the story abruptly ends, but rather because you come to care about the people of Mullaby. I was happy with how the story ended, but would have loved to know just a bit more as to how the town of Mullaby responded to that final chapter.

WONDERFUL!

if you need a little mystery, a taste of a sweet small town magic. this is it. i can't wait to read more of this author's books. this will be book number 3 that I have read from her.

abrupt ending spoils the whole book

it feels like someone said:" time's up, put your pen down" and that is just what the author did. The abrupt ending spoiled this book for me. It was still a relaxing listen, but the strings could have been tied together better to end this story.

Wonderful Story

Finally something different. Sweet and beautifully written. I'm sorry it ended! I fell in love with all the characters.

Beautiful

This story is so beautiful. I couldn’t put it down. Such sadness at the ending because I can’t go on reading this lovely tale