Reviews

The Moon, the Stars, and Madame Burova by Ruth Hogan

saltydogreads's review

emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

chryscurl's review against another edition

5.0

Absolutely loved this, it has the same warmth and hope of Keeper, and I was sad to finish it. Wonderful characters intertwined with some intrigue and reminiscences of 1970s Brighton, I guessed one part but not the other.
Perfect comfort read, just make yourself comfortable and get ready to escape.

b_austridge's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

amlema's review against another edition

funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

lolameepmeep's review against another edition

4.0

This was a really good story.

lynnafraser's review against another edition

4.0

A warm and lovely read. A set of characters that you come to know and love over the course of the book. A plot that combines a love story, a mystery and a touch of social commentary.

suekinaz's review against another edition

5.0

Ruth Hogan takes words we all know and can pronounce and strings them together in such a way to create characters with depth, and evocative settings. In telling the stories of both Madame Burova and Billie, it is necessary to have a dual timeline; in this case it really is a necessity, not an annoying gimmick. A book with depth, feeling, and atmosphere. I loved it, read it slowly and savored it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

dl_hay's review against another edition

DNF at 10%. For some reason I just couldn't get into this one. Maybe it was because I was listening on audiobook? I just kept getting distracted and had no idea what was going on when I was paying attention. Instead of starting over, I decided to scrap it.

efirer's review against another edition

4.0

The use of the dual timeline was effective in telling the stories of Imelda Burova and Billie. Madame Burova was a palmist and tarot card reader, working in 1970’s Brighton. Imelda’s mother was also a clairvoyant, passing on the business of a booth on the promenade. Skip to the current time, when Billie finds out after her parents died, that she is adopted. Billie starts on a quest to find out who here parents were, and here is where the stories collide. Quirky characters, a unique setting and some twists and turns were appealing. Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC.

neriumblack's review against another edition

4.0

Feelgood on minulle varsin vieras genre, mutta tämä yksilö ainakin osoittautui hyvin viihdyttäväksi. Madame Bovary ja lukuisat sivuhenkilöt (kuten surmanajaja, käärmenainen, merenneito trio ja vakoilijaksi itseään väittävä mies) ovat todella kiehtovia, täyteläisiä hahmoja.

Tarina avautuu kahdessa aikatasossa, 1970-luvulla ja nykyhetkessä. Imelda Bovary on jäämässä eläkkeelle kuunneltuaan vuosikymmeniä ihmisten kysymyksiä ja paljastuksia. Sitä ennen on kuitenkin lähettävä eräs kirje, joka keikauttaa saajansa elämän jos ei kokonaan ympäri, niin ainakin voimakkaaseen ristiaallokkoon.

Kiehtovaksi tämän teki se, että Madame Bovary todellakin osaa lukea tarot-kortteja, nähdä vihjeitä tulevasta kristallipallosta sekä keskustella asiakkaiden kuolleiden sukulaisten kanssa. Vaikka kirjasta voi helposti syntyä hattarainen mielikuva, on tarinassa myös synkempiä teemoja kuten rasismia, seksuaalista ahdistelua, eläimiin kohdistuvaa väkivaltaa ja hylätty lapsi. Tarina päättyy onnellisesti, joskin hieman haikeasti.