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teresatumminello 's review for:
Moon Tiger
by Penelope Lively
An impressive account of war-correspondent and popular-historian Claudia, from her childhood to her death, the story she tells herself in a hospital bed at the end of a long life, its style mimicking the way a person might remember, without it being so-called stream-of-consciousness. Claudia’s thought processes include eras she didn’t live through—those of Pilgrims and Aztecs, for example—connecting those times to herself and to the time she did live through.
The narrative also gets handed off in paragraphs to the important people of her life: the reader sees of them what Claudia will never know, just as the same is true of what they will never know about Claudia.
If any of this sounds impersonal, it’s far from that: Claudia is a forceful character, living her life after WWII with verve and engagement despite a huge sadness at her core. An overarching image of memories and moments as kaleidoscopic shards of bright colors is sustained throughout and is especially brilliant at the end.
The narrative also gets handed off in paragraphs to the important people of her life: the reader sees of them what Claudia will never know, just as the same is true of what they will never know about Claudia.
If any of this sounds impersonal, it’s far from that: Claudia is a forceful character, living her life after WWII with verve and engagement despite a huge sadness at her core. An overarching image of memories and moments as kaleidoscopic shards of bright colors is sustained throughout and is especially brilliant at the end.