Moon and the Mars

Appreciated this book’s portrayal of United States’ history, with an emphasis on racism and colorism in the Civil War era. The book makes several insightful commentaries about power and privilege, especially in the context of marginalized Black and Irish families, that still resonate with the state......more

I'm not a big fan of this novel, though many are. I really got into it the first 75 pages or so, but then the "Wikipedia" dialogue really became evident: telling current events through the characters' conversations with one another. I found it to be forced. Who, especially people with at most a grad......more

Corthron is a writer of consciousness and point of view. Like her plays, her novels are highly dynamic and she creates characters who own history. So as a result this novel repositions the tale of mid 19th century New York from the perspective of an Irish/Black young woman living in Five Points, whi......more

This is great history but awkward fiction. I'd heard high praise for this novel, but multiple elements annoyed me. First of all, the writing style. First-person present tense has never been my cup of tea, and this was exacerbated by. so. many. sentence. fragments. Theo was never convincingly the age......more

I finished Moon and the Mars this morning, but needed to just sit with it. It’s that book that you read, finish, and then need to carry around with you, in your hands, and especially, in your heart. It’s a novel, but it’s also a history. It brought me so much joy but made my heart so heavy. It’s worth......more