Customer Reviews
A mammoth struggle! - By: Avid Reader, 05 Jan 2009 
I did get through this book, but struggled & had it not been our book group selection this month I would have abandoned it long long before the end. I absolutely could not feel anything at all for Helen or many of the other characters for that matter, hard though I tried. I thought the whole story was stupid & get the impression that the author is 'clutching at straws' here. So much was unexplained & unresolved, but at the root of it was that I could feel no empathy for the characters & couldn't care less how it all turned out. Don't waste either your money or your time.
An accurate portrayal of mental illness - By: Cicerosquilla, 02 Jan 2009 
I feel compelled to add my views after reading the other comments here. I found this book a well-written account of the destructiveness of mental illness, not to the person suffering it, but to those close to them. The narrator, Helen, isn't a 'nice' or 'pleasant' person, but that is because of her up-bringing. This is a dark book, and, yes, it could be seen as depressing because of its subject matter, but there is some sense of absolution for Helen at the end. The first sentence should forewarn readers that this book is difficult going, but it is rewarding. If nothing else, it resonates with those who have some experience of living with mental illness, & tells them they are not alone.
I can't even finish it..... - By: JennySinfield, 31 Dec 2008 ..... & that's a first for me. I read all the time & would usually see a book through to the end even if it's not my thing but I just can't bring myself to keep reading this one. I really enjoyed The Lovely Bones & Lucky so I was expecting to like this. In fact, I made the mistake of buying it on impulse rather than looking at the reviews first. Big mistake.
I found the premise gripping initially. For a woman who has cared for her mother for so long to end up murdering her there had to be an explanation. I wanted to care about Helen & understand what would have brought her to this but it just never happened. I wanted to find out more about what would happen after such an event but the book seemed to concentrate more & more on uninteresting anecdotes from the main character, Helen's past. There was nothingin the book that made me care about Helen or the other characters that she spoke of. I found the book increasingly boring. I ended up skimming through the pages, hoping to find some action or drama to keep reading for but couldn't find anything.
To sum up The Almost Moonin three words - boring, depressing & pointless.
What a waste - By: Mrs R A S Plumley, 30 Dec 2008 As always,I was looking for a recently published book that would provide our Book Group with some new insights & good discussion. I hadn't read 'Lovely Bones' but knew that it had provoked fury & enthusiasmin equal parts amongst friends. AS writes with great clarity which made the first few pages a pleasure to read. Then I realised she didn't know where to go with her initial idea & introduced new people & old situationsin a disjointed way which failed to grow the character of Helen & her insights into what had influenced her life. Compare it with 'Notes from an Exhibition' by Patrick Gale - another book about living with a difficult mother - & you can see how a a sensitive & subtly planned book based on the mother's character can work.
Disappointing and dull - By: Mad Sez, 12 Dec 2008 I bought this book looking for a detailed account of the experience of Dementia. Instead, it is more about what the narrator doesin the aftermath of murdering her mother & the flashbacks of her childhood. I tried not to let this misconception cloud my judgement as it is still an interesting subject matter but I just found it boring & dull. At no point did the story come to life for me, nor did I care what happened next. Overall, extremely disappointed, especially after the success of The lovely bones.
