Emily Benedict didn’t know what to expect when she arrived in the tiny town of Mullaby, North Carolina. But she surely did not expect to find secrets in every hushed whisper, fanciful lights that flitted around in the night, or a boy who would change her life.
In Sarah Addison Allen’s latest book, “The Girl Who Chased The Moon,” dreams can come true and love can be found, if only you wish upon the moon.
After her mother’s death, Emily comes to live with her grandfather, a gentle giant of a man named Vance Shelby. Emily’s mother, Dulcie, had told her nothing about her hometown or her family, but everyone in Mullaby seems to know everything about Dulcie and a long-ago scandal that had sent her fleeing from the small town. And now they all want to know about Emily as well. She finds a couple of friendly allies in an unusual boy, Win Coffey, who insists they have a shared history, and with her grandfather’s neighbor, Julia Winterson.
Julia has returned to Mullaby to settle her father’s estate, and has ended up staying to run his barbeque restaurant. She has become known for her fabulous cakes, and it’s her dream to open her own bakery someday, but it’s so hard to be a success in a town who only remembers your past. Only a former beau, Sawyer Alexander, seems to understand Julia’s passion and desire to bake cakes.
The past also haunts Win Coffey, whose family secrets hold him a virtual captive to his home during the night, and whose growing affection for Emily causes him to want to expose those secrets once and for all. But a family tragedy from long ago threatens to keep the young couple apart.
Sarah Addison Allen creates a fanciful world with “The Girl Who Chased The Moon,” where the wallpaper changes to suit the inhabitant’s mood, where delicious cakes send spirals of glittery messages of hope, and where the moon can bring out the glowing best in some, love can triumph over all adversity if given a chance. With a story chalked full of magical fantasy and realistic situations, Allen delights her readers once again with an imaginative and creative tale that is sure to become an instant classic.
I received a copy of this book for review and was not obligated to give it a good review, but I did!
Music: Moon River by Audrey Hepburn from "Breakfast At Tiffany's"
