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In het maanlicht
Gaby and Connor seem to have a loving marriage - one that is built on knowing every last intricate detail about one another, or so Gaby has always believed. When their son Ethan sets off for university, discovering for the first time, the raw and uncontrollable intensity of falling in love, Gaby and Connor will be alone again - a chance to rediscover their relationship, just the two of them.
But there is one person missing from Gaby's life. One person who she cannot forgot - Nancy, her best friend since childhood. As teenagers they shared their deepest secrets, fears and dreams for the future. As adults they discovered love - Gaby with Connor and Nancy with Gaby's adored brother, Stefan. The foursome became inseparable.
Then one day, Nancy upped and left.
Now, almost twenty years later, with Ethan away from home, Gaby finds herself idly watching television when a sharp stab of recognition hits her - the face she recognizes on the screen belongs to Nancy. Suddenly, the friend she thought she'd lost for good is within her reach. But does Nancy want to be found?
The search for her long lost friend forces Gaby not only to revisit her past, but could also shatter the course of her future . . .
383 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
30 people are currently reading
387 people want to read
About the author
Nicci Gerrard
21 books181 followersHalf of the writing team known as Nicci French . Nicci Gerrard & Sean French also write separately.
Gerard still works as a journalist for the Observer, covering high-profile trials.
Novels include Things We Knew Were True (2003), Solace (2005) and The Moment You Were Gone (2007), The Winter House (2009) and Missing Persons (2011).
Gerard still works as a journalist for the Observer, covering high-profile trials.
Novels include Things We Knew Were True (2003), Solace (2005) and The Moment You Were Gone (2007), The Winter House (2009) and Missing Persons (2011).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
May 30, 2010
I love the way this woman writes, so descriptive and I find myself reading lines over and over again. Interesting story about a friend who leaves all her friends and boyfriend and never comes back and the discovery of why and what happened. about to start her next one straight away.
February 17, 2017
Oh my... This was bad, well at least it totally isn't my cup of tea. I picked this book because of the popularity of Nicci French and Nicci Gerard and thought: "You must try it, see what all the fuss is about". I don't know where all the fuss is coming from but definitely not from me. On page 30 (of 467!) I figured out the plot, but kept on reading hoping it would get better or there even being a plot twist. Sadly that didn't happen. One positive? At least now I know what kind of books Nicci Gerard writes and I never have to doubt again whether or not to read one of them. That will be a no to that.
August 21, 2020
This is the sort of book that is fine to read if you have nothing much to do and need to pass the time. The story concerns a best friend who disappears suddenly and then is found by chance around 20 years later. I guessed from page 1 what had prompted the disappearance so continuing with it was just to see how all the characters coped with the news and what happened next. There is an amazing amount of self-analysis, which is why it is so long. Removing around 100 pages would have helped I think.
January 13, 2019
I thought this deserved 4 stars although many have given it 3 stars and less. I did like the storyline and the outcome but some might think it a bit mundane, but it kept my attention and intrigued how it was going to end.
April 18, 2021
This story isn’t what I expected, there were moments I felt like crying and moments I was laughing with hilarity. And sometimes I found myself empathising with the characters in this book so incredibly much because it is real and it is poignant and it is so incredibly justified, that this feels like you’re reading a journal of someone that you know or someone that you could be. This is a fictional book but feels so realistic it almost hurts.
Although it wrapped up beautifully, I feel like I need more!Like I want to know where this group of people ended up.
I loved so incredibly much the scenes where Gabby & Nancy were together and I wish there was more of their time together shared.
For the first half of this book I was very lost and confused as even though we were following one family the alternating chapters (each main character) felt like such a jolting contradiction that it was hard to take in. I felt maybe that a lot of it was unnecessary information, and that maybe the book could have been 100 pages shorter. But now I’ve finished the book the love I have for the characters especially Gabby is overwhelming. So I guess that says a lot about Nicci Gerrards writing style.
I read this book over an enormous period of time but every time I picked it up, I laughed at the simple contradiction of language from shit the local down to earth person would say to, things I’d never heard of and had to look up.
The copy I read had a few mistake and errors (spelling & grammar) but overall this tale of chosen family and how we learn from tragedy and grow from mistakes made me smile.
Although it wrapped up beautifully, I feel like I need more!Like I want to know where this group of people ended up.
I loved so incredibly much the scenes where Gabby & Nancy were together and I wish there was more of their time together shared.
For the first half of this book I was very lost and confused as even though we were following one family the alternating chapters (each main character) felt like such a jolting contradiction that it was hard to take in. I felt maybe that a lot of it was unnecessary information, and that maybe the book could have been 100 pages shorter. But now I’ve finished the book the love I have for the characters especially Gabby is overwhelming. So I guess that says a lot about Nicci Gerrards writing style.
I read this book over an enormous period of time but every time I picked it up, I laughed at the simple contradiction of language from shit the local down to earth person would say to, things I’d never heard of and had to look up.
The copy I read had a few mistake and errors (spelling & grammar) but overall this tale of chosen family and how we learn from tragedy and grow from mistakes made me smile.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 22, 2021
Lovely writing, a few interesting characters, totally predictable plot. 2 1/2 stars.
February 2, 2011
Nicci Gerrard writes terrific psychological suspense thrillers with her husband Sean French. As Nicci French they have written a few books I have enjoyed immensely, particularly Killing Me Softly. On her own, Gerrard is a thoughtful and talented writer, generally concerned with the minutia of daily life and the relationships which both trouble and sustain us.
So I’m going to blame the fact that I didn’t love Nicci Gerrard’s third novel The Moment You Were Gone on the fact that August was a bit of a bust for me reading-wise. Perhaps it was the spectacular weather, but this was the third novel I’ve started in the last couple of weeks (and the only one I finished).
The Moment You Were Gone is the story of Nancy and Gaby, childhood friends. We see them as children, as young adults and then we meet Gaby again as she’s dropping her only son, Ethan, off at university. At this point in the story, she and Nancy have been estranged for almost 20 years, although Gaby has an inkling of where her old friend is. Instead of going home after leaving Ethan, Gaby decides to revisit her past and hops a train to Cornwall where she tracks Nancy down. It is this reconnection which sets off a chain of events which you can see coming a mile off. What you might not see coming, however, is the way these revelations change and shape the people involved.
This is a novel about friendship, certainly, but is also a novel about love: the love between siblings and families, between husbands and wives and between friends. As Gaby’s life begins to unravel, Ethan’s life begins to flourish. We watch him navigate those first few weeks away from home and we watch him fall in love with his best mate’s girl.
Despite the secret that is central to this novel, there are no bad guys here. Everyone makes the choices they think are the best for the right reasons. Watching Gaby deal with the fall out from her discovery is more like watching a fender bender than a train wreck, but I think I actually mean that as a compliment. Although I didn’t necessarily warm to Gaby, I did admire the way she moved forward despite the fact that her world had been tipped over.
The last third of this book is a thoughtful meditation on what happens when you reach a certain point in your life. From this vantage point you can look back.
"She asked herself what point there was in the frantic emotions of the past few weeks if in the end she was just a pinprick on a dot in a galaxy that was itself negligible. All the scrabbling around, the desperate search for happiness, meaning and union – while around us the millions of stars shine on, implacably distant and remote…. How strange, to care so passionately and yet to mean so little and to die alone and go where no one can follow." (362)
It would be impossible not to relate to some aspect of this book and I can’t fault either the story or the writer for the fact that I didn’t love it. Just reader’s fatigue, I guess.
So I’m going to blame the fact that I didn’t love Nicci Gerrard’s third novel The Moment You Were Gone on the fact that August was a bit of a bust for me reading-wise. Perhaps it was the spectacular weather, but this was the third novel I’ve started in the last couple of weeks (and the only one I finished).
The Moment You Were Gone is the story of Nancy and Gaby, childhood friends. We see them as children, as young adults and then we meet Gaby again as she’s dropping her only son, Ethan, off at university. At this point in the story, she and Nancy have been estranged for almost 20 years, although Gaby has an inkling of where her old friend is. Instead of going home after leaving Ethan, Gaby decides to revisit her past and hops a train to Cornwall where she tracks Nancy down. It is this reconnection which sets off a chain of events which you can see coming a mile off. What you might not see coming, however, is the way these revelations change and shape the people involved.
This is a novel about friendship, certainly, but is also a novel about love: the love between siblings and families, between husbands and wives and between friends. As Gaby’s life begins to unravel, Ethan’s life begins to flourish. We watch him navigate those first few weeks away from home and we watch him fall in love with his best mate’s girl.
Despite the secret that is central to this novel, there are no bad guys here. Everyone makes the choices they think are the best for the right reasons. Watching Gaby deal with the fall out from her discovery is more like watching a fender bender than a train wreck, but I think I actually mean that as a compliment. Although I didn’t necessarily warm to Gaby, I did admire the way she moved forward despite the fact that her world had been tipped over.
The last third of this book is a thoughtful meditation on what happens when you reach a certain point in your life. From this vantage point you can look back.
"She asked herself what point there was in the frantic emotions of the past few weeks if in the end she was just a pinprick on a dot in a galaxy that was itself negligible. All the scrabbling around, the desperate search for happiness, meaning and union – while around us the millions of stars shine on, implacably distant and remote…. How strange, to care so passionately and yet to mean so little and to die alone and go where no one can follow." (362)
It would be impossible not to relate to some aspect of this book and I can’t fault either the story or the writer for the fact that I didn’t love it. Just reader’s fatigue, I guess.
August 4, 2012
Despite the predicatibility of the plot, I really enjoyed this. The characterization is fabulous. You don't have to like the people in the story - some are more likeable than others - but the detail with which they are drawn is just great. The basis of the story is two friends who swear they'll be friends forever, and suddenly aren't. One just walks out of the other's life and disappears. Around 18 years later, the MC of the story sees the friend on a news item - not giving away anything here, that's on the back of the book. But the story is about what drove the two apart, the consequences on their lives and the lives of those around them. I really enjoyed it.
January 20, 2018
Dit boek is onnodig lang. Op de helft van het boek heb je de grote onthulling (die je al mijlenver ziet aankomen), daarna worden de gebeurtenissen daar nog wat verder losjes op gebaseerd. Aan het einde, wanneer het lijdend voorwerp/personage van het boek naar een vakantiehuisje gaat, heb je nog heel even het idee dat het boek een rare wending gaat nemen en de hoofdpersoon doodgaat aan een ziekte in totaal isolement, maar uiteindelijk heeft het boek toch een happy ending en blijf je een beetje bedrogen achter.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 13, 2016
This book had a very basic plot. A plot we have all probably read before somewhere. An affair, an adopted child, a question - "can she forgive?" but ultimately a pleasant and easy read (A very cheesy ending!).
May 15, 2008
Interesting story line. I enjoyed reading this book and once the story began to pick up, it was hard to put down.
April 14, 2015
Een heel goed boek dat ik met veel plezier heb gelezen.
July 25, 2015
Really enjoyed this. It was so much better than it appeared from the cover/blurb! David Nichols/Joyo Moyes type read, intelligent, romantic story with good characters.
March 2, 2016
Loved it.
May 22, 2018
Nicci Gerrard has unique ability to reflect subtleties of life in her books. "The Moment You Were Gone" tells the truth about the need to reveal secrets from our past.
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April 21, 2025DNF
Too slow and boring for my taste
Too slow and boring for my taste
October 26, 2022
Meine erste Meinung:
Als sie ihren Sohn zum College gebracht hat, mach sich Gaby spontan auf die Suche nach ihrer Freundin Nancy, die sie jahrelang nicht gesehen hat. Ohne Ticket steigt sie einfach in den Zug, um in ein kleines Dorf zu fahren in dem ihre Freundin unter Umständen wohnen könnte. Das ist typisch für Gaby. Sie ist spontan und manchmal chaotisch. Dutzende von Dingen hat sie angefangen und wieder im Sand verlaufen lassen. Aber wenn ihr eine Sache wichtig ist, dann bringt sie sie zu ende. Und so findet sie ihre Freundin und lüftet das Geheimnis, warum Nancy vor fast 20 Jahren aus ihrem Leben verschwunden ist.
Auf ihrer Suche muss Gaby erkennen, dass die Vergangenheit nicht immer so wahr, wie sie sie wahrgenommen hat. Sie muss sich unangenehmen Wahrheiten stellen, aber sie macht weiter. Das beschreibt die Autorin zwar sehr bewegend, aber nicht kitschig. Nur am Ende war alles ein bisschen zu süß, auch wenn ich mir keinen anderen Schluss hätte vorstellen können.
Meine zweite Meinung:
Beim zweiten Lesen kommt In het maanlicht nicht mehr so gut weg wie beim ersten Mal. Wie die Nicci Gerrard Gabys Gefühle und Gedanken über ihren Mann und ihren Sohn und auch deren Beziehung beschrieben hat, hat mir gut gefallen. Aber einiges in ihrem Verhalten kam mir dieses Mal überzeichnet vor.
Connor kam mir dagegen oft leblos vor, als ob er in seinem starren Gerüst von Routinen gefangen war. Manchmal hatte ich den Eindruck, als ob ihn die chaotische Art seiner Frau gestört hat, genau wie sie sich seiner scheinbaren Perfektion gegenüber unzulänglich gefühlt hat.
Ethans Geschichte hat mir zwar gut gefallen, aber ich fand Teile davon auch zu viel. Ich hatte den Eindruck, als ob Nicci Gerrard damit noch einmal den Focus darauf legen wollte, dass man Gefühle manchmal nicht steuern kann und damit aber übertrieben hat.
Interessant fand ich, dass ich mich trotz der guten ersten Bewertung an die Lektüre nicht mehr erinnern konnte. Vielleicht lag das aber auch ein bisschen an der anderen Sprache.
Als sie ihren Sohn zum College gebracht hat, mach sich Gaby spontan auf die Suche nach ihrer Freundin Nancy, die sie jahrelang nicht gesehen hat. Ohne Ticket steigt sie einfach in den Zug, um in ein kleines Dorf zu fahren in dem ihre Freundin unter Umständen wohnen könnte. Das ist typisch für Gaby. Sie ist spontan und manchmal chaotisch. Dutzende von Dingen hat sie angefangen und wieder im Sand verlaufen lassen. Aber wenn ihr eine Sache wichtig ist, dann bringt sie sie zu ende. Und so findet sie ihre Freundin und lüftet das Geheimnis, warum Nancy vor fast 20 Jahren aus ihrem Leben verschwunden ist.
Auf ihrer Suche muss Gaby erkennen, dass die Vergangenheit nicht immer so wahr, wie sie sie wahrgenommen hat. Sie muss sich unangenehmen Wahrheiten stellen, aber sie macht weiter. Das beschreibt die Autorin zwar sehr bewegend, aber nicht kitschig. Nur am Ende war alles ein bisschen zu süß, auch wenn ich mir keinen anderen Schluss hätte vorstellen können.
Meine zweite Meinung:
Beim zweiten Lesen kommt In het maanlicht nicht mehr so gut weg wie beim ersten Mal. Wie die Nicci Gerrard Gabys Gefühle und Gedanken über ihren Mann und ihren Sohn und auch deren Beziehung beschrieben hat, hat mir gut gefallen. Aber einiges in ihrem Verhalten kam mir dieses Mal überzeichnet vor.
Connor kam mir dagegen oft leblos vor, als ob er in seinem starren Gerüst von Routinen gefangen war. Manchmal hatte ich den Eindruck, als ob ihn die chaotische Art seiner Frau gestört hat, genau wie sie sich seiner scheinbaren Perfektion gegenüber unzulänglich gefühlt hat.
Ethans Geschichte hat mir zwar gut gefallen, aber ich fand Teile davon auch zu viel. Ich hatte den Eindruck, als ob Nicci Gerrard damit noch einmal den Focus darauf legen wollte, dass man Gefühle manchmal nicht steuern kann und damit aber übertrieben hat.
Interessant fand ich, dass ich mich trotz der guten ersten Bewertung an die Lektüre nicht mehr erinnern konnte. Vielleicht lag das aber auch ein bisschen an der anderen Sprache.
February 26, 2022
The uncovering of a family secret. This was a difficult book to review because I swung between getting involved and sympathetic and thinking there was too much internal asgst. Maybe it was the contrast between this genre and the police procedurals I have been reading but, although I could understand why the main character thought as she did I did find myself skipping her internal dialogue near the end. Fine for people who enjoy this genre.
June 16, 2018
The book had a good beginning, with the accident, and so I expected some action. But that was nearly everything that happened and it was incredibly boring. Also, I don't get the obsession with enumerating the contents of every fridge, cabinet, wardrobe or cat boot in England. It became annoying, bland, boring.
February 5, 2020
A beautifully written novel about a key crisis within a marriage and a family unit. I guessed what had happened long before the reveal, but it's still very much worth a read - though occasionally those descriptions are a tad too long. I thought the ending was very interesting even though I didn't believe it would happen like that. Still, as I've said, the writing is exquisite.
January 15, 2022
I came across this book in my favourite bookstore where they were selling “Blind dates with a book”. I love a mystery, and a book with a secret and this one was adequate in whetting my appetite, but didn’t beat the hunger.
Some really lovely passages and writing, and Nicci Gerard definitely knows how to capture a moment and get your imagination moving. This just wasn’t my kind of book.
Some really lovely passages and writing, and Nicci Gerard definitely knows how to capture a moment and get your imagination moving. This just wasn’t my kind of book.
August 26, 2021
I very much enjoyed this book to start with. I like reading about the minutiae of life and here it was often quite beautiful. But I found the middle section too long, and there were too many points of view
February 1, 2022
2,5 sterren
Een voorspelbare plot. Redelijk cliché. Na 3/4 van het boek werd het wat langdradig en vond ik de conversaties eerder verwarrend, maar dat lag waarschijnlijk gewoon aan mezelf.
Al bij al toch graag gelezen.
Een voorspelbare plot. Redelijk cliché. Na 3/4 van het boek werd het wat langdradig en vond ik de conversaties eerder verwarrend, maar dat lag waarschijnlijk gewoon aan mezelf.
Al bij al toch graag gelezen.
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May 3, 2024My kindle copy unfortunately defaulted to ch37 so I read the book from there and wondered why it was so short and nothing happened. Then i realised it was too short and started again from the beginning!
July 31, 2024
Het las lekker weg, alleen vond ik er weinig 'triller' achtigs aan. Waardoor ik na de helft van het boek m'n aandacht kwijt raakt. Ik had een idee wat er zou gebeuren en dat is ook allemaal gebeurd en dat vond ik jammer.
May 1, 2025
Gevonden in een boekenkastje en nieuwsgierig hoe Nicci zonder French is.
Het is een stuk romantischer en geen geweld. Mooi geschreven maar wel lange hoofdstukken en veel opsommingen. Het heeft meer diepgang dan met French en het is een mooi verhaal over liefde en vriendschap en vertrouwen.
Het is een stuk romantischer en geen geweld. Mooi geschreven maar wel lange hoofdstukken en veel opsommingen. Het heeft meer diepgang dan met French en het is een mooi verhaal over liefde en vriendschap en vertrouwen.
June 22, 2025
Lekker om te lezen. Mooi verhaal, ook over een nieuwe fase in het leven als je weer moet uitzoeken wat je wilt in je leven. De fase waarin het verleden langer wordt en de toekomst krimpt. zoals ze zelf beschrijft.
July 19, 2025
This was probably a 4.5. It was a bit wordy and more descriptive than I like in a book but I could relate to the characters and I think specially liked Gaby. I liked the way her mind worked and how she processed a lot of the events that took place in the story.
May 6, 2017
Ik vond dit een goed en mooi verhaal. Wel een beetje voorspelbaar, maar dat stoorde niet.
June 10, 2017
Heel saai met veel overbodige opsommingen en beschrijvingen die niets bijdragen aan het verhaal. Mag gerust 200 bladzijden minder zijn!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews