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Eat The Moon
When Kieran O’Mahony rides away to the hunt on a powerful black horse, his mother is gripped by a sense of foreboding. He is a rising hurling star, with the world at his feet and one spirited local girl in his heart. His grandmother, however, has read a frightening premonition in the tea leaves.
Already several things out of the ordinary have occurred that summer. First, there is the arrival of Tamara, a young London cousin – minus her voice, which she lost following a traumatic event. Then, in the same week of July 1969, the family are caught up in the magic of the Apollo moon landing.
It’s a giant step for mankind indeed but doesn’t help Tamara to adjust to the already alien world of the Cork farm. Mute, she must cope with the unfamiliar idiom and way of seeing the world, while her cousin Sally resents the attention paid to her.
Then all their lives are shattered by a blind act of fate that threatens to tear the family asunder.
Like the Apollo astronauts, Kieran and his family begin a voyage away from the familiar. Their journey back from the dark side of the moon involves one exceptional moon-silver horse, the bonds of family, the wisdom of age and the passionate loyalty of youth.
Already several things out of the ordinary have occurred that summer. First, there is the arrival of Tamara, a young London cousin – minus her voice, which she lost following a traumatic event. Then, in the same week of July 1969, the family are caught up in the magic of the Apollo moon landing.
It’s a giant step for mankind indeed but doesn’t help Tamara to adjust to the already alien world of the Cork farm. Mute, she must cope with the unfamiliar idiom and way of seeing the world, while her cousin Sally resents the attention paid to her.
Then all their lives are shattered by a blind act of fate that threatens to tear the family asunder.
Like the Apollo astronauts, Kieran and his family begin a voyage away from the familiar. Their journey back from the dark side of the moon involves one exceptional moon-silver horse, the bonds of family, the wisdom of age and the passionate loyalty of youth.
306 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 1, 2018
15 people are currently reading
364 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 13, 2018
An unexpected delight. Full review to follow.
October 11, 2018
When I sat down to read "Eat the Moon" a few weeks ago, I felt as though I was making a return trip to Ireland, having just been there a year ago. What's more, I became reacquainted with Author Breda Joy, who I had the pleasure of meeting on my trip. In addition to being a fine novelist and journalist, she is also an expert tour guide who led me and fellow Roads Scholars around the Ring of Kerry. Breda knows her Ireland!
Family life in rural County Cork, Republic of Ireland, in the 1970's, is the setting for this novel. The story has an attention grabbing opening involving the O'Mahony family viewing and discussing the Apollo Moon Landing. Of particular attention is Mammy, a woman who doesn't mince words, expressing her disdain for Richard Nixon and his Watergate "shenanigans". (For the record, there are many of us in the U.S. who would agree with her analysis.) I was locked into the novel from the first sentence to the last. I particularly liked the first sentence!
As the story progresses, the family experiences an emotional roller coaster of suffering at many levels, but happiness also peeks out from time to time. Author Joy does a fine job expressing the ups and downs of the hard-working, tight-knit family through a cast of well-developed characters.
The blending of dialogue and colloquialisms transport the reader nonstop to this time in Ireland.
This is a good book. I like it. I suggest you give it a read.
Family life in rural County Cork, Republic of Ireland, in the 1970's, is the setting for this novel. The story has an attention grabbing opening involving the O'Mahony family viewing and discussing the Apollo Moon Landing. Of particular attention is Mammy, a woman who doesn't mince words, expressing her disdain for Richard Nixon and his Watergate "shenanigans". (For the record, there are many of us in the U.S. who would agree with her analysis.) I was locked into the novel from the first sentence to the last. I particularly liked the first sentence!
As the story progresses, the family experiences an emotional roller coaster of suffering at many levels, but happiness also peeks out from time to time. Author Joy does a fine job expressing the ups and downs of the hard-working, tight-knit family through a cast of well-developed characters.
The blending of dialogue and colloquialisms transport the reader nonstop to this time in Ireland.
This is a good book. I like it. I suggest you give it a read.
October 8, 2018
I really enjoyed the exploration of family relationships and complexities in Eat the Moon, especially the spirit of Sally and reticence of Tamara and how the author seamlessly takes us into their interior world where we see the three-dimensionality of these young girls as they deal in their individual ways with the tragedies and challenges unfolding in their lives.
Although the book is set in the 1960s and family life and society are different to what they are today, how people, as individuals and families, comes to terms with life is shown to be timeless, and makes the world of the O'Mahonys seem much closer to our own than I'd expected.
I was surprised at how much I was taken by the representation of horses in Eat the Moon; although I know little about them, I got a very strong sense of the beauty of their energy and healing spirit emanating from the pages. It almost made me envious that I've never had horses in my life!
Although the book is set in the 1960s and family life and society are different to what they are today, how people, as individuals and families, comes to terms with life is shown to be timeless, and makes the world of the O'Mahonys seem much closer to our own than I'd expected.
I was surprised at how much I was taken by the representation of horses in Eat the Moon; although I know little about them, I got a very strong sense of the beauty of their energy and healing spirit emanating from the pages. It almost made me envious that I've never had horses in my life!
October 28, 2018
After reading this book, I felt I had experienced a slice of life in Cork. The characters were very real to me, and I enjoyed getting to know them better as I read the novel. They are ordinary people, like I would expect to have known if I had been in Cork at that time. The dialogue was so real and very believable; the local dialect and sayings made the characters' conversations even more real to me. The reading was just a touch slow in the middle, and I did wonder what was going to happen in the end since some of the action seemed to stagnate a bit, but after finishing the book, I understand the purpose behind what happened.
I received a free copy of this book through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program in exchange for an honest review.
I received a free copy of this book through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program in exchange for an honest review.
September 24, 2018
In my opinion, the greatest strength of this book are the characters. They were all beautifully written and I couldn't help but fall in love with each and every member of the O’Mahony family.
I have never been to Ireland, do not have much experience on farms and didn't grow up in the 1960s, so I do not have too much experience with the reference material, but I thought it was a delightful read.
The story is told through multiple perspectives and it was interesting to see the differences between how the characters perceived one another and how the characters actually felt about certain situations.
I received this book through a Goodreads Giveaway.
I have never been to Ireland, do not have much experience on farms and didn't grow up in the 1960s, so I do not have too much experience with the reference material, but I thought it was a delightful read.
The story is told through multiple perspectives and it was interesting to see the differences between how the characters perceived one another and how the characters actually felt about certain situations.
I received this book through a Goodreads Giveaway.
October 28, 2024
As I read this book, memories of Black Beauty, which I first read as a teenager, kept resurfacing. I realize now that I hadn’t fully understood its context back then.
While both novels include animal themes, Eat the Moon delves into family secrets and mystical bonds in human relationships, while Black Beauty highlights moral lessons in kindness, empathy, and animal advocacy. Each story inspires empathy and introspection, but in different ways—one through the lens of family and folklore, the other through compassionate treatment of animals.
It’s funny timing; I was just in a banned book club meeting at my church today, where we had a deep discussion about empathy and sympathy.
While both novels include animal themes, Eat the Moon delves into family secrets and mystical bonds in human relationships, while Black Beauty highlights moral lessons in kindness, empathy, and animal advocacy. Each story inspires empathy and introspection, but in different ways—one through the lens of family and folklore, the other through compassionate treatment of animals.
It’s funny timing; I was just in a banned book club meeting at my church today, where we had a deep discussion about empathy and sympathy.
January 30, 2021
An absolute delight
Vivid characters that you really cared about. I laughed, I cried and sat up till 5a.m to finish it in one sitting. Only gripe is for some reason when I tried to click on the 'following' button. it wouldn't allow me to do so which was very disappointing
as I would love to read more of her books. Definitely worth 5 stars. Got
Vivid characters that you really cared about. I laughed, I cried and sat up till 5a.m to finish it in one sitting. Only gripe is for some reason when I tried to click on the 'following' button. it wouldn't allow me to do so which was very disappointing
as I would love to read more of her books. Definitely worth 5 stars. Got
May 29, 2022
I had some trouble starting to read this book. Just the phonetics and some wording of Irish accent/origin translated to page was a bit of unexpected surprise and had to set up myself as a non-native or not-exposed much to this manners. After getting a handle on it though, I felt it was quite nice and a good earthy story to read.
September 16, 2018
A trip back to rural family life
I couldn't put this book down as I felt I was sitting at the O'Mahony kitchen table hearing about their trials and tribulations first hand over a cup of tea.
I couldn't put this book down as I felt I was sitting at the O'Mahony kitchen table hearing about their trials and tribulations first hand over a cup of tea.
December 27, 2018
Timeless
Well written, evocative and full of characters we all knew. Highly recommended if you care to reminisce about the good old days and the memories they evoke about people and places now lost to us.
Well written, evocative and full of characters we all knew. Highly recommended if you care to reminisce about the good old days and the memories they evoke about people and places now lost to us.
July 20, 2019
A nice quiet slice of family life
This was a nice smooth read after a couple of duds. The story of a family affected by tragedy and loss in Cork, it satisfied the need for something healing and rumative.
This was a nice smooth read after a couple of duds. The story of a family affected by tragedy and loss in Cork, it satisfied the need for something healing and rumative.
January 4, 2020
Breda Joy does an excellent job creating vivid descriptions of the Irish countryside and weaving the story with multiple narrators. This story about a family in Cork coming together and coping with tragedy was heartwarming from start to finish.
October 10, 2018
I won this Kindle edition book from a GoodReads giveaway - thank you to everyone involved.
This is a book with a wonderful family relationships - I loved the characters. Highly recommend!
This is a book with a wonderful family relationships - I loved the characters. Highly recommend!
October 15, 2018
A Wonderful Story
Such a good book. Very well written. Wonderful characters. I loved the grandmother. Such a wise woman. I highly recommend.
Such a good book. Very well written. Wonderful characters. I loved the grandmother. Such a wise woman. I highly recommend.
January 10, 2019
Liked this unusual story very much, easy to picture in my mind due tot the excellent descriptions and easy to read writing style, ,like to see more from this author.
December 29, 2018
A beautifully written and uplifting story set in the Irish countryside.
May 4, 2020
An intriguing plot with wonderful words of wisdom. I particularly like the mirroring of magical descriptions and expressions, some of which I have not heard since I was a child.
March 21, 2022
Easy read
October 21, 2023
A beautiful exploration of an ordinary family. I couldn't put this book down and loved all the different perspectives it offered.
October 9, 2025
A take me away book. Not a whole lot happens, but in a good way. Very nice and sweet read that brings you to rural Ireland. I enjoyed it
March 11, 2022
In 1969, a Cork farming family gather to watch the Apollo moon landing. Sally has had her mute English cousin, Tamara foisted on her after the child stopped speaking after a traumatic event. Sally, as it turns out, is well able to make up for Tamara's silence. The two girls follow around after Sally's older brother, Kieran. He's mad into horses, almost as much as he is mad about Kitty O'Donovan. Daddy works all hours, cows wait for no one and he's up at the crack of dawn every day working the farm. Mammy keeps them all fed and watered while also keeping an eye on Nana, who prays endlessly to Little Nellie that Tamara's voice will return. Nana also reads tealeaves and sees a premonition of a tragedy to come.
The characters are what make this book, it does feel like you're immersed into life with the family as events unfold. It's very Irish, very Cork in its language so also very familiar to me or anyone from that part of the world. It reminded me of Alice Taylor's books, quietly soothing even with the unfolding of traumatic events.
The characters are what make this book, it does feel like you're immersed into life with the family as events unfold. It's very Irish, very Cork in its language so also very familiar to me or anyone from that part of the world. It reminded me of Alice Taylor's books, quietly soothing even with the unfolding of traumatic events.
May 2, 2020
A quaint read.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews