Moon Over Edisto by Beth Webb Hart ~ Book Review & Giveaway




Contemporary Fiction

About the book:

Edisto Island was where it all came apart. Can the Bennett girls ever be whole again?

Once, they were the happiest family under the sun, crabbing and fishing and painting on beautiful Edisto Island in South Carolina’s lowcountry.

Then everything went wrong, and twenty years later the Bennett family is still in pieces. Mary Ellen still struggles to understand why her picture-perfect marriage came apart. Daughter Meg keeps a death grip on her own family, controlling her relationships at a distance. And eldest daughter, Julia, left it all behind years ago, forging a whole new life as an artist and academic in Manhattan. She’s engaged to an art dealer and has no intentions of returning to Edisto. Ever.

Then an emergency forces Julia back to Edisto to care for her three young half-siblings. She grudgingly agrees to stay a week. But there’s something about Edisto that changes people. Can Julia and her fractured family somehow manage to come together again under that low-hanging Edisto moon?


About the author:

Twitter: @bethwebbhart




Beth Webb Hart, a South Carolina native, holds a B.A. in English Literature from Hollins College and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Sarah Lawrence College. Her first novel, Grace at Low Tide, was one of three finalists for the 2006 Christy Awards in the general/contemporary/fiction category. Her second novel, Adelaide Piper, was selected for Books-a-Million's book club and for their national book of the month for December, 2006. Both titles were included in the "Top 10 Christian Novels of 2006" by Booklist, the American Library Association's review journal. Hart's third novel, The Wedding Machine, became an ECPA best-seller in July of 2008.

Beth Webb lectures on a variety of topics and has taught creative writing on the college and high school level where she received two national awards from Scholastic, Inc. She lives with her husband, composer Edward Hart, and their children in Charleston, South Carolina where she teaches English and Creative Writing at Ashley Hall.

My thoughts:

Life is messy and oftentimes the messiness inflicted on you is the result of others’ actions. Several years before this story takes place Julia’s father made a very messy decision. This decision shattered many lives and the cracks kept appearing even after he was gone. His actions set into motion repercussions for both of his families.

Julia has spent many years isolating herself from all of the pain and mess of her family. But sometimes there are journeys that we need to take. It may see as if we are doing something for someone else, but in the end we are the ones that are blessed.
Beth Webb Hart has once again woven a southern gothic dream (or is it nightmare) of a story. In this novel she allows her main character Julia to face the worst type of betrayal. The situation will have you yelling, NO NO NO…that’s not fair! But we all know that life isn't fair, it’s about refinement.

I enjoyed the book so much. Coastal South Carolina is my favorite place to be and Beth puts you right there with the pluff mud between your toes and the salty breezes in your hair. After reading it someone asked me if it was a happy ending. I had to respond that I don’t really know. It wasn't what Julia had planned, but it was definitely what God had intended all along. It’s a story that leaves you speculating about what all of their lives were like ten years down the road. My bet is that there are lingering consequences but most days are happily ever after. This book is definitely worth purchasing and savoring and then passing along to many others.

Giveaway:

One reader will win a copy of Moon Over Edisto by Beth Webb Hart. Open to US 18+ only. Giveaway will end on 03/19/2013 at 1 am EST. Fill out the GT Form below to be entered!

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4 comments:

  1. This looks like a great book. I have not read anything by Beth before so this would be a good place to start. Ü
    cindialtman(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. If you win this you are in for a real treat. Definately a top 10 for me!

      Fitzysmom

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  2. Myself. I love to read and discover new to me authors!

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    Replies
    1. Ellie...Beth Webb Hart is an author worth discovering! You're going to want to read all of her books.

      Fitzysmom

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