 "Great Concept" | 2009-12-22 |
| - Reviewed By Scott William Foley from Illinois |
I've read Carroll's Land of Laughs and found his characterization very impressive in that particular book, although I felt his plot bottomed out toward the ending as it abandoned those previously established traits.
With Bones of the Moon, however, I never really connected with his protagonist, Cullen James, or her friends and family. While they had interesting backgrounds, they simply didn't feel real to me. Because of this, and what I consider awkward dialogue, I couldn't fully immerse myself in Bones of the Moon.
I would like to note that Carroll had an incredible concept. I especially enjoyed the role of abortion in the novel and the psychological undertones that resulted. Carroll did a remarkably nice job of leaving the specifics of the fantasy world that his main character travels to rather vague. At one point, you think that she is slipping into Rondua during her dreams, but then you suspect that it's just the opposite: that Cullen is sliding into our world from Rondua. But then, just when you've about made up your mind one way or the other, Carroll hints that perhaps this is all simply in her head--the mind's way of dealing with an unhealed emotional scar. And then the end of the novel arrives, and all three of these possibilities converge, and you're left with no answers at all.
If this sounds complicated, it is. And, had the dialogue been just a little more practical, I think things might have been different for me. But the dialogue tended to teeter on the edge of hyperbole, and this took me right out of the novel.
I won't give up on Carroll, though. The two novels I've read by him have had some extraordinary qualities and it's obvious that his imagination is superb. Perhaps I'll try one of his more recent works and see what I think since the two I've read were from before 1988.
It should be noted, by the way, that Carroll had rave reviews for Bones of the Moon by none other than Stephen King himself, so take that into consideration.
~Scott William Foley, author of Souls Triumphant |
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| "not his best" | 2009-01-05 |
| - Reviewed By audrey from white mtns |
This is the fourth book I've read by this author, and my least favorite. It's the story of Cullen, a young woman living in NYC who eventually falls in love and marries, and then begins to dream about a magical land where she enters into a quest with her aborted son and their animal companions.
What I have loved about Carroll in his other books is his effortless narration, which makes the appearance of magical elements quite interesting; in this book however, his style is clunky and off-putting (perhaps purposefully, but still not appreciated), making the dream world as well as the "real" world places full of awkward dialogue and groping action. There's a reason we don't want to hear oher people's dreams in lengthy detail, and this protagonist's dreams are no exception. I agree completely with the reviewer who said that Cullen's dream world is just a boring place with silly names. I plodded through to the end, hoping that a writer as talented as Carroll would somehow pull it out of the trash heap toward the end, but no such luck.
IMHO, if you really like this author and want to read everything he's written, go ahead; but if you are new to this author, don't let this be your first of his novels. There are others, much better than this. |
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| "A Bedtime Story" | 2008-04-03 |
| - Reviewed By Dick Johnson from Oklahoma USA |
I don't place this at the top of Carroll's efforts. There were a few places where it seemed he was maybe going to go back and fill in, but didn't get around to it. A couple of the characters virtually disappear in the last third of the book. The ending seemed rushed and incomplete.
The series of dreams by Cullen are based on her guilt about a decision she had made a few years earlier. The surreal happenings in the dreams are interestingly handled but they didn't really draw me in.
Even though I didn't particularly like this, I do look forward to reading more of Carroll's books.
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 "If You Planted John Updike in Wonderland..." | 2007-11-08 |
| - Reviewed By J. T. Glover from Richmond, VA USA |
Bones of the Moon is a down-the-rabbit-hole sort of fantasy, one that begins in a wholly real Manhattan and ends up traveling through Rondua, a land strange and whimsical enough to rival Poictesme or the Dreamlands or Neverland. The intrusion of the strange in this novel is gradual, the kind of slow seepage one finds in Shirley Jackson or Robert Aickman, and readers will find themselves believing in the thoroughly real world of the protagonists as easily as they will the adventures set in the land of Rondua. It's difficult to talk in detail about the characters and the plot without giving the entire story away, but suffice it to say that everything in the book, however fantastic, develops from a major turning point in the life of Cullen James, Bones' protagonist.
This short novel will appeal to readers who like both thoughtful fantasy and domestic tales. A great part of the story is concerned with the relationship between Cullen and her husband Danny, and the minutiae of their lives, albeit subtly influenced by the fantastic. Carroll, an American-born author residing in Vienna, has won notable literary awards in the U.S., Britain, France, and elsewhere. His skills are on fine display here, from his eerily apt descriptions of imaginary geographies to his nuanced descriptions of Cullen James' reactions to the events that overwhelm her life. |
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 "Solid But Not His Best" | 2006-06-21 |
| - Reviewed By Norm Zurawski from Millington, NJ United States |
I have read only 2 books by Jonathan Carroll, Bones of the Moon and Sleeping if Flame. Both I enjoyed a lot, as they entered fictional corners I hadn't explored before. Both books support the murmuring literary contention that Carroll is a cult following waiting to happen. Entrenched firmly in Magical Realism, both books are of the same ilk, clearly written by the same author, entrenched in the same mindset. Dark, magical, out of left field, Carroll brings unique words to the page in an interesting and readable way.
I don't believe Bones of the Moon is on par with Sleeping in Flame, but it's still an enjoyable read. A bit more arcane and off the wall than Flame, Bones takes some strange turns which might stretch the 'realism' aspect of magical realism. That would be my primary complaint with this book, that this really has a dual-identity, half in reality and half not, as opposed to merging them in balance. He tries to get away with it because he calls it a dream, which seems a bit of a copout to me.
Readers of Carroll - even one as inexperienced as myself - can't be surprised when these worlds collide, since this style appears to be his MO. While I found myself riveted by the story, especially as it drew to a close, what I found when I got there wasn't nearly as enjoyable as the build-up. The base of the pyramid has a good foundation, but lacks the crowning achievement which makes it a pyramid. I find the exact reason hard to pinpoint, but it left me empty, something having been drained out of me, like Carroll himself describes in the text.
After Bones, I will probably take some time off from reading Carroll for 3 reasons. These reasons can be used to asses what I think of Carroll as an author. The first is that I don't want to eat through his entirely library of books in 2 months like I did with Tom Robbins years ago. Unlike Robbins, his books are not long, so you can easily consume them in a full day if you are so inclined. Secondly, there's a very unique groove to his work, and if you read too many at one time, it becomes a rut. Not allowing yourself to step back can cause you to miss the proverbial forest, something Carroll so richly grows in his works. Finally, there are plenty of other excellent books out there waiting to be read, Carroll's among them. Combining the 3 reasons, this leads me to believe that variety is the absolute way to go with Carroll.
In trying to guess what potential reader might enjoy this, I imagine the expression Magical Realism will turn off an obvious segment who want no part of it. Those still interested might as well go out and pick up one of his books. They aren't any more arcane than Tom Robbins' Skinny Legs And All, given the cast of characters there. Still, the 2 lines are not entirely parallel, as Robbins and Carroll write in very divergent styles. But it's not outlandish to say that readers of one may very well enjoy works of the other.
Without giving away plot details, there's little more to say about the book. Since I didn't dwell on the negative for more than a few sentences, that should give the potential reader a clear idea that I enjoyed the book. Indeed, I look forward to reading everything he has written...in time. His worlds are fascinating and his words are smooth as silk, drawing you in and not letting you go until the final page. But be warned, this author is most certainly not for everyone. |
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| "Some hasty pacing, but overall great" | 2006-05-19 |
| - Reviewed By An Amazon User |
My college girlfriend passed this book along to me as one of the best examples of a man's reasonable and nuanced perspective on the issues of abortion and motherhood. Bones of the Moon does demonstrate this (it comes as no surprise to me that the author lives in Austria) as well as a fanciful story with great sensory details, sweet oddball characters and a surprising ending. The heroine, Cullen, begins the story with, "The axe boy lived downstairs." If that isn't a compelling introduction, then I haven't found a better one. Cullen is an attractive, young New Yorker. She recently married to a nice guy and gave birth to their daughter. Cullen leads a fulfilling, if somewhat ordinary life, up until she begins to have very vivid dreams of a fantasy world called Rondua. In Rondua, Cullen possesses an uncanny amount of authority over the sentient creatures who live there, mainly due to her connection to a little boy named Pepsi. The dreams somehow inform Cullen that Pepsi is the child she aborted when she was a lonely young woman. Pepsi's destiny points to a significant role in vanquishing an enemy of Rondua, with Cullen aiding him along the way. While the pacing of the story sort of stagnates after the birth of Cullen's child and her settling into life as a mother and wife in Manhattan, it's when Cullen's dream activities and waking life begin to intersect that the story escalates and hurtles us (a little too abruptly) to a shocker of a conclusion.
I really enjoyed all the characters, especially Danny, Cullen's husband, and Pepsi, Cullen's guide in Rondua and supposed lost first kid. I appreciated the transition from Cullen as a confused girl in a crappy relationship who needs to terminate a pregnancy to a competent and happy mom in a committed marriage. Trouble is, we barely get to see any of it. Most of the anxiety-riddled thoughts of Cullen's youth feel rushed over only to bring us to the pat, present-day setting where Cullen and Danny have an excellent thing going on. But once we get to this point, Carroll's storytelling keeps us in the moment and curious about the importance of the Rondua dreams, the crossing over of the dreams into real life and the safety of Cullen and her family.
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