Shoot the Moon

Rating:
Summary: Actually made me angry
Review: First time reviewer, but I hated this so much I decided to chime in. I'll ignore the "quirky" plot and character names, even though I actually live in Oklahoma and don't know anyone or any quaint shops/restaurants with all the cute names Letts comes up with. I did like the mystery aspect of this story, and it's executed okay. But-- did you know that, as in previous books by this author, pregnant, uneducated, unwed mother=good, adoptive parents, who may be flawed, but will try to give the kid a good life, including an education and some opportunities=bad.
According to Letts, it's better for a young woman, planning on college, to give up her education and raise a child in a trailer in the country, than to find a loving home for a baby. (Of course, the adoptive parents in this book, who are just mentioned, aren't that great). If you are adopted, did you know that your experiences, even the name you've had for over 20 some years, don't count because you weren't with your "real" parents or using your "real" name? The message in this book really bothered me, especially considering that Oklahoma has a teen birthrate that isn't much to be proud of, and I'm not even adopted or a parent!


Rating:
Summary: Captivating Story!
Review: Authors can write several different types of books and this one is not, and does not claim to be, related to Where the Heart Is! That said, if people can stop and read this book and stop analyzing it as if it is a sequel to Letts's other great tales, this truly is an intruiging, captivating story. I read it in one day because I could hardly wait to find out the many truths that are revealed throughout. Love it!

Rating:
Summary: Lackluster from Letts
Review: Having read and enjoyed Billie Letts' first two books, I looked forward to her third book. However, I was disappointed. Well-drawn and often quirky characters that she had drawn in her other two books were not present. Plot revelations arrived without drama, and in anticlimactic fashion. The principal character's quest throughout the tale to identify his father, and the murderer of his mother, ended in such a dull fashion that I actually didn't care. I came away from the reading of this book with an overall impression that the author's main objective was not to tell a good story with intriguing characters, but to espouse her own worldview.
If you champion political correct-ness, mulitculturalism, diversity, feminism, and relativism, then you very well may enjoy this book.
If you have a Christian worldview, you will not.
Enjoy well-written fiction with colorful, endearing characters? Do you like a book that draws you in, that refreshes, and is soul-satisfying? Then may I heartily recommend to you the books written by Fannie Flagg, Michael C. West, and Jan Karon.
Finally, if you do choose to read "Shoot the Moon", be sure to read Billie Lett's novel "Where the Heart Is", if you haven't already. The difference in quality between the two is striking.

Rating:
Summary: Another winner from Billie Letts!!
Review: I could not put this book down. Every opportunity I got to pick it up I did. The story is about a man, Dr. Mark Albright, veterinarian to the stars, who travels to DeClare, OK to find out about his birth mother. Mark's father has recently passed away, and while going through his things, he discovers he was adopted, and was originally from OK.

Well, back in 1972 in Declare, a young woman (Gaylene Harjo) was stabbed to death, and her 10 month old baby, Nicky Jack went missing. After years searching, the town feared him dead, and no definitive answers were giving as to who killed Gaylene.

Well, Mark discovers he's Nicky Jack. The towns divided as to wether they think he's the real deal, or a con artist. But Mark is taken in by Teeve, his aunt, and Ivy his cousin. With their help, and the help of a bunch of other very colorful townsfolk, they are searching for answers as to why and who killed his mother, how did Mark/Nicky Jack end up in California with his adoptive family, and who's been trying for 27 years to cover up the facts.

There were twists and turns all over this book, and you'll NEVER guess who was responsible for the killing/kidnaping. I highly recommend this read. This was my second book by Ms. Letts, and I loved it, just as I did The Honk and Holler. Can't wait to read more from her, she's quickly turning into one of my favorite authors!

Rating:
Summary: Good read
Review: I loved this book and also read it in one day. It was a great read and great story. It had some great twists and turns. It is not the same type of story as Where the Heart Is. I like that Letts is able to switch gears in here writting style. She would be pretty boring if she wrote the same story over and over again.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable and a quick read but lacks depth
Review: I thouroughly enjoyed Ms. Letts two earlier books. Like many people here, I was thrilled to see a new release. This book was enjoyable, engrossing and I looked forward to picking it up each night. But it clearly lacked depth and needed further character development. The characters were flat and not entirely beleivable.

I, too, found Dr Mark's attraction for his aimless, drifting 'cousin' mystifying and this required a suspension of belief in order to get through the remainder of the story.

I also took exception to the preachiness that the author falls into. Billie Letts needs get past her elitist, academic view that republicans are illiterate - we read and buy books too!!! Taking cheap pot shots in her books may alienate some readers, myself included.

Overall a sweet little escape of a read.

Rating:
Summary: Do you only learn from your natural parents?
Review: I was doing fine with the book until it took a turn against adoptive parents--Was Ms. Letts implying you could only learn to swim, ride a bike, listen to stories, have birthday candles on your cake, give warnings of safety (street crossings, scissors), or receiving a good night kiss only from ones birth mother? As an adoptive parent, I feel the wrong message was protrayed in this book. I have enjoyed other books by Ms. Letts, and I hope her future writings improve!

Rating:
Summary: A Gripping Read with Characters that Really Breath
Review: In 1972 DeClare, Oklahoma Sheriff O Boy Daniels arrested Joe Dawson for the murder of Gaylene Harjo and her ten-month-old son Nicky Jack. However when Gaylene was found brutally murdered in her trailer, there was no sign of the boy, the baby had vanished without a trace and though the townsfolk searched high, low and long, he was never found. Twenty-seven years later Californian Dr. Mark Albright comes to town seeking clues about his birth parents as he's just found out he'd been adopted and that Gaylene was his mother. He is saddened and shocked when he finds out his mother had been murdered and now he wants to find out about his father. His digging upsets a lot of people, including the killer who would rather the past stay buried along with Gaylene Harjo.

This was an attention grabbing story, one that kept me reading thoughtout the night and one that seemed, to me at least, to be very different from Billie Letts' other stories, not different in a bad way, just different, almost like a mystery thriller. I think I expected something like Ms. Letts' superb "Honk and Holler Cafe, Opening Soon," which I dearly loved. This story is not like that, but it is a gripping read with characters that will live with you for a very long time. Different it is, a wonderful story it is, too.

Rating:
Summary: Couldn't Put it Down
Review: In her long awaited book, Billie Letts delivers another heartwarming and page turning novel. Shoot the Moon lives up to the expectations from her previous books. If you are looking for a book that offers mystery and family love, then you'll love this book! It follows the heartwarming writing method that Billie Letts offered us in her previous novels. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: good story-telling...
Review: in Ms. Letts' 3rd round. Did not mind the wait in between. You know the cliche...less is more. This is not a page-turner-find-out-who-dunnit of a book. More of a go-along-and see-what-happens-next story. Like to go along as primary characters gain some insight? Like to come across secondary characters who have some sort of quality that keep them from being bogged down in the "who's that?" pit? Ms. Letts' style keeps the story moving along--the right amount of visual description of what you'd see were you there, without pushing the reader to the "get on with it" moment; some local flavor without going "corn-pone"-ish on us; a few remember-when flashes for the readers over 30 :). Look out for a breath-taker near the ending.