The Half Moon

I really enjoy books like this. Slow, quiet portrayals of relationships & small town life and Mary Beth Keane is a master.

In this one we meet Malcolm & Jess at the end of their marriage. As both try to come to terms with it and make sense of things, the chapters alternate between them allowing us perspective from both sides.

The book also touches on how such a breakup impacts family and friends and even the wider community in such a small town.

As well as the story of their relationship it is also a story of dreams and what we do to make them happen and how we cope when they are broken.

A beautifully written, gentle, emotional gem of a book

Huge thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph and netgalley for the chance to read an early copy

*Edited as my review was saved to the incorrect title*

I adored this book- genuinely could not put this book down so much so that I have pre-ordered a hard copy. I cared about not only the characters but the plot and have recommended this to a friend already for pre-order.

Jess and Malcolm fall in love quickly and easily. He is a handsome, gregarious barman, she is an idealistic lawyer, and together they feel like they can take on the world. This is a penetrating look at their marriage as life takes its toll on them both. Malcolm has always dreamed of owning the Half Moon bar where he works, but when he finally gets the chance, his ideas for making it a success alienate his old customers and fail to draw in the new. Jess, more cautious about money, is not aware of the extent of the investment, having been preoccupied for years in trying to have a baby and enduring emotionally and financially ruinous rounds of fertility treatments. The stress and mounting debts begin to chip away at their relationship- can they still have a future together? This is a moving and very relateable novel, with well-drawn characters who come alive from the page. The portrayal of a marriage in crisis is very believable and realistic, while the minor characters add to the narrative themes of love and disappointment, reality and escape, dreams and hope. The Half Moon was so vivid, I felt like I could almost go in and join the festivities (on a good night). An absorbing read.

FROM THE COVER📖
There are two sides to every story - and every marriage in crisis . . .

Malcolm, bartender at the Half Moon, has always dreamed of owning a bar, and when his boss finally retires, he seizes his chance. He sees unquantifiable magic and potential in the Half Moon and hopes to make it a bigger success.

His wife, Jess, has devoted herself to her law career, but after years of trying for a baby, she's struggling to accept the idea that motherhood might not be in her future. She finds herself slipping away from both her career and her marriage. The bar is Malcolm's dream, and as she feels her youth start to fade, she wonders how to reshape her own life.

When a blizzard hits their upstate New York town on the same day that Malcolm learns some shocking news about Jess, and a regular at the bar goes missing, everyone is frozen in place for a single, pivotal week. In The Half Moon, award-winning author Mary Beth Keane carefully explores a marriage in crisis, what it takes to make a life with another person, and the true meaning of family.

One tumultuous week. One marriage in crisis. One chance to begin again...

REVIEW⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

First off I requested this ARK after skimming the description so I went in blind as I have also never read anything from this author.

Once I was approved I did some research and dreaded this would be American Sally Rooney full of self entitled snooty people chatting about feelings,using big words and with no plot to speak of apart from people moaning about nothing really that traumatic, #realworldproblems, giving it the big poor mes. So to say I was sure this would be on my DNF list boy was I wrong. This was nothing like Sally Rooney and the like it was brilliant and I loved it. Thank you so for the ARK I’ve already purchased the authors previous novel set in the small American town.

Told in the third person POV we hear from Mal and Jess over the course of snow storm week expertly and seamlessly passing though the then and now we hear the story of their marriage.

The writer shows how accomplished her writing is as she moves from Jess to Mel expertly within chapters, even within paragraphs and at times managed to just from the present to the past while doing this.I love hearing different POV in books but I have never seen such flawless movement between the POV she doesn’t even divide them by chapters like most writers. So skilled. I loved her writing style.

The characters are very well written they feel very real and true, the cast of characters within the novel are as well written as the two leads, I had proper feelings for them all. I hated Neil, felt so sorry Neil’s kids and I loved Mal’s mum.

The book captures the heartbreaking wanting of a childless couple with care and deep understanding. It’s handled with such delicacies it’s really hits homes. In fact the full novel examines life with such heart, understanding and insight it makes the novel so special


I loved this small town drama. I was completely lost in the story and read it in a couple of sittings. Lost myself in it.

Such a seemly ordinary story told in such a beautiful way with a added mystery element that lifted this from a insightful book on the very heart of human nature to something a little different. And with a tidy , believable and satisfying ending this truly a gift of a book.

Malcolm is the owner of the Half Moon bar.
This gentle and very human story about him and his wife Jess is reminiscent of writers such as Anne Tyler and Margaret Forster.
It centres on a period of turbulence in their marriage as they face some hard issues, such as their life without the children they dearly wanted.
The perspective shifts from Jess to Malcolm and back again and I found this very satisfying: no one view is ever truth, and my allegiances changed and changed again.
To be honest I really loved this novel and I’m so sad it’s ended! The characters are real and wholly believable and I was rooting for Jess and Malcolm, despite feeling that there couldn’t be a happy ending.
This is a solid five stars for me - read it!

I loved this small town drama. I was completely lost in the story and read it in a couple of sittings. I am still thinking about Malcolm and his friends days later. I loved the glimpse into bartenders and owning your own bar. Some triggers connecting to fertility but i felt Mary Beth Keane dealt with topic in such a sensitive realistic way. I highly recommend. This book did not disappoint.

Loved this new release from Mary Beth Keane, and was so excited to read Mor from her after adoring Ask again yes having read it multiple times.

The Half Moon is every bit as spectacular with its vivid description to so clearly see the backdrop and homes of the characters you come to know so well. The relationships of the characters so real, and a masterpiece is sharing that at a relationship is only known by those involved.

This is a very moving story of a couple and their marriage (I can’t really say more without giving some of the plot away). By the end of the book I felt as though Jess and Malcolm were my friends and I’d like to meet them in the bar! Fantastic characterisation, and a well crafted book.

Really enjoyed how this story flowed through, the characters are great and the story is so believable. Highly recommend.

Malcom and Jesse's story a tale that's intriguing and moving.

The main focus is Malcom the new owner of the Half Moon who had believed Huge had looked it for him and let him have his old club (inn). Malcom isn't one to accept defeat but there are things that you can't always predict but he won't just just give up. When Jess changes decides she needs space a chain of event just happen and their future well you have to read that I'd hate to spoil it for you.

They both want a child but time has moved on and it seems to be strain for them both. But what about the novel did I enjoy it? Yes the characters were very real and a reflection on people you can imagine in your own community but still a read that let's you escape into a world away from our own reality.
There are a few storyline that all work together as well as Jesse's s plus her relationship with Malcom. there is a missing person last seem at the half moon and the future of the Half Moon. This is a full story a great read and it I really want to recommend to you.

Set in a small American New York town, The Half Moon follows Malcolm and Jess, recently separated, over a blizzard-hit weekend in which he’s facing a financial meltdown and she’s taking the first tentative steps in a new relationship.
After shaking hands on a deal he was less than honest about with Jess, Malcolm is the owner of the bar he’s worked in for two decades, making changes that haven’t gone down well with the regulars. On top of his business liabilities, he and Jess have debts accumulated through years of infertility treatment. Once the full extent of Malcolm’s dishonesty is clear, Jess decides it’s time for a break. Four months later, the storm hits during the bar’s busiest month leaving Malcolm desperate for the weather to clear while Jess has arrived for her first weekend in Gillam since leaving their home.
Keane’s novel slips smoothly between Malcolm and Jess unfolding the story of their relationship. Each is very different from the other but both are appealing enough to engage our sympathy as they navigate their way through the roller coaster misery of failed IVF and the difficulties of running a business that’s hit the skids. Keane catches the claustrophobia of living in a town where everyone knows everyone else’s business and isn’t afraid to share it counterbalanced by enduring friendships and neighbourliness. No literary fireworks here but an absorbing story well told that might be just the ticket if you’re looking for something to pack in your holiday suitcase.

What a lovely book. Gives us a real insight into what it must feel like when the perfect relationship goes wrong. How do you start up with someone new? A week of bad weather conditions and someone going missing leads our main character on a journey of self discovery. What should he do to cope with all that’s gone wrong in his life and without the one he loves the most. Will he ever sort his life out again?
This story highlights how what we think we want most isn’t always that at all. Sometimes life can throw in some challenges before it all works itself out. This is just a lovely story and should be read and totally enjoyed. Think I may be reading it again because I loved it. .