The Moon Always Rising

By: Alice C. Early

Narrated by: Deborah Whyte, Olivia Myrie

In 1998, fiery Eleanor “Els” Gordon thought the new century would find her married to her childhood soul mate, rejuvenating her family’s Scottish Highlands estate, and finally earning a managing director title at her investment bank. Maybe she’d even have the courage to discover why her estranged mother ran home to Italy 30 years earlier.

But when 2000 dawns, Els is mourning her fiancé and her father, and she’s unemployed, broke, and sharing an antique plantation house on the Caribbean island of Nevis with the ghost—or “jumbie”—of Jack Griggs, the former owner. Jack’s jumbie wangles Els’s help in making amends for wrongs committed during his Casanova life, and in exchange he appoints himself Cupid on behalf of a charter captain who’s as skittish about vulnerability as Els. Meanwhile, Els lures her mother to Nevis in hopes of unraveling the family secrets—but will the shocking truth set her free, or pull her fragile new happiness apart?

A moving and lyrical novel that transports listeners from lush tropics to rugged highlands and back again, The Moon Always Rising explores how the power of forgiveness can help even the most damaged person fix whatever is broken.

©2020 Alice C. Early (P)2023 Alice C. Early

Wonderfully immersive

I just finished listening to this book.

With great anticipation, I had been looking for this book on audible for I love to be at me easel and listen to good books-and this was no disappointment.

Wow!

Els (the main character) was so beautifully portrayed-making her such a believable person-that I was traveling in this story vicariously through her. I was transported. Becoming so emotionally connected, I had vocal outbursts as I was listening to the story. (Good thing I was alone….)

Colorfly written, and with great detail.
I could smell the flowers, hear the hummingbirds and gaze out on the views that Early so eloquently described. I could visualize the characters in her story to the point you felt like you already knew someone just like some of her characters. Even to the point of understanding the facial expressions.

I did find the Nevis accent made it hard at times to understand what was being said. Even when backing up Audible and replaying some phrases. But it did not take away from the story as you can definitely get the gist. I have to wonder if this was what Els may have experienced with her baptism into the culture of Nevis. Also, I do feel fortunate to have a British woman-whom I’m very close with-and have learned a lot of terms over the years which helped me understand the Scottish colloquialisms that could be lost in American English. But again, you would not get lost in the story.

What was a lot of fun for me, is I pulled up a map of Nevis and followed along, finding the places that were mentioned. This gave me a wonderful perspective that was very beneficial to become more involved with the story.

A wonderful story, that I think might be better to listen to than to read the written word. Without the accents, I could believe it might have such a different flavor. But by no means am I putting down the book. I’m actually telling my reading friends to get the book, but telling them the audible book might be so much more immersive.

I can’t wait for the next story!