The Civil Wars of Jonah Moran: A Novel

by Marjorie Reynolds

Jessica Moran, a steadfast woman from a tiny town in the Pacific Northwest, must confront her past demons and perceptions of loyalty when her troubled brother Jonah becomes a suspect in a fatal arson case at a halfway house

Genres: Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Fiction

336 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1999

Reviews

[Laurie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not nearly as good as her first novel, The Starlite Drive-In. There were times when I thought it moved pretty slowly and was wishing I was done with the book. There were some interesting parts— when she and her mother are stuck out in a storm while looking for her brother, when she thinks someone is in her house. But, there never quite ends up being quite a thrilling moment in the book. The solution to the whodunnit of the house fire ends up being less than exciting and the ending is kind of a fizzle rather than a bang. It’s too bad, because it had potential.

[Rebekah Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this so much. It reads like a murder mystery, a family saga, & a romance all at once. Plus it has fabulous descriptions of nature & gives us a look into a little known Native American culture. I love how Reynolds created complex characters, one of which I thought was too flat at first (Lila) but ended up having far more depth than I expected. My only complaint was that the scene with the dog & the newspaper seemed very far fetched. But that's hardly enough to ruin anything. I will definitely be checking out more books by this author.

[Sylvia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable read but nothing earth-shattering. Decent character development, likeable main characters.Predictable plot.The most interesting and well developed aspect for me was the setting of a small logging town in the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State.

[Chana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book, the setting (the Pacific NW) and the characters appealed to me. I also liked the story. When you live in a place (well I live in Seattle but close enough) I think it is easier to relate to the kinds of characters who populate a story, in this case American Indians and rural white logging families.
Jessica Moran is the daughter of the biggest and wealthiest logging family in the area. The book opens with a scene in which the mother looks like a monster, the father the would be good guy and hero, the brother mentally disabled in some way. Jessica seems to be to be the only one able to fix things, but no one can fix everything. When things go terribly wrong she takes comfort in the love she finds with an Indian boy. This does not go over well with her mother. Move forward nearly 18 years. Jessica's brother Jonah is suspected in an arson and many broken relationships need to be fixed so people can work together and find the truth.
Although this book is not great literature, educational in a traditional sense or non-fiction, it does occur to me that the author may have been trying to teach us about Asperger's Syndrome, perhaps modeling Jonah after someone she knows.

[Mary Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just started it.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What's not to love about a book in which Sasquatch has a cameo? This quasi mystery/romance is set in WA state near Forks Wa. I enjoyed everything about it.

[Jane]

2
"enjoyed it"