Mermaids on the Moon

by Elizabeth Stuckey-French

Elizabeth Stuckey-French welcomes you to Mermaid Springs—a sparkling, bubbly world where secretive mermaids swim, a psychic cat gives mysterious messages, and Elvis still reigns.

As a young woman, Grendy swam her way to fame in the kitschy underwater pageants of Mermaid Springs, a premier attraction of pre-Disney Florida. When she met her minister husband, North, she hung up her fins and moved with him to the Midwest. Thirty-six years later, a reunion of the Mermaids of Yesteryear brings Grendy and North back to Mermaid City, where they decide to purchase a second home. In no time at all, Grendy lands a starring role in the “Mermaids on the Moon” Labor Day spectacular, and life seems very good indeed. So when Grendy suddenly goes missing, leaving only a cryptic note behind, her daughter, France, goes to Mermaid City to find out what happened.

While taking over care of her erratic six-year-old nephew, Theo, who is most affected by Grendy’s disappearance, France explores the odd circles her mother moved in. Grendy’s fellow Mermaids of Yesteryear—or “merhags”—are forthcoming about every detail of their friendship except her disappearance, and they seem much more interested in convincing France to step into her mother’s fins for the big Labor Day show. As France grows more concerned that her mother may have been a victim of foul play, she makes extraordinary discoveries about Grendy and wonders why the mermaids still talk about the night Elvis came to town.

With Elizabeth Stuckey-French’s “wonderfully original voice and zest for offbeat characters” (Chicago Tribune), Mermaids on the Moon is a delightful immersion in a bracingly fresh novel with just the right mix of sly wit and warmth.

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Humor, Relationships

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Elizabeth Stuckey-French is the author of a novel, Mermaids on the Moon, a collection of short stories, The First Paper Girl in Red Oak Iowa, and, with Janet Burroway, Writing Fiction: A Guide to the Narrative Craft. Her new novel, The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady, is forthcoming from Doubleday in spring 2011. Her short stories have appeared in The Normal School, Narrative Magazine, The Atlantic Monthly, Gettysburg Review, Southern Review, Five Points, and The O’Henry Prize Stories 2005. She was awarded a James Michener Fellowship and has won grants from the Howard Foundation, the Indiana Arts Foundation, and the Florida Arts Foundation. She teaches fiction writing at Florida State University.

Reviews

[Sharon Falduto · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had too much going on. The main character's mother has disappeared, and she goes down to Florida to look for her. The mother was performing in an underwater mermaid show before she left. There's also the child of the protagonist's deceased sister; the child is probably on the autism spectrum. And also there's some stuff about underage relationships. Elvis comes up, as well as the lost submarine the Kursk.

Most of the characters had unusual names for no apparent story reason. The missing mother is Grendy. The deceased sister was Beauvis. The main character is Frances but goes by France. Who does that?

This one didn't really hold my attention. Just finished it to finish it.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked it up at random at the library because come on! How could I resist that title, plus the setting (one of those gloriously tacky '50s-'60s mermaid shows)? Too bad the book itself was a little flat.

[Mayda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This tale didn’t exactly lack focus, but it sure was headed in that direction. It touched on a lot of things. It included a runaway wife, a feminist business woman, her somewhat deceitful employee, an unfaithful husband, an unfaithful wife, actually make that two of each, a young child definitely on the spectrum but as of yet, not being helped by any doctor, a kind of reclusive carver of large wooden dolls, and of course, the aging “merhags.” Oh! And Elvis. Can’t forget him. The characters are definitely quirky and flawed. And even though the book’s dust jacket claims Elizabeth Strout said the novel was hilarious and wacky, I didn’t see it that way. Wacky, yes, but not so funny. Weird characters in weird situations that are sort of resolved, but in a weird way. Not a lot of closure at its end. Maybe I just missed a deeper meaning, but the novel just never seemed to build to anything. I’m not sorry I read it, but I can’t imagine recommending it to any of my book friends.

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well I am a sucker for mermaid stories! This is a fun swim of a story, the usual family drama filled with mysterious secrets and shattered ideals. When France's mother goes missing from her life she goes to florida in search of answers, she befriends her mother's life long merhag friends, becomes caretaker to her deceased sister's young son and learns the mermaid way! The past and present have much sadness yet the mermaid fantasy provides great humor and wonderment.

[Lolly K Dandeneau · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this novel was good in part to the behavioral descriptions of the nephew Theo, as he seemed similar to the way my own son was when he was young (he has Asperger's syndrome) but the relationships were somewhat flat. It was hard to think France's discovery about her 'father' was unrealistic. It was certainly cute to read about the aged mermaids, but this story just didn't keep my interest. I didn't hate it, but it wasn't fantastic either.

[Craig Pittman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A strange mix of Florida wackiness with family drama. I was trying to tell someone about it and said it was like a Tim Dorsey novel but without the violence or fun dialogue.

Here's the set-up: France is in her 30s, living in Indiana and in a rut. She has a boyfriend, Bruno, who does nothing but make somewhat creepy dolls (including one based on her). She works at a gallery for women artists that is about to put on a show of Bruno's dolls because the owner thinks France made them and so far France hasn't corrected her. Then she learns from a phone call from her dad, North, that her mother, Grendy, has run off, France suspects foul play and heads south to investigate.

She winds up in Mermaid Springs, which is clearly based on Weeki Wachee Springs. The town is famous for its live mermaid shows. Grendy had been a mermaid there when she was young and now is part of a group of older women who've returned to the spring to put on special shows once a month. Their next one is called "Mermaids on the Moon," with Grendy playing the "astronaut" who lands in the underwater theater and winds up cavorting wih the alien mermaids, who have green faces. Now, with Grendy gone, the "mer-hags" (as they call themselves) need a replacement, so they recruit and train France.

France goes along with this scheme, despite serious misgivings, because she thinks the other women may know what happened to her mom. The story winds up involving Elvis, the psychics of Cassadega, an elephant, a cat with a third eye (sort of), a younger mermaid who has some secrets and France's minister father. One of the people who helps France is her young nephew Theo, whom Grendy was raising after the death of France's sister Beuvais. He has some serious behavioral issues but slowly lets her in on some helpful clues.

I liked where the story wound up, but it took a loooong time to reach that conclusion, and there was far more angst than humor.

[Jodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this one from a friend who passed it along after reading it herself. I loved the title and was intrigued by the storyline. I really liked the characters. Theo reminded me of Travis, the little boy in the move Hope Floats. It was a good plot, the story moved along nicely and the cast of characters was entertaining.

[Misscherrypies33gmail.Com · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love!

I really loved reading this book. It was sweet, fun, quirky and absolutely honest about relationships. I laughed out loud more than once and got a little misty eyed.
Loved her writing style so much!

[Tamar Wilson-steele · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and loved all the characters. Describing how they did the mermaid shows was fun and gave me a lot of respect for the women. I look forward to reading some of her other books.

[Gina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found it slow and the tone winey. I skipped a good part of the middle hoping the end would pick up. It did not.

[Mich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh. Not horrid. Not great

[Laura Merrill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. Although some of the characters were unlikeable, the rest of the quirky characters, the quirky Florida location and the little boy, Theo, made it engaging

[Jamie VanMersbergen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating is 3.5

[Kimberly Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not "Great Literature" but it is a very good story. Once I began reading it, I never really put it down, except to have dinner. I read it straight through.

From the jacket: "As a young woman, Grendy swam her way to fame in the kitschy underwater pageants of Mermaid Springs, a premier attraction of pre-Disney Florida. When she met her minister husband, North, she hung up her fins and moved with him to the Midwest. Thirty-six years later, a reunion of the Mermaids of Yesteryear (Merhags) brings Grendy and North back to Mermaid City, where they decide to purchase a second home. In no time at all, Grendy lands a starring role in the 'Mermaids on the Moon' Labor Day spectacular, and life seems very good indeed. So when Grendy suddenly goes missing, leaving only a cryptic note behind, her daughter, France, goes to Mermaid City to find out what happened.

While taking over care of her erratic (Autistic) six-year-old nephew, Theo, who is most affected by Grendy's disappearance, France explores, the odd circles her mother moved in. Grendy's fellow Mermaids of Yesteryear--or 'merhags'--are forthcoming about every detail of their friendship except her disappearance, and they seem much more interested in convincing France t step into her mother's fins for the big Labor Day show. As France grows more concerned that her mother may have been a victim of foul play (I didn't get that), she makes extraordinary discoveries about Grendy and wonders why the mermaids still talk about the night that Elvis came to town."

There was a lot more to this book that is described in the blurb: France's father takes off & leaves Theo in France's care..... France herself leaves behind a companion who carves large dolls out of posts in order to search for Grendy. France has taken his work to the All Women's Art Gallery she manages..... The owner is putting on a Labor Day show featuring the dolls and is convinced that France is the artist....

We also learn about France's sister Beauvais who died in a car accident, her Father's foibles, and the sisters' childhood......

Once again, I didn't really like many of the characters, I didn't find much warmth in them or endearing qualities, but I liked their stories and how they all came together in this book....... I did find it admirable how France stepped up to take care of her nephew Theo no matter the difficulties his care presented.

[Mycala · Rating 2 out of 5]

The reviews on the book cover were saying this book was hilarious. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am far too easily amused. I was expecting to be laughing my head off from the intro. I kept waiting for the funny parts that never came. My opinion of a book is formed by how I feel when I'm reading it, and how I feel when I've finished it. I had to force myself to finish it, although it did pick up a little towards the end. When I was done with this book, I just felt sad. The friends of the missing mother all seemed catty and obnoxious -- they were rude to the daughter and they all had awful things to say to her about her mother. Who needs enemies when you've got friends like that? Theo was hard to take early on, but he grew on me later. He was really the only person in the book that I liked at the end. The book was well-constructed as far as plot line -- there were twists and turns and "never saw that coming" situations, but the characters were just a mess.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The fantasy Doll Theater had no telephone, so France drove out to tell Bruno about her mother's disappearance. The theatre, where Bruno staged his Fantasy Doll shows, was thirty miles north of Indianapolis, on a county road a few miles from the town of Cedar Valley, up on a rise where the wind always blew. There was a magnificent view, but France was sure Bruno never noticed the rise and fall of the corn, rolling out for miles, the endless green grid broken up occasionally by a farmhouse glowing white under oak and maple trees. This morning, as usual, rain clouds filled the sky. France pulled up next to Bruno's van with the bashed-in side, a van he'd bought from a family who didn't have the insurance to fix it. She hated the sight of it."

[Lauren Glowacky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mermaids was an enjoyable quick read. After having read Ms.Stuckey's previous book "Revenge of the Radioactive Lady", a book with a slew of quirky characters, I looked forward to reading this newer book of hers. Indeed there were quirky characters, but it just didn't have the shock value (of quirkiness) of her previous book. In Revenge, there was an ending that nobody would see coming. Here in Mermaids, it was kind of tame by comparison. Don't get me wrong. It was a very enjoyable book. The characters were great! The kind of crazy old ladies that you would expect to be in a mermaid show in Florida, trying to relive their glory days. Looking forward to reading more from this author.

[Corrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mother-daughter relationships is the theme of this book. France (the main character's name) travels to her mom's town in Florida after hearing that her mother has left home. (Her mom is a mermaid in an underwater show there.) Through this novel (well-written and fairly clean) she comes to terms with her mistakes in her past, her mother's mistakes, her father's mistakes, and a sister who left something of herself behind when she died. It was a good story. I'm glad I had my parents growing up though!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has been a few years since I read this book but I remember how much I liked it. To be fair, I should point out that the majority of the reason I liked this book is because it was so familiar to me. At the time that I read it, I lived in the town in Florida that the author obviously based this book on (although she changed the name). So many of the characters and story lines reminded me of things from my own life. I did loan my book to my mother and she liked it, too, although I doubt she liked it as much as I did.

[MB (What she read) · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can watch videos of Weeki Wachee mermaids (which she is obviously referring to in this book) performing on Youtube if you're interested.

And what is with the evil philandering minister theme? This is the second book now. I'm seeing a pattern here.

Here's another book that features WW mermaids Swim to Me. I think I've read at least 5 so far that do--fiction and non-fiction--how weird that they seem to turn up so often.

[Marvin · Rating 2 out of 5]

A 38-year-old divorcee from Indiana goes to Florida to resolve the mystery of her mother's disappearance after she leaves her father. Not surprisingly, she learns a lot about herself, too, as she cares for the troubled 5-year-old nephew her mother has left behind and gets to know her mother's friends, with whom she performs in an underwater mermaid act. There's little suspense, & lots of touches designed to be cute aren't really very. All in all, a pretty disappointing book.

[Robin Shelley]

I was looking forward to a fun book about the 60 or 70-year-old ladies who still do mermaid shows like in the 50's in Florida. The characters were bizarre, yet interesting in their own right. The story itself didn't seem to go anywhere. France comes to Florida to find her missing mom, one of the "merhags." When we finally find out what happened to Mom, it felt forced. It was a strange little read, but it was definitely unique. Quirky is a good term for it, but it wasn't my cup of quirky.

[Rebecca Gernon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the characters in this book real and enchanting. Winky was well written as were the others. However the book had little direction. I finished it and felt cheated that there really was no resolution among the characters. The book is worth the read if only to see how the young boy reacted and changed.

[Richard Jespers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel doesn’t seem to have the oomph or clarity of her first collection of stories, The First Paper Girl in Red Oak, Iowa. Theo is perhaps the most interesting, the most developed character. I really wanted to like the book because of my connection with Stuckey-French as a teacher. She’s such a fine creative writing teacher and writer, but the book just doesn’t strike a chord with me.

[Amanda Man · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Mermaids on the Moon" has an unusual setting with a corner of the world most readers would be unfamiliar with. It does well in drawing out the environment and pathos of its niche, though the plot surrounding the central mystery is reliant on rather one-dimensional, though definitely colorful, characters.

[Laura Cushing · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story involving France, a young woman who goes to mermaid springs Florida to investigate her mother's disappearance. Along the way of finding her mother, she connects with her dead sisters autistic son, learns about her mother's performance as a mermaids, and her parents troubled relationship.

Very enjoyable book.

[Dana Fontaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was super hard to get through. Not only was this book bland, there wasn't one, single likeable character in the book. I don't normally rate books below three stars, but this one deserved it. I picked it up thinking "Hmmm, I like mermaids." After reading the synopsis I thought "Hmmm, this sounds like an interesting story." I was wrong and made a bad choice at the library :P

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm surprised I've read more than on enovel about mermaids in Florida! In this one, a mermaid disappears, and her daughter spends the bulk of the novel ineffectively looking for her. Various aspects of family relationships and history are revealed as she talks to other mermaids in the group.

[Peggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an interesting read. I didn't know how the mermaids performed their routines and I was hooked on finding out where the missing mermaid, Grendy, was. The charaters were well developed and the story was entertaining.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quirky and fun. Must admit I might have enjoyed a bit more if I had read it faster. I've been busy and read only a few pages at night. This is a book to "watch" like a movie. When I started reading it I thought about how to stage it!