Crooked Moon

by Lisette Brodey, Brodey, Lisette

As children, Frankie Cavalese and Callie Mason were the very best of friends, growing up together on opposite walls of a row home in a blue-collar neighborhood of Philadelphia called Rainytown. The friendship they shared was special - the kind that storybook heroines had - and neither ever considered the possibility of it not lasting forever. But after high school, life interfered and circumstances separated them as they each went on to live drastically different lives.

Twenty-three years later, one hot Rainytown summer, the lives of these women suddenly come crashing back together. To complicate the fragile reunion, Callie's marriage is suddenly at risk, further complicated by the affections of (and attraction to) Frankie's brother, Paulie. Tensions and passions explode in the sweltering heat, and amidst pain and tragedy, each woman not only ends up with a life-altering secret regarding the other, but the burning question of what to do with it.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Contemporary

346 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 19, 2008

About the author

Lisette was born and raised in the Philadelphia area. She spent ten years in New York City, and now resides in Los Angeles.

She’s a multigenre author of fifteen books: Crooked Moon (General/Literary Fiction); Squalor, New Mexico (Coming-of-Age/Literary Fiction); Molly Hacker Is Too Picky! (Women's Fiction/RomCom), The Desert Series: Mystical High; Desert Star; and Drawn Apart (YA paranormal), Barrie Hill Reunion (Literary Fiction); Hotel Obscure (themed short stories, Literary Fiction); Love, Look Away (Women's Fiction/RomCom), The Sum of our Sorrows (Contemporary Fiction), The Waiting House: A Novel in Stories (Literary Fiction), All That Was Taken (Contemporary Fiction), Twice a Broken Breath (suspense), What the Years Remember, and Too Far Standing Still.

In addition to her fifteen books, two of Lisette’s short stories are published in an anthology: Triptychs (Book 3, The Mind’s Eye Series.)

Reviews

[Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

After my wife and my niece raved about this book, I just had to read it. Not only was it very well written, but the author hooked me in by the first page. The development of the story and the conversations between characters was, for me, the best part of the book. I've read books before that had clever dialogue yet at the same time didn't feel genuine to me. And when I don't believe the characters are real people, I don't really care as much for the story.

The conversations in Crooked Moon were not only very real, but they made me laugh one moment, cry another, and think about my own life the next. In fact, there was one particular scene that affected me so much that I wanted to jump into the book and spill the character's secret! (But I didn't want to ruin the book for future readers!)

The author does a great job of painting portraits of people from all walks of life. As someone who meets so many different kinds of people every day in his own work, this was something that I personally could appreciate. I also loved the way the story took turns that I never saw coming and kept me guessing until the end.

And, the fact that my wife has twice asked me when Lisette Brodey's next book is coming out is just another testament to this very engaging and talented writer. For anyone who enjoys gritty, honest and flawed characters who truly feel the world around them, I couldn't recommend Crooked Moon more highly.

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crooked Moon by Lisette Brodey

Callie and Frankie (are) childhood friends who lost touch over the years. As circumstances bring Callie back home, she begins to reconnect with Frankie.

Life is not easy for Frankie caring for her dying Mother with little help from her Brother Paulie. Callie's presence will have an effect on all as the past meets the present.

Moving at a steady pace with well developed (complex) characters and engaging dialog. Secrets are slowly revealed adding to this compelling, thought-provoking story.

Overall I found Crooked Moon very enjoyable and highly recommend to all

[Al Boudreau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lisette Brodey's "Crooked Moon" is a fascinating look at our echelons of society, and how people relate to them. This expertly woven tale takes the reader on a poignant journey involving two women, friends since childhood, who end up on opposite sides of the tracks. Estranged for over two decades, a death in the family reunites the pair.

Though a work of fiction, I constantly felt as though I was reading a real story about real people. Ms. Brodey deftly uses point of view, and well written dialogue, to convey the vast differences between each character's station in life. The individuals portrayed are all deliciously flawed. We're allowed deep inside the hearts and minds of these troubled souls, the author's sophisticated talents allowing us to feel empathy for each character.

I found "Crooked Moon" to be insightful, and thought provoking; I was truly moved at times, and laughed out loud at several points along the way. Ms. Brodey has managed to craft a work of dramatic fiction that rings so true, I often wondered if I was reading a biographical account of her own experiences. I can't say enough about this amazing author, and her lovely work. "Crooked Moon" is a must-read.

[Sherrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I tried forming a preconceived idea of what to expect from Lisette Brodey's novel, Crooked Moon, as her premise had already appealed to me. Ultimately, her story wound up touching me in ways I could not have prepared myself.

Each character's life is captivatingly cultivated and as unique as any person's I've encountered in real life. I found myself becoming attached to each, even the ones with whom I would not wish to personally associate. From the beginning, I found myself caring quite deeply about what became of these people from a fictional blue-collar neighborhood in Philadelphia, called Rainytown. Crooked Moon seems to blanket one with the common threads of human nature (through highly emotional and often intense personal experiences) all the while, being woven together by strands of snappy wit and downright charming repartee!

What may have surprised me the most, is Brodey's uncanny knack for the unforeseen plot twists, which found me saying (out loud) "Oh, this woman got me good!" So MANY times, she got me good, all right! While reading, it inspired me to explore, in greater depth, personal relationships that I have cultivated. So much so, that while enthralled with certain parts of the book, I found myself thinking, "Oh, this writer has 'wrecked' me!" I enjoy being wrecked. I long to be wrecked! For as much as I (and all who embrace this book) relate to this story of love and redemption ... for as much as I was laughing, I also did not expect to find myself weeping uncontrollably. I've been very fortunate to have few relationships with novels, as satisfying as this, and consider this one a lifelong cherished friend.

I highly recommend Crooked Moon for anyone willing to explore their own relationships (vicariously) through its multifaceted characters. Amazing, are the profound lessons you weren't even expecting to take away from the experience. Oh, trust me ... Lisette Brodey's Crooked Moon will "wreck" you good!

[Sammy Sutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crooked Moon is a story compelling enough to read more than once, a timeless, yet modern tale written by an author with meticulous diversity and talent.

After a 23 year absence, Callie returns to her childhood home in Rainytown, PA. Like a volcano, her presence, spews secrets to the surface sending the past into a full-blown eruption.

Callie and her childhood friend Frankie are saturated in the hot lava of secrets. Oh, the dangers boiling from once passive decisions, resulting from moments in their youth when they decided not to decide. One innocent visit to the past sends the complex opposites into a tailspin that demands action. Abundant surprises of love and betrayal kept me reading long after I intended to be asleep.

The character’s alluring personalities, contrast into a recipe of believable circumstances. Callie’s life of comfort and Frankie’s struggles give the story credence. Add a dash of Callie’s affection for Frankie’s brother Paulie, and you’ve got just a tiny taste of the ingredients.

This page-turner is perfect for a day on the beach or a snowy winter evening, I promise, it will not disappoint. By the way, you can try to guess, but I bet you can’t figure out how it all ends.

I highly recommend you experience for yourself the art, as Lisette Brodey portrays the extreme circumstance of humanness, while maintaining a smooth classic style.

[Jen Knox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for a novel that doesn't rely on an obvious enemy, a tale of good and evil, but rather digs in deep and examines human behavior from the inside out. In Crooked Moon, a reunion occurs between two women, each of whom seems compelled to reconcile her past and move forward, somewhere, but neither seems quite sure how to go about doing so. Secrets, as they do, are weighing them down. And boy! These women have secrets.

This book was both fun and filled with surprising insight. The writing is excellent, as is the storytelling. I read this on my Kindle, a little bit at a time each night, and I enjoyed every minute of it. I enjoyed the escapism but the reality of it. The thing that's unique about the book: It's fun and light and humorous without compromising the exploration that a storyteller must be willing to engage in. This is a study in human behavior and a damn good story, all in one. Not an easy feat!

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crooked Moon is a delightful novel of opposites colliding, secrets unfolding, and hearts breaking. It's all here: love, death, misery, joy, fury, shame, loyalty, forgiveness, friendship, and jealousy -- and it's a page-turner. While reading this surprise-of-a-novel, I kept thinking it was quite a bit like watching a terrific sit-com and a drama rolled into one.

Questions arise in this book, questions that most of us have asked ourselves, like: whatever happened to my childhood friend that I lost touch with, where is my life going, and why do I feel so unsettled? Crooked Moon set me off on an emotional roller-coaster and entertained me for many a night, and that's precisely what a good book should do. Lisette Brodey is a true storyteller!

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book.
Frankie and Callie were childhood best friends, more like sisters than friends, living next door to each other in Rainytown, a less than desirable neighbourhood. Their friendship was something that helped them through life's hard lessons. When Callie moved out of the neighbourhood she left her friend behind and always regretted doing so. Her life had changed and her social circle was not one where her friend would have felt comfortable. Twenty three years later, Callie is back in Rainytown after her Aunt's death, and the two girls meet again. Whilst Callie dearly wants her best friend back in her life, Frankie is bitter and resentful about the way Callie had written her out of her life years before. We follow their turbulent struggle to get their friendship back on track, and encounter many colourful and believable characters along the way. It's a very entertaining read and in parts is unputdownable. The ending is very moving.
All of the characters seem so real, it almost feels as though you are watching them living their lives as you read the book. By the end of the book I felt as if I really knew them.
The book is very well written. There is one small issue that was slightly distracting for me: when the author is describing characters' movements she does like to say 'left hand' or 'right hand', 'left foot' or 'right foot' when it really would suffice to say 'a hand' or 'his foot'. There are quite a few occurrences of this, e.g. 'he placed his right hand on her left shoulder' - too much information, sounds a bit clumsy and only slows down the action, in my opinion. But this is a very minor issue.
To sum up, this story is about everyday people and everyday lives and deals with subjects to which we can all relate; friendship, trust, loyalty, family secrets, bereavement, forgiveness.
Lisette Brodey has painted the characters in her novel like an artist with a brush, breathing life into them so that they come off the page. There is depth and insightfulness in her writing. There are many thought provoking passages throughout this fabulous work of fiction. I would highly recommend the book to lovers of great fiction.

[Laura Schultz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me preface this review by stating that I don't usually read modern novels, as many of them to me are Much Ado About Not Too Much, but I had heard so many wonderful comments about Lisette Brodey's "Crooked Moon" that I eagerly anticipated delving into it. There are just some books that are timeless and so passionately written that it was important for me to let other potential readers know about this page turner. This insightful birds-eye view into the lives of people in a blue collar community, reflects the modern human condition with all its concomitant layers of interactions,buried secrets and personal crisis. Rarely have I witnessed such a powerful interplay between characters whose choices so accurately reflect their cultural, environmental influences and unresolved childhood traumas.

Ms. Brodey appears to have a magic wand for creating characters whose dialogue and persona are both complex and yet so appealing. Each of the main players have both foibles and strengths that are rarely black and white. As the story unfolds and the reader delves more deeply into their psyches,one realizes that though each can be judged for their decisions, Ms. Brodey allows us to view their internal processes that ultimately enables us to feel empathy for many of them as well. Not too many writers can authentically capture intensely raw emotion with such ease. The author is a mistress of plot and character development who is able to intricately weave together a story with fine silken thread with a pace and timing that reminds one of an exquisitely choreographed dance. "Crooked Moon" is both poignant and witty but that would be a simplistic description of a book that is a cornucopia of complex interactions.

Ms.Brodey powerfully exposes the issues of loss, abandonment, betrayal, guilt and remorse. As the story builds to a dramatic climax, the reader continues to be enthralled until the last sentence.In the resolution of each characters inner turmoil and emotional pain, a childhood friendship rekindles amidst the ashes. I was left with wanting more and the desire for a sequel remains in th

[Richard Hale · Rating 5 out of 5]

CROOKED MOON captures the soul of a story and holds it close for the reader to feel.

Callie Hethers and Mary Frances (Frankie) Cavalese were the best of friends. Growing up, they shared everything, even a secret kind of code they would tap out to each other between the walls of their buildings late at night. Through grade school, middle and high school, they stuck together and though they came from different backgrounds, nothing got in the way of their friendship.

Then everything changed.

Callie left for college and never came back. Marrying into the wealth and luxury of her roots, Callie left Rainytown for good. Frankie, always proud and outspoken, tried not to let it show, but the betrayal by her dear friend hurt beyond measure.

Years pass and when Callie's aunt dies and she must return to Rainytown to prepare the old house for sale, they are thrust together again and must face each other's past and present. Only, they are both in for surprises that are life altering.

The story of life on both sides of the tracks, drew me in and never let go. I fell in love with both Frankie and Callie, and they have lived in my dreams for the last several days. This is when I know a story is the quintessential best-seller it should be; it stays with you when you are finished. Miss Brodey's characters come alive on the page and, as a good literary work should, draws you into the life and soul of the story, enfolding you in all its glory, daring you not to become embroiled in its real and fantastic world. CROOKED MOON is a winner! I look forward to reading all of this author's works. Bravo!

[Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lisette Brodey created an unforgettable atmosphere of friendships, love, secrets, and ultimately betrayal in her powerfully written novel, ‘Crooked Moon’.

I was immediately drawn into the main characters, Frankie and Callie, childhood friends who parted ways and went on to lead totally different lives. Twenty-three years later they reunite and their lives are thrown into chaos. The drama builds throughout this masterfully written tale. As a reader I could relate to all the emotions as the circumstances’ and characters are highly believable, engaging, and true to life. A well illustrated story with remarkable depth and substance to it.

If you enjoy reading page turning, character driven storytelling, you are guaranteed pure reading enjoyment. I strongly recommend, ‘Crooked Moon’ as a must read for all.

[Marta Moran Bishop · Rating 5 out of 5]

A TRUE CLASSIC TALE OF FRIENDSHIP, LOVE AND HONOR
Lisette Brodey is truly a wonderful and gifted writer. Each page of her book "Crooked Moon," touches on an aspect of human nature in all its ugliness and beauty.

The characters aren't just well written they are truly people. While reading it, I found myself saying, I have met this person, maybe the name is different, but the personality is not. It is a tale of how insecurity, jealousy and self interest can lead one down a road that can damage or break friendships, marriages and ruin lives.

Yet it is not a tragedy it is a glorious book of friendship, growth and honor. Callie and Frankie, childhood friends find each other again and in doing so help heal not just each other and their own relationship but. further strengthen the bonds of Callie's marriage. For Callie and Jackson now empty nesters have lost some of the thread which held them together and must learn who they now are and what is truly important to them. While Frankie's brother Paulie and her father Louie have to face themselves for the first time with honesty, accepting their mistakes in life, healing old wounds and growing to be men.

Lisette's tale is so beautifully told that you will laugh and cry. You will cry tears of sorrow, anguish and joy and you will carry the story with you, not just during the reading of it, but through the days that follow. Crooked Moon rivals Little Women in its development of the characters and honest depiction of friendship, relationships and human nature.
I highly recommend this book.
Marta Moran-Bishop

[Molly Ringle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The charm here is all about the characters--and what characters they are! Brodey does fine work giving each their own distinct voice and an interesting arc, and some dynamite arguments and flirtations, all within the modest confines of a story about a bitter mom dying of cancer. Now, normally that kind of scenario makes me say, "No, thanks," to a book, but this isn't a *cancer novel*, the way some are. Brodey's scenes are all laced with humor and honesty, and enough juicy gossip to keep me turning pages.

The main pair of protagonists are the two women Callie and Frankie, and most of the plot centers around their rekindling their friendship; and that's a treat to watch in itself. Brodey has a clear and sympathetic understanding of human relationships and the complexities therein. But I have to make mention of Frankie's brother Paulie, because if you (like me) enjoy the hot, slightly obnoxious womanizer type, who has the potential to become a good man under the right trials and tribulations, then you don't want to miss this guy. Didn't hurt that I pictured Johnny Depp in the role. Didn't hurt one bit.

Looking forward to more of Brodey's books!

[Rob Dinsmoor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crooked Moon is the story of two close childhood friends, Frankie Cavalese and Callie Mason, who grew apart until serendipity brought them back together after over 20 years. It is a bittersweet reunion, as Callie slowly wins Frankie's trust again after writing Frankie out of her life. As with her other book, Squalor, New Mexico, Lisette likes to delve into buried family secrets, and both Frankie's and Callie's families have a lot of them.

Lisette is very adept at showing the best and worst in everyone. At one moment, you find certain characters aggravating, and at the next, you're rooting for them. Characters who seem shallow on the surface slowly reveal their sensitivity and complexity, as in the case of Frankie's brother Paulie. Lisette's books seem perfect for young adults, especially young female adults, but this 52-year-old enjoyed them immensely.

[Wright Gres · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lisette Brodey, in her debut novel, “Crooked Moon,” has given us a delightful, quirky story of family and friendship, of betrayal and forgiveness.

Brodey employs a wonderful use of language – combined with the occasional, hugely entertaining, and purposeful misuse of same – in leading the reader through the twists and turns in the lives of Callie Mason and Mary Frances “Frankie” Cavalese.

It’s the vagaries of life that separated the two best friends after high school, and it’s death that brings them back together. The emotionally charged reunion sizzles with the fears and insecurities that have festered through their 23-year separation.

[Christy Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most honest books I've read. Realistic characters are one thing, but people in Brodey's book seem to bare themselves of their own accord.

I have little in my life that is relatable to the issues in this story but as I read it, I felt as if I was going through them with Frankie and Callie. In reflection, it's so apparent that Brodey gets the essential needs and the primal reactions that humans have and that although I was reading about love and friendship and family I was really just reading about how our relationships define us and our self image.

I can't praise this author enough.

[Megan Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is full of clever writing, interesting and relatable characters and so much drama I could hardly put it down! Brodey has the knack for making me smile from her quick wit in one paragraph and gasp in shock the next. The characters in this story were so real, it was hard not to relate to Callie and Frankie. If you’re a fan of drama and love unexpected plot twists, this is the book for you!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever wondered what happened to your childhood friend, what it would be like to re-connect? I love how Lisette uses this premise as the backdrop for a well told story.

Lisette runs the gamut of human emotions: shame, fury, death, resentment, jealousy, forgiveness, loyalty and with each emotional thread woven, I was with her every step of the way!

[Valerie Poore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read a number of Lisette Brodey's books and learned that she does three things incredibly well: scene setting, dialogue and exploring relationships. In Crooked Moon, one of her early novels, the dialogue is so good I was frequently laughing and cheering at the snappy repartee between the main characters.

The scene is mainly set in a somewhat run-down and dingy district, which is full of colourful locals and such is the skill of the author's writing, I could see the street clearly in my mind without the help of too much description. Despite growing up there, Callie Hethers, the heroine of the novel, is a fish out of water when she returns to clear out her aunt's home, but in reconnecting with her childhood friend, Frankie, she is instantly immersed in the neighbourhood world once more.

This novel could be a movie quite easily, even without the relationship introspection that forms much of the story. I saw it all in my head and found the book hard to put down because like a good film, I wanted to get to the end and see what happened. I have to say I genuinely liked all of the main characters, but especially Frankie. I also enjoyed some of the sub characters like Jackson, Callie's jokey husband, Ronnie of the fantastic quick wit and even clumsy Regina whose somewhat crude jokes were often very clever. Crooked Moon is great read altogether, which gave me a wonderful break – just like a good movie. Thank you, Ms Brodey!

[Doreen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crooked Moon is a masterfully crafted cannot-put-down-don’t-want-it-to-end story. From the first page, I was totally captivated by the Cavalese family, by their various push-and-tug daily life situational affairs, and by the 23-year long estranged relationship between two childhood friends, Frankie Cavalese and Callie Hethers.

Grief is a theme central to the story. I am in awe of Ms. Brodey’s ability to so skillfully script her characters’ dialogues. Throughout the read, my experience of the raw emotional impact inherent in each aspect of loss was intense. The toughest emotions are counterbalanced by comedic retorts and memories – brilliant dialogue! I commiserated with Callie and Frankie, the deep longing each had to rekindle their friendship yet this longing was juxtaposed against deep-seated feelings of anger, guilt and shame. I identified powerfully with Frankie’s role as caregiver to her dying yet still in-control mother, Ruby, their fears and emerging regrets. The scenes between them, between Frankie and her brother, Paulie, and between Ruby and her ex-husband are exceptionally vibrant.

Most poignant of all, though, was the author’s ability to expertly foreshadow a long-held family secret. Her subtle weave of the revelation to come was masterful. Continually, my guesses were proven to be wrong and I reveled that they were.

Crooked Moon is one of those novels that will continue to sit with me for a long time. It is an intelligently crafted, heart-warming novel that enlivened my spirit and gave me food for thought. The dialogues, even between those characters that are secondary to the story, are rich and full of vitality.

[Racheal Renwick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crooked Moon is a Women's Fictional novel all about friendship, love, endurance, struggle, and forgiveness. Two childhood friends, Frankie and Callie, reunite after 23 years but on bitter terms. Callie left home for college, and never came back. Frankie stayed exactly where she was. At her mother's. After 23 years, Callie is married, with two kids on their way to college, and Frankie is still in the same house, acting now as caregiver to her dying mother. When Callie's aunt Emily dies, and she has to return to pack her aunt's possessions, things get interesting when Callie learns that Frankie is still the neighbor. Will Frankie forgive Callie after all these years? Will Callie be able to mend her long lost broken friendship? With Frankie's new best friend, and quite interesting woman, Regina, her womanizing brother Paulie, her dead beat dad, and dying mother Ruby, Frankie has enough drama. Now with Callie's reappearance, Frankie is second guessing many things, and finding a part of herself she thought to be long gone. As Callie desperately tries to regain Frankie's friendship, she also struggles to keep things at home from falling through as everything in her life changes.
Lisette did an amazing job on this book, and I have to recommend it to anyone with both a sense of humor, and a taste for heart felt drama. Five butterflies to Lisette Brodey's Crooked Moon!


http://www.reviewsbyrae.blogspot.com

[Ann Swann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lisette Brodey's lustrous prose and quick wit make this story both moving and page-turning.

Living next door to each other in Rainytown, a blue-collar neighborhood in Philadelphia, Frankie and Callie were the very best of friends. Even Paulie, Frankie's brother, had a crush on Callie. However, when they grew up, Callie went off to college and married a well-to-do hunk while Frankie got stuck in Rainytown caring for her depressive mother. Though she missed her best friend, Callie never went back to her old life until her dear aunt, who had continued to reside next door to Frankie's family, passed away.

Upon Callie's return, the two friends are understandably cool with each other, and when Frankie's Mom, who is battling terminal cancer, drops a bombshell-secret on Callie and makes her promise to break it to Frankie gently--after she is gone--it causes a major problem between the two trying-to-reconect friends. Add to this Callie's shaky marriage and undeniable attraction to Paulie, and the problems between them begin to seem insurmountable.

I throughly enjoyed this book. I couldn't wait to find out whether these very-believable characters were able to solve their differences and salvage their relationship. And I still laugh when I think about The Naked Matador. He is but one example of the author's wit.

After reading Crooked Moon (even the title has a poignant meaning), I am definitely looking forward to picking up another one of Ms. Brodey's novels.

[Cathleen Maza · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Crooked Moon" is a wonderful depiction of childhood friends who grow up and move in two totally opposite directions with their lives. This story then asks the question "Can the friendship survive?" Throughout this engaging tale of joys, heartbreaks, and friendship re-kindled, we're not quite sure what the answer will be until almost the last page. Main character Frankie is over forty years old and still lives in her impoverished childhood home with a dying mother. The other main character, Callie, is a college graduate who happily married her dream man, moved to upper class suburbia, and has raised two college-bound children. But as different as these two lives are, there are a lot of bonds that still hold tight between them that cannot be broken (or forgotten) by time or circumstance. Unfortunately (but oh so realistically) guilt, stubbornness, pride, and fear all take a toll in this scenario, especially when old secrets resurface with the death of Frankie's mother. The author does a magnificent job of grabbing our attention and not allowing it to waver as we follow the story and witness these two women struggling to re-connect, and then stay connected. True-to-life dialogue and brilliant plot development both keep readers fully immersed in this often touching tale to the very end. A highly praised and highly recommended read!

[LA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not being a wide reader of fiction, books like Crooked Moon really take me out of my comfort zone and require me to think more creatively. However, there are few novels that are able to do this, often because the author lacks the wordsmithing skill to create memorable characters and events. Fortunately, Lisette Brodey does not have such a problem. There's a very unique flavor to her writing in that she is able to create characters with true emotions and vulnerabilities, facing common struggles for all adults.

In an all too rare occurrence, her protagonists are truly good people, although they are dealing with salacious problems. Along with Brodey's 2nd novel, Squalor, New Mexico, Brodey has given me hope that there really are talented fiction writers who know how to write --- and create characters who know what it means to be responsible adults.

[Tahlia Newland · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very moving story about two friends reuniting after many years apart. Add the death of their mothers and a slightly shaky marriage and you get a situation ripe for self reflection and change. What was really well done was the way the people came to terms with their emotions and dealt with their challenges in a postitive way to find a resolution for all of them.

The only thing I didn't like was the jumping around from one character's head to another's. We didn't need to know what minor characters were thinking; we could have infered it from what they others saw. I think the book would have been better with only three points of view and minimising the changes from one to another. I look forward to more books from Lisette, she could develope into a very fine writer.

[Jill Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Callie Mason Hethers and Frankie Cavalese grew up as next door neighbors and best friends. Callie inherited money after high school, moved away to go to college and never looked back. She married a rich man and had two kids. When she must clean out the house next door to Frankie that she grew up in, they repair their friendship, but there is still guilt on Callie’s side and resentfulness on Frankie’s. Callie also becomes physically attracted to Frankie’s brother, Paulie. When Frankie and Paulie’s ma dies, she burdens Callie with a secret about Frankie’s biological mother. The story was predictable, writing a bit pedestrian except for a handful of excerpts and even though the characters were flawed, they still seemed too perfect. 6 Stars (7.29 to 8.10.17)

[Jan Romes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this story because I could identify with the two main characters: Callie and Frankie. At different points in my life, I've been both women when it came to friendship, hurt, and healing. The author filled this story with so much emotion that there were times I cried along with the characters. I also found myself wanting to give them an earful a time or two for how they reacted to certain things. I was so invested in this story that I also wanted to give them advice. The secondary characters won me over as well. By the end of the book, I felt like knew them personally; especially Paulie. There's a little bit of everything in this saga: rags to riches, death, life, bombshell surprises, and more. I think Ms. Brodey should write Paulie's story (where he goes from here).

[Darlene]

Wonderful Literary Fiction - A Must Read

The story of two best friends coming together after 23 years apart is a heartfelt journey of emotion, growth and love with some misunderstanding along the way. I was totally immersed from the first page when Callie reflects on the intervening years before seeing her childhood friend, Frankie, again. The characters are well drawn and belivable, the book is a page turner. Highly recommended!

[Georgiann Hennelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story about two friends one rich one poor and how they lost touch after highschool, and everything that is now going on in there lifes. life and death. love and death. a very compelling story.

[Richard Schwindt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Callie and Frankie (Mary-Francis) shared a girlhood in a working class neighborhood. As adults they have been divided for many years by circumstance, and perhaps more importantly, by disparities in wealth. For those familiar with Lisette Brodey's work these are familiar themes: wealth vs poverty, abandonment, grief, family, and familial separation. When they re-enter each other lives it is with awkwardness and mistrust. They are just too different.Crooked Moon is a story of redemption, bridging differences and the power of love in friendship. Brodey's prose is always accessible and down to earth. She has a feel for real people and struggles that take place below the radar in ordinary communities. I read this after finishing her excellent "Desert series" and highly recommend it to discerning readers of indie fiction.