Synopses & Reviews
New York Times bestselling author Luanne Rice transports readers across the sea in this moving, magical tale of a lonely woman with a promise to keep. Set in a landscape of stunning natural beauty,
Light of the Moon is a chronicle of mothers and daughters, friendship and family, and an electrifying love that illuminates a path through heartbreak and loss…and will shine in your memory long after the final page.
Spurred by her mothers dying wish, Susannah Connolly has traveled from her lifelong home on the Connecticut shoreline to the fabled French Camargue, to see its famous white horses and find a mysterious saint linked to her familys history. An accomplished anthropologist, Susannah has always been confident of her ability to navigate anywhere on the globe. But in the wake of a failed love affair and grieving the loss of her mother, she is adrift and uncertain, seeking only time alone to dig deeply into the personal archaeology of her own life.
American-born Grey Dempsey had come to the Camargue as a journalist, fell in love with a celebrated Romany rider, and suffered a devastating loss of his own. Now he operates a ranch as he struggles to raise his spirited but troubled young daughter who, after a terrible night years ago, fears the horses she once loved.
Within their bittersweet private orbit, in the midst of the endless silvered marshlands, Susannah Connolly will find a part of herself she hadnt known she had lost. And here she will find herself embraced by a circle of strong and passionate women bound together by their abiding faith in the legendary slave-saint Susannah seeks and in the miracles she is said to still perform for those who believe. Yet old secrets swirl within the fog-shrouded landscape, betrayals that may be beyond the power of any saint, or supplicant, to repair.
Singular, lyrical, Light of the Moon is Luanne Rice at her most spell-binding, as she explores—as only she can—how sometimes to find your way home you must travel far away.
About the Author
Luanne Rice is the author of twenty-five novels, most recently Light of the Moon, What Matters Most, The Edge of Winter, Sandcastles, Summer of Roses, Summers Child, Silver Bells, and Beach Girls. She lives in New York City and Old Lyme, Connecticut.
Reading Group Guide
1. Discuss your reaction to the opening scene described in the prologue. How do the events of that night establish an overall tone? In what ways does your opinion of what happened change by the end of the novel?
2. What is your first impression of Susannah Connolly? How do you see her relationship with Ian and what does that imply about Susannahs understanding of herself in the initial scenes?
3. Describe the significance of horses and horsemanship throughout the novel. How does it relate to Susannahs and Saris lives? What role does the imagery of the white horses play in the lives of the other main characters?
4. How does the title, Light of the Moon, play out as the novels plot unfolds? In what ways does the image of the moon's light relate to Sari, Susannah, and Maria specifically?
5. Discuss the relevance of the story of the peasant saint Sarah as it relates to both Susannah and Sari.
6. What characteristics differentiate Ian and Grey? Discuss the different impact each man has on Susannah. How does her motivation for wanting to be with Grey differ from her reasons for being with Ian?
7. How do cultural differences and heritage influence the interactions between characters? Discuss Saris essence as half-Romany, half-American and the effect it has on her personal life.
8. Discuss the theme of womanhood and motherhood as represented by the Sarah circle. Why does Susannah, an outsider and virtual stranger to the Manouche Gypsies, gain access to such a sacred, hidden community?
9. What role does memory play throughout the novel? How does each characters perception of the past shape their present?
10. Saris color-blindness is a frequent topic of discussion and debate in the novel. In what ways does her condition limit her? Discuss the night visit with Laurent to the city of Avignon and what it says about both characters.
11. How would you describe the relationship between Laurent and Sari? Does it mirror any other relationships in the novel? How does the tone shift between the two of them throughout the chapters?
12. Which of the novels locales captured your imagination the most?
13. In what ways is Light of the Moon a novel about second chances and redemption? Discuss this theme as it relates to the lives of Susannah, Grey, Sari, and Maria.
14. Discuss the significance of profession and location in the lives of characters. How does each ones job and surroundings help to define them as a person, shape their outlook, and influence their lives?
15. The night Sari catches Grey and Susannah in each others arms brings on a flood of memories and emotions that undoes all progress Sari has made. Does this scene echo the prologue, or are there significant differences?
16. Discuss the impact of familial obligation and history on all the characters involved in the final reunion in the ending. What are your final impressions of the structure and importance of family? What new perspectives on life and love do the relationships described in Light of the Moon impart to you as a reader?
17. What themes regarding healing and hope are woven into this and other books by Luanne Rice?
Intending to delve deep into her familys history, honoring her mothers last wish, Susannah Connelly leaves her home in Connecticut and travels to the fabled Camargue region of France. In this astonishingly beautiful and mystical place, where sunlight exposes the power of nature, and the light of the moon creates shadow, mystery and excitement, she unexpectedly finds love with an American expatriate horse rancher, Grey Dempsey. Yet old secrets swirl within the fog-shrouded landscape. And Sari, Greys teenage daughter, cannot forget a terrible night five years earlier that left her injured and unable to trust again. Before they can truly move forward, the three must each confront the past and go back to that night to find a way to forgiveness and healing.
The questions and discussion topics that follow are intended to enhance your reading of Luanne Rices Light of the Moon. We hope they will enrich your experience of this captivating novel.