Official Review: Cholama Moon by Anne Schroeder

[melissy370]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Cholama Moon" by Anne Schroeder.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Cholama Moon by Anne Schroeder is set in California in the late 1800s and is a coming-of-age story about Virginia Nugent, who is also known as Ginny. Losing her mother at three years old, Ginny is left to deal with her alcoholic and drug-addicted father. Fearing for her granddaughter’s safety and upbringing, Ginny’s grandmother sends Jeremy Lawsen to check on her and, if necessary, remove her from her home. What he discovered was a twelve-year-old girl with short hair, wearing torn and soiled clothing, living on a dilapidated ranch. Ginny’s only learning came from an old ranch hand named Sancho, who acted more like a father than her real one. Her father, Charlie, refused to let her talk about her mother or even call him “father.” He spends his days out on the ranch and his nights drinking or in another town. When Jeremy learns about this, he forms a plan that will change Ginny’s life forever. Jeremy intends to make her a lady like her mother once was.

In this book the characters’ grapple with a loss of something or someone. Ginny aches for her mother’s presence and dreams of her braiding her hair. In her child-like innocence, she blames herself for her mother’s death. I was moved by Ginny’s plight and angered by how her father neglected her. Along with that anger though was sadness for Charlie. He was a man who just could not look past his grief and turned to more destructive ways to cope. With candidness, we are shown Charlie struggling with his demons throughout the book. Jeremy has his own struggles after the Civil War. Being a Virginian, he becomes disillusioned with what the South had been reduced to and is eager to start afresh somewhere else. Jeremy’s mother makes a poignant statement when she says, “There’s more than one way to die.”

My favorite parts of the book were the historical features Schroeder puts into the story. The idea of Manifest Destiny and how barbed wire fence changed ranching in the West were showcased. With great detail, Schroeder describes the California landscape and how the settlers’ way of life evolved in a few years.

With all the greatness that this book has to offer, there were weaknesses as well. The timetable jumped considerably, and I felt like I missed parts of Ginny’s life. The buildup in the romance between Ginny and Jeremy was not described fully, and because of that, it came off flat. It would have been nice to have seen their inner thoughts about each other more. Also, the story’s conclusion disappointed me. It appeared rushed, and the man who introduced Charlie to opium seemed to be thrown in as an afterthought. Ginny’s life takes a turn in a way I had wished it had not. Of course, I cannot always get the ending I want, but this particular outcome dampened my enthusiasm for the whole book. There were several grammatical errors of misspelled words and missing quotation marks as well.

I really enjoyed this book, minus the last few chapters, and I give Cholama Moon 3 out of 4 stars. The rushed ending, and the number of errors made me decide not to give a perfect score. This book would interest fans who like historical fictions, westerns, and clean romances. There are references to the Bible and Christianity that might not appeal to some.

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Cholama Moon
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Like melissy370's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Sushan Ekanayake]

I am not sure whether I will like this book or not. But I enjoyed your review. Thank you

[Book Lover 35]

I like the summary. I wish the ending wasn't rushed. It sounds like it could be a good book. Thank you!

[Mlydee]

I feel it was a honest Review ,when i start reading the summary ,i enjoyed it until the end which is not so Interesting according to the reviewer . Thank You

[kandscreeley]

This sounds like a great character driven novel. It's nice every once in a while to focus more on the relationships than action. I'll have to look into this. Thanks.

[Kajori Sheryl Paul]

This seems like a great historical. I would really like to know Ginny's story.

Thank you for the detailed review.

[Shrabastee Chakraborty]

I believe I would like this book. The storyline sounds good. I wish the ending wasn't rush though. Thanks for the thorough review.