Girl in the Moonlight audiobook

That afternoon was my first inkling that there was more to the world than it appeared. Like the glimpse of a secret garden through a crack in the door, I discovered something I hadn’t known was missing. Where colors were brighter, tastes stronger, feelings deeper. And once I recognized it, I wanted it, missed it—and was unsure I would ever find my way back to it. It was a land of Cockaigne, the hidden kingdom. Girl in the Moonlight (originally, and better titled Naked in the Moonlight) is the second novel by Charles Dubow, author of the wonderful, steamy 2013 novel, Indiscretion. In …Moonlight, he brings us back to the Hamptons that was the setting for much of the earlier book. Wylie Rose is closing down a summer house where he’d spent much of his youth, and remembering. No madeleines required. But an evocative painting brings back to him, and us, the story of a lifetime of passion, obsession, and love. Charles DubowHow young is too young to meet The One? Wylie was only 10 when he first met Francesca, at 12, the oldest of the four Bonet sibs. A hidden kingdom of attraction opens its doors to him. He falls hard for her, literally. Wylie forms a close friendship with Aurelio Bonet, Cesca’s younger brother, and through this bond, Cesca will pop into and out of Wylie’s life for the duration of his Odyssey. The driving force to the story is the will-they-or-won’t-they-wind-up-together question as they sail through their lives. Of course, even as a young thing, Cesca is special. In adolescence she begins to take on the characteristics of a siren and sings for all the ships to hear as an adult. Wylie may have known at some level that he should have plugged up his ears (and covered his eyes, for that matter) but he would spend most of his life tied to the mast, enduring the song. Will he be drawn in to his own destruction?Ulysses and the Sirens - by John William Waterhouse - from the National Gallery in MelbourneThere are certainly gross similarities in form with Dubow’s earlier work. We revisit the Hamptons, and the company of the very well-to-do. The author is of this set and writes what he knows. There is an almost supernaturally attractive female, and a smitten male. (Indiscretion actually had two smitten males, the secondary one having a bit more in common with Wylie than the primary) Trouble soon follows, with a trail of emotional collateral damage. But, lest one suspect that Dubow has shoved off into the water to net the same fish, there are significant differences. In the earlier book, a successful, well-known middle-aged, married man is drawn from (leaps from) his life by an admiring young thing. Here, the two know each other from childhood, growing together and apart over their lives. The time span of the core story (not backstory) is far greater in Moonlight, decades instead of a few years. Indiscretion had much to do with discontent with one’s life, and insecurity about one’s place in it. There is some of that here but Wylie and Cesca are not struggling with the detritus of generations. They seem perfectly content to employ their advantages in pursuit of their movable dreams, trying this and then that in hopes of plotting a steady course. Wylie, for example, opts to pursue a course of study, so enrolls in Harvard for his advanced-degree training, as if it were the equivalent of stopping off at the corner store to buy a lottery ticket. While both novels have a love story at their core, among the one-percent, so do a billion other books. There is a geographical sweep in Moonlight that extends far wider than that in Indiscretion, with stops in Spain, Paris, London and even some connections to Tokyo and Africa, in addition to the usual Hamptons/NYC setting. Indiscretion and Moonlight are indeed very different tales. There are several elements in Moonlight that stand out. First there is the tension of wondering if the two will ever get together. That sort of thing may be standard fare for stories of this kind, but how that is executed is significant. I found it was quite well done here. Plenty stands in the way of the two getting together (has to be, of course, or there wouldn’t be a story to tell) not least Cesca’s ability to attract men. Second, there is a feeling of melancholy, which may summon your own regrets to mind. What if I had chosen differently? Would I be here at this moment? There are the dreams our parents have for us, and then there is the life that we create for ourselves. It is impossible to know. The secret, they say, is not to regret—but that, I have found, is impossible. The most one can hope for is to forget. Memory, though, is a poor servant; it bursts in on you when you least expect it. And there is the ever-present element of hope. It is not a misdirect, there really is a chance they might get together. But I will not tell if they do or don’t. Of course if hope is a thing with feathers, is that a good thing? Would it be better if hope were a thing with scales?Ulysses and the Sirens - by H.J. Draper - from WikipediaI have spent as much time with the one percent as I have with the Illuminati, so I did not feel much connection based on socioeconomic commonalities. On the other hand, I have had my share of emotional disappointments, false steps and traumas, so on a feeling level I found that it was quite possible to connect. Wylie is a very relatable character, a decent guy trying to find himself. Effective writing takes you past surface differences to core emotional experience.Can she hold him off forever? Doe she really care for him or is Cesca only toying with Wylie, luring him to his own destruction? Can he endure long enough? Should he? What about having a real life and not one based on a myth? At what point does one cross over from being dependable to being a doormat? When do you just throw up your hands and sail back out to sea? And what might happen if you did?Dubow has an enviable ability to describe places, imbuing them with life, with history. He can paint a scene beautifully, which is not surprising given that he once planned to be a painter. He can create living characters. Wylie Rose is the evidence. None of the other characters is as fully realized as Wylie, but they are still well done. Aurelio was also very appealing, but we do not see enough of him. Cesca’s path may seem scattered, but Dubow’s explanation for her zig-zag route is believable. I found the other characters much less well realized, but not everyone has to get center stage. They are filled in enough to contribute to the story. The author also has a wondrous gift for communicating the ambivalence we all experience, in looking back, at roads not taken.Girl in the Moonlight will keep you turning pages, maybe not so quickly as Indiscretion did, but it is a solid read. It will pull you in and hold you, without, thankfully, dashing you on the rocks. Review posted – 5/8/15Publication date – 5/12/15This review has also been posted at Cootsreviews.com =============================EXTRA STUFFLinks to the author’s Twitter and FB pagesA piece Dubow wrote for Newsweek Magazine on StutteringAbout five minutes of the audio book My review of Indiscretion

Me enamoré de la narrativa de Charles Dubow hace años, cuando leí «Indiscreción», una novela que es casi un homenaje a Gatsby y su atmósfera que se ha convertido en una de mis favoritas de todos los tiempos. Hacía años que le tenía puesto el ojo a su segunda novela, «Girl in the Moonlight», esperando que alguien la comprara y tradujera, pero... no ha habido suerte :( (especialmente extraño teniendo en cuenta que la novela está llena de referencias a España).Me lancé a leerla en inglés después de encontrarla por menos de cinco euros en tapa dura (esa oferta ya no está disponible, debía de ser temporal y tuve suerte). Y ha sido una decisión maravillosa, porque todo lo bueno de «Indiscreción» (pluma impecable, ambientación en la clase alta de Nueva Inglaterra que te teletransporta, personajes con gran profundidad y un narrador perfecto) sigue ahí; y además se añade la historia de un amor algo obsesivo que dura décadas entre Wylie y Cesca. Un amor desbordado por momentos, muy pasional, bastante tóxico y con momentos muy feos. No es una novela para enamorarse de la historia; es para ser testigo y admirar la forma en la que está escrita. Y el final es... simplemente perfecto.

Not many books are able to leave the reader with such powerful emotions as the novel “Girl In The Moonlight” by Charles Dubow. The feeling is almost even painful at times, and it is complex, just as much as the characters in the story are, as the story urges one to contemplate what has just been read months and months after, maybe without even realizing it. This is the mark of a great book. Moreover, a great piece of literature.Charles Dubow gives readers access to an unquestionably elusive and exclusive world of prestige and glamour, with all its idiosyncrasies, etiquettes, and privileges. Dubow portrays families that have a lot of money, and there is nothing sugarcoated about their lives; there is nothing that makes them any “richer” than the next man. The book is a pleasure to read because it presents a gateway into a social stratum by which only the few are a part. The book also allows the reader to take note of the best works of art by reminding us of such people as Rainer Maria Rilke and Giorgio Vasari. Some may find it heartwarming to find familiar works or names mentioned within the text.The basic plot is as follows: Wylie Rose, as a young all-American boy, meets the exotic Catalonian Francesca Bonet and falls madly in love with her (or is it lust or obsession?). His life changes forever, as she becomes a major focal point throughout his life, seemingly dictating his every desire from youth to adulthood. Cesca, as Francesca comes to be known, is extremely beautiful and has an undeniable power over men. She is untamable and wild, somewhat directionless and without any actual goals. Aurelio, Cesca’s brother, a painter, befriends Wylie and the two become extremely close and share a love for art, both admiring and creating it. These three lives intertwine for some time, are separated for whatever reason then come back together over the years while life-changing events happen along the way. There are jobs, deaths, parties… and each time they meet, as Wylie thinks he can move on from his strong impulse to have Cecsa, he simply cannot. Her gorgeousness, her smell of “jasmine and roses” - are just too intoxicating.What’s fascinating about this story is this: is there not that one person in everyone’s life that we simply cannot forget? Someone who perhaps you’ve only met once, but made such a huge impact on you (something said, maybe a small gesture) that it was unforgettable? Perhaps someone who was so unbelievably beautiful that you know that you could simply never forget their face? Or someone from your past or in your life or maybe someone who has departed whose memories you’ve shared will never leave you? Who is *your* Cesca?“Girl In The Moonlight” seems to be specifically about a certain question, and Dubow seems to elucidate it here:“On the scale between love and lust, there are many stops. It is nearly impossible to define love, in English at least, because its definition, not to mention its place within our culture, is so broad. Unlike the Eskimo’s famous fifty words for snow, in English the word love means everything from how a person may feel about chocolate cake to the devotion a couple may feel after many years of marriage. Then there is maternal love, sexual love, patriotic love, aesthetic love, and much, much more besides. When John Lennon sang ‘All you need is love,’ he was playing it safe. Love can mean just about anything. It is a word of infinite nuance, but for that very reason also has a stunning inadequacy. The ancient Greeks had four words for love: eros, for physical love; agape, for spiritual love; philia, for social love, and storge, for familial love. Even that doesn’t seem like enough though. Lust, however, is love’s younger sibling. It is uncomplicated, straightforward. It relies on only one thing; egotistical desire. Lusting after something means wanting to possess it whether or not it wants to be possessed. Certainly, it is possible to desire an inanimate object, such as a car or a painting, but mostly lust is physical. The hunger one human feels for another. As with all desire, there are gradations of intensity. There are the thousand small lusts we feel every day. A man may spot a pretty girl sitting by herself at a bar, and, for a moment, he lusts after her… these lusts are easily forgotten. There are also grander lusts. Lusts that upend civilizations, destroy marriages and lives… invariably lust that is fulfilled seems to end badly. After all, there is a reason it is considered a sin.” – Chapter 15The question is, of course, answered by the end. Many chapters in this saga develop Wylie Rose and Cesca Bonet as characters and it shouldn’t be shocking to find them extremely relatable. Layers and layers of their personality and the complications of their actions and decisions leave the conclusion/s within the story multi-faceted. There is nothing predictable about the plot and this will leave readers appreciative. Surely, all who read this book may have varying opinions about it by the the time they reach the epilogue. Perhaps silent reflection is its solemn prayer rather than an attempt to reach out for one central meaning. “Girl In The Moonlight” must be valued for its narrative depth, for it is definitely a book to return to.

I loved this book so much. I never wanted to put it down. I think there’s a part of every girl that wants to be like Cesca. Beautiful, powerful and wanted by every man. The love story stretches over a life span and there was never a dull moment. I will def be reading this book again.

Disclosure: I received this book for free through the Goodreads giveaway program. I got this in the mail 3/17 and finished reading it on 3/19. It kept me interested and I didn't set it down to "come back to later" like I do with some other books. I wanted to see if there would be a happy ending to this tale of on again/off again romance between the two main characters, and if not, would Wylie ever be able to recover from his lifelong addiction to Cesca?This book is well written, at times I found myself going back to re-read a particular line or quote that I particularly liked. This also made me think: about undeveloped talent, about the career choices we make, about who we choose to spend our lives with, and which people are deserving of our attention. I enjoyed reading about these characters and their international lifestyles, and I also particularly liked the descriptions of Aurelio's paintings and his work developing his skill as a painter. To sum it up, I think this is an absorbing read by a talented writer.

So, I’m on the side of positive reviews of this book. I found the characters to be complex - at times I liked, pitied, and rooted for them to get their lives together. Other times I wanted to strangle them. Cesca is certainly manipulative and mostly unlikeable but she’s also very pitiable - and most likely has some type of psychological diagnosis (Bipolar?). Wiley infuriated me with his decisions and unwavering obsession but I rooted for him to make the right decisions and celebrated when he did. The writing was descriptive and engaging. The characters well developed and able to evoke a number of emotions from the reader. Overall I felt the book was well-written and I enjoyed reading it.

It hit me, and it hit me hard. Obsessive love is an addiction, and battling it can consume your entire life. The author nailed it.

I have somehow been caught up in books of the mystery genre, so "Girl In The Moonlight" was indeed a change for me. As a bookseller who reads in order to recommend, stay current, many books do come my way. And I will admit that when this book first came between my palms, I was not particularly thrilled. Wow! That sentiment swiftly changed as I became enthralled. And this by page ten. Now, I see many reviews mention a correlation to Fitzgerald in the voice of the narrator. Yes, I felt that as well. Frankly thought that as a good thing in that people have "The Great Gatsby" in their mental files, and obviously liked the way Nick Carraway told his tale. For me this correlation was a positive element. Perhaps more should emulate this.It seems rare these days to see a man write of passion so well. Smiles...this too makes me hopeful, as men tend to read books by male authors (statistic, not my personal observation), I would very much like a male perspective on this novel.Having just finished "Girl On A Train" which had flawed characters-none of whom I wanted to know, or cared about beyond the covers, and "All The Light We Cannot See"-whose characters I liked, but felt the story was not resolved well (or, to my satisfaction), I was especially enthralled with Wylie and Cesca. Frankly, it irritates me that this book is not on the bestsellers lists.Charles Dubow has the ability to write characters in three dimensions. Their history. Their place in their world. Their inner, secret selves. He does so with phrases that made me pause- simple descriptions that made me read them out loud, think 'damn, that's good. Wish I had said that.'As I did this while riding a bus, well-my sudden outbursts did gain me respect as a possibly crazy person. And I can live with that...In a world where "Fifty Shades Of Grey" is thought sexy, this book actually is.

Interesting story about a young man Wiley who is seduced and enchanted over the years by Cesca, a beautiful but fickle and manipulative woman. An engrossing read though I thought that Cesca became a stereotype despite the author's best efforts. She was never really all that she was supposed to be - her dialogue, her letters, her life and interests did not show she was as intelligent as she was described. Nor did the novel show that she and Wiley were such compatible soul friends as implied. But a good read overall.

Sure are a lot of curmudgeon, would-be critics out there, feeling sorry for themselves that they have never been so helplessly smitten with another person that they would do really stupid stuff just to be with that other person. Good story - very good.

one of those "see the cover, open, like the writing and just in the mood for,must turn the pages till the end books" that come from nowhere; entertaining and well written but could have done with a different ending which took it down from 5 to 4 stars

** spoiler alert ** 3.5 - There were many beautiful passages in this book. The characters, namely Lio came to life in the story in a lovable fashion.At times, the sordid love affair between Wylie and Cesca got on my nerves, with him being overly infatuated and putting up with too much from her for far too long, but as they say, love is blind. One thing I also didn't appreciate was the way the authour wrote Wylie's character as very frat boyish, perpetually lusting after and objectifying Cesca. This was very male gazey. However, the other more poetic, tender and honest moments in the story, where the characters good sides glistened in how they related to and cared for each other read as genuine. I cried when Aurelio died, even though I anticipated it, he was too lovable not to miss. Also, though it took a long while, Wylie maturing into seeing Cesca as a person after she died was bitter/sweet but made me have more respect for him in the end. I loved Cesca's complicated character, though thought she may have been under written.

In my estimation this writer’s effort deserve 4+. It was a great story, with many opportunities to examine choices.I support the premise that there is no right or wrong where it relates to personal choice .. as long as we bear full responsibility for them.Wylie Rose was a surprise .. and ultimately a disappointment. I initially believed him to be a man slow to grow in personal confidence .. and Cesca Bonnet a cruel product of her families negligent parenting.The ending threw me for a ‘serious loop’. But when I considered life, sometimes people develop significant growth .. through faith .. and leave others behind. The ways of redemption and faith are powerful motivators.A very worthy worthy read!