Gain The Moon And The Thorn Presented By B.J. Chute Rendered As Print

got this book by mistake, trying to find an Edgerton novel by the same name, When I began reading this I was struck by how different the tone was from another of the author's books, sitelinkGreenwillow, a favorite of mine.
This almost seemed to have been written by a different person, No charm or humor here, instead a rather hardhitting story about a willful woman who returns home to the small insular island community she left in the middle of the nightyears before.
It explores in a rather fascinating way familial and romantic love, hate, choices and perceptions, even forgiveness, Not at all what I was expecting from my previous experience with Chute's writing but interesting and satisfying all the same,

stars, maybe even,given the surprising way in which the book wraps up, a way I had not anticipated, As I read the compelling first chapter in which Henrietta Blackwell is being transported by boat, back to Great Island, a home she once knew, but hadnt stepped foot on in thirty years, my mind ventured to a song Ive always loved.


Its “The Living Years” by “Mike and the Mechanics, ” These lyrics stood out for me:

“Crumpled bit of paper, filled with imperfect thoughtsstilted conversations, Im afraid thats all weve got, ”

As Henrietta sits in the boat, waiting with mixed emotions for the island to appear in the distance, she suddenly remembers all the letters shes sent to her sister Adelia, all of which were returned unanswered.


Were not told the reason for Adelias refusal to acknowledge her sisters letters, but the silence is felt all the same,

The next line of the song

“I wasnt there that morning, when my father

passed away, I didnt get to tell him all the things I had to say”

As Henrietta listens to the soft splash of eternal waves hitting the hull of the boat, she thinks of her father:

“Dear heavens!” Thought Henrietta involuntarily and not for the first time, “How I must have distressed him!”

Her father had died after a long silence between him and his daughter.
She had only learned of his passing when her childhood nurse Doaty had written, a month later,

“The Living Years” is a song of regret, speaking about the things we did, and didnt do in our past, As we read of Henriettas lonely homecoming we see a woman in her early fifties who is mourning the recent death of the man shes loved for so long.
Her only two friends are there in the boat with her, one, her elderly companion Rosa and the other, a small, but impressively feisty poodle named Folly.


And it was only when she pressed the boatman that he admitted that while she may not be “expected” but she would be “met”, promised the kindly boatman.


The reason shes coming back is because, rather amazingly, her childhood nurse has bequeathed Henrietta her cottage, The transaction is to be completed,

I have to admit, reading this chapter gave me a sense of forlorn lonesomeness, But then I remembered those few lyrics that Id up till then forgotten:

“So dont yield to the fortunes you sometimes see as fate.
It may have a new perspective on a different date, And if you dont give up, and dont give in, you may just be okay, ”

So there it was, at the end of the first chapter, when I read of this lonely woman stepping onto the shore of the home shed left so long ago, I found myself eagerly looking forward to finding out what hopeful development might be in store.


That, more than anything propelled me to read on,

What followed was page after page of wonderful atmospheric descriptions, engaging dialogue and an expertly told tale of the long memories of a small town people.


I was held to these pages, as each unfolded its own unique way,

It was delightful from start to finish,
For thirty years, Henrietta Blackwell had lived in France as Madame Bryce, but now she had come back to the United States, home to Great Island, and there was no one on the island who didn't know her storyand her lack of right to that title.
She had eloped with Charles Bryce those decades ago, though she had known him for only a weekend, a weekend in which he had been expected to propose to Henrietta's own sister.
Now Charles was dead, and Henrietta had come back to confront her unforgiving sister and the islanders who had made her life into a legend.


Here is a beautifully written story of today and yesterdaythe novel for which Miss Chute's many admirers have been waiting so eagerly.
The people of the island come vividly to life, but the most wonderfully human of them all is the lovely, willful, and enchanting heroine who is obliged to face the past in order to live in the present.
B. J. Chute was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and lived there until she came to New York in, A professional writer since, Miss Chute has written hundreds of stories, which have appeared in Boys Life, the Boy Scout magazine, and numerous anthologies of outstanding sports stories for young people.
Her adult stories have appeared in nearly every major magazine, including The Saturday Evening Post, Good Housekeeping, McCalls, and Redbook.
She has written four adult novels The Fields Are White, The End of Loving, Greenswillow, Moon and the Thornand a collection of short stories, The Blue Cup.
taken from the dust jacket of Blocking Backaka Beatrice Joy Chute B, J. Chute was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and lived there until she came to New York in, A professional writer since, Miss Chute has written hundreds of stories, which have appeared in Boys' Life, the Boy Scout magazine, and numerous anthologies of outstanding sports stories for young people.
Her adult stories have appeared in nearly every major magazine, including The Saturday Evening Post, Good Housekeeping, McCall's, and Redbook.
She has written four adult novels The Fields Are White, The End of Loving, Greenswillow, Moon and the Thornand a collection of short stories, The Blue Cup.
taken from the dust jacket of Blocking Backaka Beatrice Joy Chute sitelink,