In the Garden Behind the Moon: A Memoir of Loss, Myth, and Magic by Alexandra A. Chan is a beautifully written memoir and biography focusing around the author and her father. The book focuses on themes of loss and grieving of family and loved ones, while also tying itself together with mythology and magic.
The beginning of this book was a bit slow. The writing was gorgeous, but it was too much and felt like the same idea was being repeated over and over again. This gets better after the first chapter and the book takes on a more storytelling feel. I loved hearing the stories of Chan’s father and grandfather and felt like I learned a lot from them. There are undertones of magic and mythology throughout the whole memoir and it ties everything together so nicely. Each of the different “books” within the memoir focuses on a different year in the Chinese zodiac, and talks about some of the different characteristics of that zodiac sign. Overall, I felt like I really learned a lot from this memoir, while also enjoying the stories offered.
There are also great pictures that help give more to the story. I can picture the characters and it really brings the actual events to life. I loved how they were incorporated into the book.
Overall, I would give this memoir 3/5 stars, but I feel like someone who reads memoirs more often would rate it much higher. The writing was gorgeous and so well done. I would really recommend this book to anyone who loves memoirs. They are not my typical genre, and so I sometimes found the book to be a bit slow paced for my liking, but I still enjoyed it and felt like I learned a lot.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The beginning of this book was a bit slow. The writing was gorgeous, but it was too much and felt like the same idea was being repeated over and over again. This gets better after the first chapter and the book takes on a more storytelling feel. I loved hearing the stories of Chan’s father and grandfather and felt like I learned a lot from them. There are undertones of magic and mythology throughout the whole memoir and it ties everything together so nicely. Each of the different “books” within the memoir focuses on a different year in the Chinese zodiac, and talks about some of the different characteristics of that zodiac sign. Overall, I felt like I really learned a lot from this memoir, while also enjoying the stories offered.
There are also great pictures that help give more to the story. I can picture the characters and it really brings the actual events to life. I loved how they were incorporated into the book.
Overall, I would give this memoir 3/5 stars, but I feel like someone who reads memoirs more often would rate it much higher. The writing was gorgeous and so well done. I would really recommend this book to anyone who loves memoirs. They are not my typical genre, and so I sometimes found the book to be a bit slow paced for my liking, but I still enjoyed it and felt like I learned a lot.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.