This isn't a new novel, it was published in 2004, but I enjoyed it so much I felt a need to share my enjoyment.
It's written by Julie Anne Peters and is written for teenagers, she specialises in that age group and she is a gay woman rather than tg.
The narrator is Regan who is two years younger than her brother Liam, who is the book's eponymous character, Luna - the girl who is only seen by moonlight. At times I found both the siblings irritating or the style of the writing but it's a long time since I was teenager and it is also American, which does make a bit of difference. However, I really liked Regan and my heart soared and fell with her descriptions of her life as an invisible teenage girl in a high school.
The author does show some insight into the life of the transgendered and at times I wanted to slap Liam/Luna and their parents, while identifying much more with Regan, who is a much stronger character than her sister.
I thoroughly recommend it as a well written story which will have you laughing, cussing and sniffing as well hopefully a nice warm feeling at times. Regan and Chris her would be boyfriend are a delight to read about, though it seems about as accident prone a relationship as possible without one of them actually getting badly hurt.
If you haven't read it, give it try you won't regret it.
Luna by Julie Anne Peters
Publisher Little Brown
ISBN-10: 0-316-01127-4
ISBN-13: 978-0-316-01127-3
Angharad.
Comments
Thanks Ang
It's always good to learn about another book to put on the "to read" list.
I heartily agree
I posted a little review of Luna about 2 years ago, and I am glad to see someone else has discovered it. Luna is a wonderful story and well worth the time to read.
Here's a link to my review of Luna in case anyone is interested. Unfortunately the ebook is no longer available at Fictionwise, but you can still find it in pulped wood and both Amazon and Barnes & Noble offer their electronic versions. As Angharad said, if you haven't read it give it a try, you won't regret it.
Bree
The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense.
-- Tom Clancy
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Mixed feelings
I read Luna a few months ago and had mixed feelings about it.
On the one hand, I completely agree with Angharad's review.
On the other hand, I completely agree with Angharad's review, and therein lies the problem.
I went into it hoping to see a breakthrough in the portrayal of TS characters and issues in mainstream fiction... and didn't quite get it. Liam/Luna's trans-ness makes a wonderful foil for the protagonist, and brings up TS issues that are rarely mentioned or acknowledged, let alone dealt with, outside of forums like BCTS. But the character felt a bit too caricatured to me, and didn't always ring true. True enough to make a good foil for Regan, but not true enough for me to really be able to identify. More--much more--than the usual token TS walking stereotype, no question, but still less than I'd hoped for. And the issues are brought up only to be left, for the most part, unresolved and unexplored in any depth, not being the focus of the book.
Don't get me wrong, it's a wonderful, even important work of young adult fiction and utterly worth reading. I couldn't put it down. It's all that, just... not something else, something I'd hoped it could be too.
For that, for probably the best, most realistic exploration of TS issues and the most believable, sympathetic TS character I think I've ever come across in mainstream fiction, I'd highly recommend another page-turner, equally gripping and engaging, that I read at about the same time: "Almost Perfect," by Brian Katcher. You'll find it in the Young Adult Fiction section too.
I've read both Luna and
I've read both Luna and Almost Perfect, and would give them both a "thumbs up". Perfect, no, but almost perfect? Pretty close.
These should give some hope to authors of TG fiction who want to break into the mainstream. It's worth reading these along with all the reviews and discussions of them that you can find on line. Try to get some insight into why that are successful, and what you might do to target your works at a more mainstream audience.
Kris
{I leave a trail of Kudos as I browse the site. Be careful where you step!}