Charlie Mitchell has always been able to hear lingering whispers of long-ago conversations. In her aunt’s farmhouse in Saskatchewan, her unusual abilities draw her into a heartbreaking romance that took place many years ago. In the town dance hall, Charlie meets Harm, the ghost of a ranch hand from the past. Harm comes to the hall every time there is a full moon to see the ghost of the woman he was to marry—but she can’t see him.
Charlie finds romance of her own with Kyle from next door, and she tells him about meeting Harm. A practical rancher, Kyle cannot accept the presence of a ghost. His reaction to her abilities leaves Charlie no choice but to help Harm find his true love without Kyle’s help.
Join Charlie and Kyle as their relationship swings from the highs of new love to the dark despair of shattered dreams.
♥ ♥ ♥
Mona Ingram's 'Moonlight Dancer' evokes a feeling of separation and anxiety from its first moments. Main character Charlotte, "Charlie;" feels alienated by her own strange abilities, as well as being sent alone to a relative on the Oregon Coast. The distorted images outside the bus window are no more strange and dismaying than the world Charlie finds inside her own head. And, in a way, getting off the bus in the middle of nowhere seems to parallel her whole life.
City-girl Charlie will want to fit in. She will be drawn to handsome Kyle, but it is discovering Harm that will give her purpose; Charlie's need to connect, her need to be needed, will not only make her want to help someone else, but will help her accept herself, and her own abilities. Discovering whether Kyle will accept her abilities is just as nerve-wracking. The communication breakdown reveals trust issues on someone's part - and we don't know whether Charlie's impatience or Kyle's suspicions will be put aside. We share Charlie's every emotion, from fear to frustration, admiration to love. And, we have to admire her devotion to helping another, rather than dwelling on her own problems.
The country, the charm of the town and magic of various places seem real. Delightful descriptions offer a wonderful views, from fields of swaying green alfalfa fields to the great dark lake, mirroring shoreline lights in the evening. Dusting flour along the counter top to roll out pies is offers a wonderful, cozy sense of coming home. The center of the western communities, the dance hall, is also a vital part of the story. Stepping into Ingram's hall is like "going back in time," and this lovely hall serves not only to connect the community members with one another, but serves as a link to their history.
Characters are also thoroughly thought out; from Aunt Janelle to the impressive if elderly band-members, the supporting cast members are well-rounded, original characters that give wonderful perspective to events in the tale.
The beautifully written 'Moonlight Dancer' offers us more than a romance; it is a romance inside a romance, with a dash of mystery. 4.5 books
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Date:
Sun, Aug 10, 2008 at 6:46 PM
Your Name:
Mona Ingram
Your Comment: Thank you for the wonderful review of my first
Young Adult book. I also write for Avalon Books, but I was inspired to write
this when I was travelling in Saskatchewan, Canada and came upon an actual
Dance Hall on the edge of a lake. It was built around 1929/30, and my first
instinct when I saw it was that there was a ghost in there with a story to
be told. The idea stayed with me for several years until I finally wrote the
book. Something I didn't put in the book is that there's a horse hair dance
floor in the real dance hall. I don't know how they're made, which is why I
didn'tt put it in, but I've danced on one, and they're delightful and
springy underfoot. By the way, Charlie is sent from Alberta to the adjacent
province of Saskatchewan - it's her mother who goes to Oregon. So your
reviewer's comment that 'the charm of the town and magic of various places
seem real' pleases me, because they ARE real. I've changed a few things,
such as the description of the interior of the Dance Hall, and the name of
the town.
I hope the readers enjoy the story. I know I enjoyed writing it. |
