I was kindly sent a copy of ‘The Moon and Stars’ by Jenna Warren, by Fairlight Books. And, when it arrived, I spotted it had a quote from the fabulous Matson Taylor on it, so I knew this was a book I was going to enjoy. I was correct.
‘The Moon and Stars’ tells the tale of Matthew Capes, a talented musician and singer, who has one thing standing between him and his dream caree:, stage fright. Stage fright so severe that he has taken a back seat in the theatre world, working for the Moon and Stars Theatre. When he is offered the chance to sing with an old friend from music college, Matthew may finally have the chance to come out of the shadows – or will he?
This is a wonderful book, that may evade being placed in a genre, as there are just so many fantastic threads running through it. It is a contemporary piece of fiction, with so much more to it. If you are fan of theatre, especially musical theatre, you will enjoy this book. If you are a fan of books that follow relationships (romantic and friendly), you will enjoy this book. If you are a fan of The Phantom of the Opera, you will enjoy this book. And, if you are fan of books that really centre around great characterisation, well, you will enjoy this book.
For me, as a musical theatre fan, this was almost a comfort read. It whisked me away to the theatre world with some fascinating characters that really showed what a challenge such a world is and, sometimes, the only thing that is in the way of any of us achieving our dreams is ourself.
So, as the dark nights draw in, why not be whisked away to the land of theatrical performance and visit ‘The Moon and Stars’?