In The MoonStone Girls, Brooke Skipstone depicts the life and struggles of a homosexual brother and sister. The first half of the novel talks about Tracy and her brother Spencer's lives in San Antonio, Texas from 1967-1968. Their remarkably traditional father harbors a variety of outdated thoughts that were fairly typical at the time. When you factor in the ongoing drafting for the Vietnam war, things get much more complicated. The first half of the book was quite challenging for me to read because of all the mistreatment and abuse the two siblings undergo at the hands of their jerk of a father. The lack of compassion and love for his only children was gut-wrenching, to say the least. Tracy is a very well-defined character with astounding courage and perseverance which she demonstrates while resisting the criticism hurled at her by society. Naturally, the story had some sentimental bits and pieces as well. While I don't want to give too much away, I will say that there was an extremely gutting scene between Spencer, Tracy, and their mother. Empathic readers—tread lightly.
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Heartbreakingly beautiful
“In 1968, a seventeen-year-old queer girl traveled to Alaska disguised as a boy.” “The Moonstone Girls” book cover might say this quote, but damn if this book isn’t so, so much more than just that.The majority of “The Moonstone Girls” is the story of Tracy and her brother Spencer both growing up queer in the 60’s. The first three quarters of this book had me in a constant battle between hopeful joy and heartache. Tracy and Spencer go through so much, both inside their home and out, facing homophobia, discrimination, and verbal abuse from their father and other people in their lives that judge them for being queer. It was painful to read Tracy’s feelings about herself, her sexuality, her relationship with Ava, and her relationship with her brother. I can’t even imagine how painful this book would have been, had it been told from Spencer’s point of view. Tracy is strong-willed and determined not to let people tell her how she should live her life and who she should be able to love, but Spencer struggles to do the same. The heartache and overwhelming sense of longing for acceptance is so tangible in this story, it made me cry more than once. After a horrible loss and the weight of intense grief and sadness, Tracy finally makes her way to Alaska, alone.Traveling alone allows Tracy to stand in her power as a queer woman and to overcome any last hesitancies she may have had about being who she is and standing up for herself and other LGBTQ people. The relationships that Tracy forms with Jackie and Jeff at Camp Wonder completely transform her life. They are genuine and accepting and loving, and the bond the three of them share follows them for the rest of their lives.
This book made me so emotional, both in sadness and hope. I absolutely loved it.
“The Moonstone Girls” is full of grief, heartache, hatred, and pain; it is raw and rough-edged and real—but every last bit of it glows with hope and determination for the characters to live in their truth. It will make your heart hurt, and it might make you cry, but “The Moonstone Girls” is a poignant, powerful book that deserves all the reads.
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- Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2022
- Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2022
“In 1968, a seventeen-year-old queer girl traveled to Alaska disguised as a boy.”
“The Moonstone Girls” book cover might say this quote, but damn if this book isn’t so, so much more than just that.
The majority of “The Moonstone Girls” is the story of Tracy and her brother Spencer both growing up queer in the 60’s. The first three quarters of this book had me in a constant battle between hopeful joy and heartache. Tracy and Spencer go through so much, both inside their home and out, facing homophobia, discrimination, and verbal abuse from their father and other people in their lives that judge them for being queer. It was painful to read Tracy’s feelings about herself, her sexuality, her relationship with Ava, and her relationship with her brother. I can’t even imagine how painful this book would have been, had it been told from Spencer’s point of view. Tracy is strong-willed and determined not to let people tell her how she should live her life and who she should be able to love, but Spencer struggles to do the same. The heartache and overwhelming sense of longing for acceptance is so tangible in this story, it made me cry more than once. After a horrible loss and the weight of intense grief and sadness, Tracy finally makes her way to Alaska, alone.
Traveling alone allows Tracy to stand in her power as a queer woman and to overcome any last hesitancies she may have had about being who she is and standing up for herself and other LGBTQ people. The relationships that Tracy forms with Jackie and Jeff at Camp Wonder completely transform her life. They are genuine and accepting and loving, and the bond the three of them share follows them for the rest of their lives.
This book made me so emotional, both in sadness and hope. I absolutely loved it. “The Moonstone Girls” is full of grief, heartache, hatred, and pain; it is raw and rough-edged and real—but every last bit of it glows with hope and determination for the characters to live in their truth. It will make your heart hurt, and it might make you cry, but “The Moonstone Girls” is a poignant, powerful book that deserves all the reads.
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