I got access to this book thanks to NetGalley and it is due to be published next month. It is a translation from french ( It is surprising how many translated books that are coming my way , and how many of them I am relishing) and it is very beautifully written. I use the word beautifully since the language is like wide brushstrokes that you can admire separate from the whole painting ( In this case book/story). 

The story is simple enough , it is the tale of Paul Vertune starting from his birth to his death. He has a few adventures along the way but at no stage do you have the sudden twists that I have come to expect from books of this sort. The boy Paul grows into adulthood, learning to play the roles of life to the best of his ability. His fascination with the moon stays with him throughout his life . He is a good man and it is easy to give him the mantle of lead protagonist. The human bonds, dreams and hopes as well as hard work involved in life are well documented and all of the above makes this book a very good read.

I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

To start this off I have to say this cover is beautiful! So simple, but also so fitting. For Paul themoon, as he first knew it, was a driving force in his young life. The moon changes and with is so does Paul. The book is broken down into parts of Paul’s life named after different phases of the moon. We start following paul's life the moment he is born. As a young boy he struggles with the life he was born into and the life he dreams of. In the memoir like narration we follow paul through his struggles and triumphs. I never believed this book would hook me like it did. Set in a time of war this book portrays the effects of war on a simple farming family. It shows how every act of kindness will evoke more kindness. Paul teaches us to never give up on our dreams and always fight for what we believe in. This is not the kind of book I usually read but I am so glad I did, because it was fantastic.

Seasons of the Moon was one of those books where you fall in love with the main character, Paul Vertune. It follows a boy, destined to become a wheat farmer, but his choices change the direction of his life at each different season. Being a mom of boys also, I wanted to protect young Paul, take pride in Paul's choices as he became a man and husband, rejoice as he became a father, and look forward to the future as he became a grandfather.
This book showed how different choices, actions, and thoughts play a role in the person that we become.

Born into the life of a wheat farmer in rural France, Paul Vertune, from the time of his birth was different. He was a sensitive soul, who did not fit into his families plans for his life. Knowledge became his source of survival.
When Paul age 15 during WW ll, a Nazi soldier saves Paul from being captured, but now finds this same soldier captured, by his townsfolk and on his deathbed, the soldier before he dies asked Paul to please find his daughter and to let her know that her father loved her. Finding a photo of her in the soldiers pocket along with a name and town, this becomes a lifelong quest for Paul.
When Paul was a child he had an encounter with a sailor while on vacation, which made him want to someday take up that career. Always fascinated by the moon and the sea, he could not wait to be able to live that life, to be free and to see the world. Before he can fulfill his dream he has to do a stint in the military and after that gets married to a girl from his village. He and his wife move to Bordeaux, to start their life, have a child and to work on fulfilling his dream of sailing. Throughout the years he meets some fascinating people, and great friends who help him through his life.
A very emotional book, one where the main character Paul sees endless possibilities of life and finding the beauty of all that is offered to him.
Beautifully written and well translated this book with such a luscious cover is a wonderful read.
I would like to thank NetGalley and AmazonCrossing for the ARC of this book

When I first started this book I wasn't expecting the story to grip me like it did. It seemed a bit boring and I couldn't work out what the point of it was. However a few chapters in it had me hooked. The writing is beautiful and the story of Paul's life flows so easily it's almost dreamlike. From him being born to the end of his life it's such a touching story and one I devoured in two days. The translation has been done so well from French to English so much so that you couldn't tell it was ever written in another language as sometimes happens.
I absolutely loved this and hope there is more to come from this author.
Thankyou to Netgalley for this copy in return for an honest review.

Oh my stars, this book.

I am one that tends to stick within the same genres; mainly historical fiction. I was in the mood for something different, however, when I ran across Seasons of the Moon. (And that cover! Swoon.) On a whim I requested it, figuring I could leisurely read it when I was in the mood for something a little different.

Except that I couldn't put it down, and finished it in two days.

What an incredibly beautiful story! Seasons of the Moon follows the life (quite literally) of Paul Vertune. (I loved that sections in the book were named for moon phases!) From birth to death, we follow him through his troubled childhood, his special relationship with his mother and his fear during Nazi Germany. We see him muster the courage to leave his past behind, venture toward the future, chase his childhood dreams, get married, become a father and everything else in between. Seeing these events through his eyes, as well as having the privilege of being privy to his thoughts and heart, was a wonderful gift. I loved getting to know Paul, and grieved as his life drew to a close. The author's writing is superb, and I am thrilled to hear that he is releasing a new book in 2018. I also enjoyed the way the author handled the Epilogue, though I did feel that Paul deserved a better ending, health-wise.

Bottom Line: Get the book. Meet Paul Vertune. Travel with him on his amazing journey.

This was a beautiful story. Told as a memoir, we follow,the life story of Paul Verdune, the youngest son of a wheat farmer in France. Paul, unlike his 3 brothers, is gentler of spirit from his youth, thus his mother's favorite. He bears what he feels is the disapproval of his father. We follow through his adolescence during German occupation, his first love, military service and life at sea. Through it all, the heart of Verdune continues to struggle to overcome the early childhood lack of approval and to complete the mission to find Catherine, the daughter of a German soldier who spares his life. The translation is beautiful and the story captivating.

Julien Aranda creates a narrative using raw, vivid words that allow the reader to capture the soul and spirit of the main character, Paul Vertune. Wonderful!

Thank you Netgallery for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. It was hard to place this book down once i began reading it. So many stories of joy and hardship throughout Paul Vertune's life. He was a very kind man and i was touched by the ending. This book reminded me of The light by the Ocean -Truly engrossing, and deeply moving novel which i highly recommend.

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