Cover Image: I Am Margaret Moore

I Am Margaret Moore

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Member Reviews

Historically I have loved Hannah Capin's work, but something about this just didn't do it for it. It was too poetic, too repetitive. And supernatural doesn't often work for me unless it's done perfectly.

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This was definitely not for me. I am not a fan of poetic writing at all. I could not connect with the characters and found myself more confused than anything. There is someone out there for this book, but it was not me.

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I was surprised with how low the ratings for this book are.. I actually enjoyed it. Written in prose and poetry, I Am Margaret Moore showed how bad military power and authority could be, their gender biases, and how friendship can be so beautiful.

I enjoyed being in Margaret's stream of consciousness, whether at the parts where she was narrating her story or during the times when she was writing poetry.

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I love young adult mystery thrillers. This one had a lot of twists and turns I didn’t see coming, and I loved the mysterious aspect.

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This was ok but a struggle to get through. I think the style made it very confusing to follow along, but once you get to the end, you "get it" but by then I was so over it that even finding out the twist wasn't exciting for me.

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Summer camp is a place where strong friendships can develop. This is true of the Deck Five girls at Marshall Naval School. Margaret, Flor, Rose, and Nisreen have been together during the summers and have formed a deep attachment. The final summer Margaret is different. Everything has changed and a boy is dead.

This is not an easy book to read. The writing is a cross between prose and poetry. It almost feels like stream of consciousness. The writing style is good for showing emotion, but it’s confusing when you are trying to follow the plot. The confusion isn’t helped by moving the plot back and forth between summers. Sometimes it’s not clear which summer you’re in.

From the blurb, I thought I would enjoy the book, but for several reasons, I didn’t. Although the book was filled with emotion, I couldn’t relate to the characters, particularly the main character. The pace was slow. I sensed that there was a deep story underlying the narrative, and I guessed what it was within a few pages. That didn’t help the suspense. I think the idea for the plot was great, but the writing just didn’t come off for me.

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Deck Five’s girls return to Marshall Naval School every summer for a dose of sun, sea, and sisterhood. They march, sail, and bond in a world away from the rest. But this summer, something’s not quite right. Margaret Moore’s friends start disappearing, and rumors swirl around a boy's death. The boys point fingers at Margaret. Can she untangle the web of lies and secrets that threaten to pull her under?
This book is a haunting mix of summer nostalgia and spine-tingling mystery. The storytelling and world-building are so vivid; you can almost smell the salty sea breeze. The female friendships are beautifully eternal. The writing style may take a bit of getting used to, but the payoff is worth it. By the end, you'll be left with a lot to ponder. A one-of-a-kind read that's definitely worth checking out!

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This is a difficult book to review because the narrative style is challenging to follow and at times frustrating to read, but the structure serves the plot and there's truly no better way to deliver it. Reading I Am Margaret Moore is an experience of sisterhood and friendship, of growing up and running free, and of darkness. This is a book where close reading will be rewarded and re-reads would be an entirely different experience.

"I do not scream. I sit, silent, as the echoes fade. As my ears ring from the noise of it."

I loved Foul is Fair, which is also challenging as a result of the narrative style but in a different way. I found myself lost between reality and poetic imagery, confused and frustrated that it took as long as it did to tell the reader what happened Last Summer. Margaret's first person narrative dances around time, using repetition with slight variances at times to poetic affect. It feels almost like listening to the thoughts of someone who's experienced a trauma and almost relives the event, but it's more than that as time isn't linear in the story. The girls discuss the idea that time isn't linear and reading I Am Margaret Moore reminded me of Billy Pilgrim being unstuck in time in Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five, only Margaret doesn't seem to be aware it's happening.

"Time, and space -- it isn't one line. It is strings all tangled together, a million different nows happening at once, and the past hasn't happened yet, and the future is already over."

My absolute favorite part of this book is the ride-or-die friendship and comradery between Margaret, Nisreen, Flor and Rose. Oh, and men are scum.

Overall, reading I Am Margaret Moore is confusing as hell but it's supposed to be and the payoff is worth it... if you can get that far. I almost DNF'd this book a handful of times but the writing is poetic and the emotion is so raw that I kept at it, and ultimately I'm glad that I did. There are so many things that I'd love to call out and discuss but they'd be spoilers, so I shall refrain. I do recommend this book with the caveat that it will be a challenging literary read, just know that it serves the plot well and answers will be had.

ARC provided by the publisher for my consideration. This does not affect my opinion nor the contents of my review. Quotations are from an unfinished proof and subject to change upon final publication.

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Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

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This was a great read. I had a hard time putting it down and was left with a bit of a book hangover afterward. Definitely recommend.

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I sadly have to agree with many others. This book was so confusing. What the hell happened? The writing was poetic and beautiful but I needed to jell with the characters but it didn't happen. The time jumps and structure were way too confusing

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Such a strange type of writing style. Very difficult to enjoy the story with this choppy delivery.

I feel that there was a beautifully sad story within the covers but it’s very challenging to get to it.

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Honestly just not for me. I struggled getting into the story with the style. I think someday I will pick it up again, but I just did not get swept up in the story like I would have liked.

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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

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My favorite part of I AM MARGARET MOORE is the writing -- Capin writes in such a poetic way and really brings the atmosphere of Marshall and its surroundings to life. While some readers won't connect with this particular style, I can see it being a good fit for those who enjoy darker novels in verse.

I think the pacing is also going to divide a lot of readers. From a logical standpoint, it seems like not much happens until the plot twist 2/3 through. On the other hand, the slow pacing of that first section of the book drew me in and got me invested, which made that plot twist hit that much harder. This book would probably be a better fit for readers who don't mind slower paced books, or are looking for something that feels a little more unsettling.

Ultimately, I found I AM MARGARET MOORE to be an impactful book about girls who feel silenced and that their ability to choose has been taken from them, all to protect the boys who put them in that situation in the first place. While the framing is unconventional, ultimately the book is about Margaret reclaiming her sense of self. This has potential to resonate with the readers who do connect to this book.

Thank you Wednesday Books for providing a copy for review.

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This was such a great read! I didn't know when I requested it, that it was the same author as The Dead Queens' Club, which I recently read. But knowing that, that had me itching to pick this book up sooner, and I'm so glad that I did, because it was an amazing read!

I loved this story about this group of friends! They're really close knit, but when a boy dies, their friend group is rocked. They're surrounded by rumours and distrust, of if it was their friend Margaret, or one of them, and the situation just gets worse and worse!

This book jumped all over in the timeline, so we saw bits and pieces of this friend group, dealing with the aftermath of the storm, and the investigation. What I wanted most was to know what had happened, and what was going on.

The way this book was told, it was like we were looking through a haze, or had some drunk glasses on, it was just a little bit out of sink. When we find out why, that was such a heartbreaking reveal, and ending, but it worked really well!

Loved reading this book, and I can't wait to read more by Hannah Capin!

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This one was not for me.
Thank you NetGalley for providing a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

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It's no surprise that I fell in love with The Summer of Margaret Moore. The book is a beautiful exploration of family, friendship, and forgiveness—and it's written by a writer who knows how to use words to make the reader feel something.
This book would be great for fans of mysteries or anyone looking for a sweet read about friendship and family.

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I found the timeline and many characters hard to keep up with, but at the same time it felt like YA (is it YA?). Not for me, but I have seen others rave over it.

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Absolutely haunting and thrilling, I Am Margaret Moore takes the premise of an elite summer camp and turns it irrevocably on its head. Grappling with themes of misogyny and power dynamics, the novel begs readers to realize that some of the most dangerous monsters delight in daylight.

Lyrical and haunting, Hannah Capin's I Am Margaret Moore is a paranormal thriller that tests the hold of sisterhood and truth.

I am a girl. I am a monster, too.

Each summer the girls of Deck Five come back to Marshall Naval School. They sail on jewel-blue waters; they march on green drill-fields; they earn sunburns and honors. They push until they break apart and heal again, stronger.

Each summer Margaret and Rose and Flor and Nisreen come back to the place where they are girls, safe away from the world: sisters bound by something more than blood.

But this summer everything has changed. Girls are missing and a boy is dead. It’s because of Margaret Moore, the boys say. It’s because of what happened that night in the storm.

Margaret’s friends vanish one by one, swallowed up into the lies she has told about what happened between her and a boy with the world at his feet. Can she unravel the secrets of this summer and last, or will she be pulled under by the place she once called home?
"Lyrical writing distinguishes this haunting summer camp thriller as an enthralling literary mystery with crossover appeal...[an] ingenious story about misogyny and power dynamics." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

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