Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas Mallon and Dreamscape Audio for an advance copy of this audiobook.

As a general rule, the book itself has a number of reviews available. Personally the story was slow for me and took a lot of focus to ultimately follow. This isn't unusual for a Mallon book and if you like the author generally, you might really enjoy this work. His books can hit me as great or not, so it is 50/50 for me. This was not one of my favorite books from this author.

In terms of the audio, however, I was very pleased by the narration and the quality of the narrator. If this is a book that intrigues you, this audio version is an excellent option from a quality perspective. I would probably give the book a 2.5, but the narrator would get a 4.5 from me. Overall, balancing these things out I'm giving a rounded up 4 for the audiobook version.

Thomas Mallon is an intelligent and engaging author whose immense historical research brings to life 1877 Washington DC and the world of the US Naval Observatory in with a sense of immediacy and vibrancy and with incredible attention to detail. This novel follows a Civil War widow, Cynthia May, who applies for a job at the Observatory as one of the human "computers" blessed with immense mathematical skill to help the astronomers with their calculations. She becomes romantically entangled with a much younger astronomer, Hugh Allison, who is generally looked down on by his colleagues for lack of his academic output, but has grand plans to project an image via light through time and space to try and make contact with other planets. Whist visiting her friend, an astrologer, Cynthia May also catches the eye of the powerful politician Senator Ruscoe Conkling, nicknamed 'The War God', who starts to pursue her ruthlessly. Cynthia May is forced to tread a fine line between loving Hugh and appeasing the Senator whose contacts and powerful connections can help Hugh achieve his dreams.

I really enjoyed the sense of time and place in this book. I don't really know that much about this time in American history and I feel the combination of commerce, science and mysticism we often see either depicted in Victorian London or Golden-Age New York so I thought the world was fascinating. I also liked the weaving of the fiction with the non-fiction elements, the discovery of the two moons of Mars - Phobos and Deimos - and the life and career (and more dramatically death) of Roscoe Conking, a great politician of his day who hasn't had a lasting cultural impact. However, for me, it felt like the plot never really got going. The book touches on all sorts of things I find interesting - eg. the emergence of astronomy as a science, the plight of women making their own way in the post-Civil War world, male ambition and obsession with legacy, the politics and pettiness of institutional bureaucracy, the interesting political turmoil of the times, but instead the main focus of the book is the love triangle between Cynthia May, Hugh Allison and the Senator and I found this aspect the least engaging as I didnt really care about the central relationship. It felt like this book had all the ingredients to make a truly great historical fiction novel, but in the end it fell slightly flat. However, I think that is perhaps just because it wasn't a match for my personality and I would much rather read something where the author is clearly an expert in their field who has aimed for the stars and written something truly ambitious.

I really enjoyed the audiobook narration by Justin Price which I felt was calm and soothing and suited the style of the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers who provided me with a copy of the audiobook in exchange for a fair review.

The premise of this one is intriguing--Cynthia May becomes a human "computer" in Washington DC in 1877. But unfortunately, the plot is not that interesting to me. The book moved slowly and the romance is not my cup of tea at all. I kept losing interest in the book. The narrator Justin Price does a good job of portraying all the characters.

I have raised this rating up to three stars from two because of the narrator.

Two moons written by Thomas Mullen and narrated by Jonathan Price, at first it was very interesting I was really into it but then I just got confused as to what was the point. Hue wanted to make scientific history but I didn’t get why nor did I completely understand what exactly he wanted to do. I know he wanted to leave his likeness or projected into the sky but I didn’t understand everything else Having said that I truly enjoyed the historical accuracy of this book Cynthia as a character in my opinion was just ho hum and I didn’t find anything special about her I mean yes she was brilliant I did love the astrologer from Chicago supposedly I did think Roscoe and Hugh were perfect 1800s characters, but with the exception of Cynthia and Hughes transgressions for most of the second half I spent the time to figure out what was the point of this book. I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

This book had some very interesting stories going on in it, though I will say I don't think it was for me.

I enjoyed the story at the core of this book, the history it involved of the astronomical research in DC, and the emphasis on moral decisions and how we make them. It was a book that makes you think about people in different circumstances to your own, and that makes you think about what you would do in a different life and time.

It was well-written, interesting, and a good read. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in astronomy, the post Civil War era of the US, and historical fiction.

3 ⭐️ Two Moons is a historical fiction with a creative plot line that follows the mathematically talented Cynthia May, a Civil War widow, as she starts working for the U.S. Naval Observatory as a human computer in 1877.

While I was drawn in by the synopsis and the soon-to-release audiobook format, I unfortunately had to DNF about 1/4 through this one, not because of the writing or the plot, but because I realized I’m not the right audience for this book. It was a bit too slow-paced for my liking, but I think it’s one that historical fiction lovers may really enjoy.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas Mallon, and Dreamscape Media for the free audio-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

What I liked about two moons was the historical part. Set in Washington DC in 1877, not so far from the end of the Civil War and during the Rutherford Hayes administration we get to learn about what was going on in astronomy via the central setting at the Naval Observatory. There, Cynthia May, a thirty=something war widow has landed a job as a "computer," her fast calculating mind getting the necessary equations solved for the scientists. Along the way, we learn about the discovery of two moons of Mars that had never been sighted and the political aspects of having the Navy in charge of the study of the skies. One of the astronomers, Hugh Allison is handsome, brilliant and sounds like he has ADHD in the entire description of how he functions at work and play. Hugh and Cynthia are fictional characters but the story of the observatory and efforts to relocate it due to many people who worked there contracting Yellow Fever seems authentic. We get a decent sense as well of the plight of war widows, left to fend for themselves as Cynthia lives in a boardinghouse with people she dislikes and makes her way in the world. On the national political front, we meet New York Senator Roscoe Conkling, a historical figure whose dubious accomplishments in government involved protecting patronage jobs and corruption as a way of life against Hayes' reformist tendencies. Also a renowned adulterer, he takes a shine to Cynthia who likes Hugh a lot. The historical parts about Conklin were also fascinating.

The plot/story is so awful though. It's meant to be a bit romantic or a bit salacious at times but it feels misogynistic a lot. The relationships and the way the Cynthia as protagonist processes things turns a person with many talents and skills two dimensional. Hugh comes off as a nut case. An astrologist who we are supposed to see as a kindly rogue is the least problematic character and that's saying a lot. Roscoe Conkling in real life was bad so we don't have to feel bad about not liking him, but I don't really like Cynthia or Hugh either. So 5 stars for history that was fascinating and kept me going. 1.5 stars for plot because I didn't throw my phone across the room and I finished it. The narrator was fine, which means no reduction for poor narration. Just, a wooden story that needed some warmth and life and humanity breathed into the writing and the characters. You either have that or you don't.

Two Moons, by Thomas Mallon is a good historical fiction drama. The narrator did a great job of bringing the characters to life. This story has a nice steady pace. This is not a fast exciting audio book, but a nice slow pace story about people and their experiences. I really liked it a lot.

Two Moons
Thomas Mallon
Two Moons is a combination of fact and fiction.
American astronomer Asaph Hall discovered the two moons of Mars, Phobos and Deimos, in 1877. Cynthia May is a Civil War widow, she is a brilliant mathematician and working at the US Naval Observatory in Washington, DC to assist the astronomers. Cynthia is an attractive woman who falls in love with, Hugh Allison, one of the astronomers; he is younger than she is, and he is dedicated to an impressive mission. He wants to project an image into the sky in hopes of contacting other life in space. New York Senator, Roscoe Conkling is determined to come between the couple. Conkling wants Cynthia for himself, and he wants to be the president.
This novel was ok. But I found the writing style unclear. I believe the purpose of this book was romance. I never felt a real connection with any of the characters and really didn’t care about the project or the politics.
Thank you NetGalley for the review copy of this book.

The misogyny in this book starts early and strong. It opens with a 35-year-old woman walking down the street, worrying about how f***able she looks. Not only is she being objectified by everyone around her, she’s objectifying herself.

I gave the book a few more pages, but the prose is too dry to capture my interest.

I found this to be very slow and really hard to read. I didn't even finish because even 20% of the way in it had still not managed to grab my attention. I think it really needed to get to the interesting part a bit quicker because it totally lost me.

Two Moons written by Thomas Mallon and narrated by Justin Price is a stunning audiobook which took me through every emotion I have and some I didn't realise I had. The story follows Cynthia May, a Civil War widow who has lost her family through war and diptheria and who is trying to survive in a time where women were still viewed as chattel. However, Cynthia has an incredible mind, an outstanding ability with mathematical calculations and as such, seeks work as a human computer to assist astronomers in the US Naval Observatory

The story is full of tenacity and intrigue, with a villain you just want to up and have stern words with. The storyline is well balanced nd took me on a rampage through my emotions and stamped them into the ground. I have not read a lot of historical novels following the civil war, but after spending time in NH, this story appealed to me and will very much appeal to anyone who celebrates the strength and fortitude of people striving to excel in the face of adversity

The research that went into this book is clear and the attention to detail and nuance is absolutely on point. Thomas Mallon knows his subject, yet is also able to bring history alive with a depth of soul that left me reeling

Justin price reads the pace exceptionally well with balanced tone and cadence, enhancing an already outstanding novel further

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, the author Thomas Mallon and the narrator Justin Price for this fantastic ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own