-
•
Critical Praise:
"Well-drawn, emotionally nuanced characters…[This] compulsively readable tale deftly moves over the literary landscape, avoiding genre classification; it succeeds as a subtle romance, an incisive character study and compelling women-in-peril noir fiction."
—Publishers Weekly
"The situations Tucker describes here in starkly lyrical prose are as chilling as if they were all derived from her own experiences...but she never gets too sentimental. Instead, Patty's voice just feels honest…As she did in her 2003 first novel, The Song Reader, Tucker uses music to frame this story, and like a well-crafted song it builds in intensity until its explosive ending."
—People magazine
"Patty is a character searching for her voice…And what a wonderfully drawn character she is. Tucker has the gift of knowing what to say and what to just suggest. She lets Patty tell her own story without self-pity despite plenty of pain and sadness…Much of her strength comes from her love for her son, her deep desire that he have a better life than she. Here, too, Tucker's portrayal is refreshingly real."
—The Philadelphia Inquirer
"Tucker's debut novel The Song Reader was an original and engrossing premise coupled with compelling writing. With that one book Tucker cemented herself as a strong new voice, a talented writer to watch for in the future. Now in her sophomore effort, Shout Down the Moon, Tucker proves that The Song Reader was no fluke; she has more stories to tell."
—Bookreporter
"Beautifully written, heartbreakingly real and ultimately hopeful…Tucker is a writing force to be reckoned with."
—The Romance Reader
"Be it physical, psychological or emotional danger, [Tucker] excels at setting her . . . protagonists in the heart of complex, often damaging familial relationships…Tucker makes the reader care about the singer and her son, and wish them well."
—St. Louis Post Dispatch
"Lisa Tucker's acclaimed debut, The Song Reader, catapulted her as a luminous new writer and she defends that title with her emotional, page-turner follow-up Shout Down the Moon. One of the Top 5 Books of 2004."
—Suffolk Journal
"[A novel] worthy of acclaim in its own right. Moon's main character is luminous…Tucker tells Patty's story with an emotional intensity and a page-turning anticipation that make this novel a powerful and enjoyable read."
—Cincinnati Beat
"A suspenseful story that will have readers holding their breath… satisfying, exciting."
—School Library Journal
"The story’s unexpected dips and rises and its mix of suspenseful page-turning events and passages of a slower tempo make Shout Down the Moon appealing. In a way, it works like a piece of jazz music itself…Tucker manages to maintain a realistic voice and create a persevering character who is both believable and likeable…All in all, Shout Down the Moon left me with a contented feeling like those times when you hear a song and you’re actually happy that it’s stuck in your head for the rest of the day."
—Santa Monica Mirror
"A lovely story… The seemingly effortless, page-turning plot is balanced perfectly with well-drawn characters. Honest, provocative and entertaining."
—Sassee magazine
"Lisa Tucker knows—feels—music, and she writes it well from both sides: listener and performer… [A] fast and highly enjoyable read… Shout Down the Moon [is] as good as The Song Reader, which was one of my favorite novels from last year. It may, in fact, even be slightly better…"
—Culture Dose
"An excellent novel…[destined] to be as highly acclaimed, if not more so, as her first novel."
—MostlyFiction
"A strikingly honest representation of single motherhood…a compelling story with a hero anyone would relate to -- and ultimately root for."
—Literary Mama
"Tucker has stripped Patty's voice of all artifice, and her straight-from-the-heart narration is instantly gripping."
—Booklist
"A wonderful portrayal of a woman who struggles and overcomes the challenges in her life… exciting, interesting."
—Open Grove
"Another winner…Tucker's comfortable writing style pulls the reader into the world she has created as Patty Taylor struggles to prevent her past from destroying the life she is building with her son. Music is again central to Tucker's writing and adds to the appeal. Reading Shout Down the Moon feels like you have experienced Lisa Tucker on your own porch telling you about the Patty Taylor Band. This is another wonderful handselling jewel."
—Mary Gay Shipley, That Bookstore in Blytheville
"Like the best blues songs, Tucker’s passionate story never flinches from the heartbreak of life, all the while reminding us of the true miracle: that broken hearts can heal, that grief can lead to joy."
—Cassandra King, author of The Sunday Wife
Shout Down the Moon
Patty Taylor can handle anything. So what if the guys in her band dismiss her as just a pretty face, hired by their manager to make them more popular? She’s already survived a bad childhood, a destructive teenage relationship, homelessness, and working twelve-hour shifts washing dishes. Traveling with the band gives her a way to provide for Willie, the two-year-old son she adores.
But on a hot summer day in Kentucky, when Willie’s father shows up outside her hotel room –newly paroled from prison and intent on having her and his son back– Patty begins a journey that will change her from a girl who puts up with anything to a woman with a voice that can bring the house down.
-
• Borders women's fiction selection
• Barnes & Noble online reading group choice
• Books A Million fiction club selection
• People magazine pick
• Featured book on the Associated Press Radio program Between the Lines
• Pages magazine recommends
• Featured book for the New Mexico "Year of the Girl" Statewide Program 2005
