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The Pull of the Moon Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Elizabeth Berg (Author, Narrator), Brilliance Audio (Publisher)
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“Reading The Pull of the Moon is like sitting down for a long, satisfying chat with a best girlfriend... pleasantly encourages readers to recover a little life-embracing enthusiasm themselves.” (Orlando Sentinel)

In the middle of her life, Nan decides to leave her husband at home and begin an impromptu trek across the country, carrying with her a turquoise leather journal she intends to fill. The Pull of the Moon is a novel about a woman coming to terms with issues of importance to all women. In her journal, Nan addresses the thorniness - and the allure - of marriage, the sweet ties to children, and the gifts and lessons that come from random encounters with strangers, including a handsome man appearing out of the woods and a lonely housewife sitting on her front porch steps.

Most of all, Nan writes about the need for the self to stay alive. In this luminous and exquisitely written novel, Elizabeth Berg shows how sometimes you have to leave your life behind in order to find it.

"This is not a novel about a woman leaving home but rather about a human being finding her way back." (Chicago Tribune)

“When was the last time you thought about running away? In The Pull of the Moon, Berg shares her strength, the wonderful widening of her soul so that we, too, can take the journey in the ease of our chair." (Greensboro News & Record)

"Berg’s gift as a storyteller lies most powerfully in her ability to find the extraordinary in the ordinary, the remarkable in the everyday." (The Boston Globe)

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  1. Part of series
    Random House Reader's Circle
  2. Listening Length
    4 hours and 55 minutes
  3. Author
    Elizabeth Berg
  4. Narrator
    Elizabeth Berg
  5. Audible release date
    July 25, 2013
  6. Language
    English
  7. Publisher
    Brilliance Audio
  8. ASIN
    B00E5LE5Y2
  9. Version
    Unabridged
  10. Program Type
    Audiobook
  11. See all details
Next slide of product details

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Product details

Listening Length 4 hours and 55 minutes
Author Elizabeth Berg
Narrator Elizabeth Berg
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date July 25, 2013
Publisher Brilliance Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B00E5LE5Y2
Best Sellers Rank #142,815 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#2,818 in Family Life Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)
#5,155 in Women's Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)
#5,186 in Literary Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
1,026 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the writing quality good, with a first-person narration that's just right. They also describe the content as thoughtful, personal, and beautiful. Readers describe the book as extremely enjoyable, funny, entertaining, and wise. They find the style relevant, witty, and mirror image of their life at that time. Opinions are mixed on the storyline, with some finding it great and others disappointed in the ending.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
Writing qualityContentEnjoyabilityWriting styleReading experienceStoryline
33 customers mention "Writing quality"33 positive0 negative

Customers find the writing quality of the book nice, brilliantly conceived, and beautifully written. They also appreciate the first-person narration, descriptions, and ease with describing people, places, and feelings. Overall, readers say the book is an enjoyable and quick read.

"...The Pull of the Moon by Elizabeth Berg is a brilliantly conceived, beautifully written story about a woman's journey, from what happens to us at 12..." Read more

"...It's an easy read; took me only a few days to finish. I'm not 50 yet, but I could understand her frustrations...." Read more

"Great book and was in perfect condition. I ordered used but it was still in great condition and saved a few bucks" Read more

"Elizabeth Berg's book was an enjoyable, easy read that gave a wonderful insight into the beautiful sentiments and insightful thinking that goes on..." Read more

30 customers mention "Content"24 positive6 negative

Customers find the book thoughtful, relatable, and honest. They also describe it as a classic, modern, and romantic. Readers also mention that the author writes with humor and multiple reality checks.

"...It feels very personal." Read more

"...I will share one that was particularly insightful. Nan asks herself, “where have you been?” And then, “I meant to come back.” Powerful, right?..." Read more

"...To me, Nan's was a thoughtful personal discovery -- and brought me back to a time when my children were young and I was a stay-at-home mom thinking..." Read more

"...to **sympathize** with this unbelievably selfish, self-absorbed, incredibly inane and clueless drama queen...." Read more

16 customers mention "Enjoyability"16 positive0 negative

Customers find the book extremely enjoyable, great, and wise. They also say it's funny, entertaining, and worth while.

"...What a delicious idea. I am going to guess that her quest for some kind of knowledge about herself is a dream of many a woman, menopausal or not...." Read more

"...I recommend this book and feel it was well worth the time reading it...." Read more

"...Every woman will resonate with "Pull of the Moon." It is deliciously sweet and bitter at the same time; it is like a chocolate sundae you want to..." Read more

"...given me a great respect and a deeper wonder for the exquisite,rich, delightful, delicate, emotional, feminine, strong, complicated, determined, and..." Read more

8 customers mention "Writing style"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the writing style witty, relevant, and gifted.

"...Berg is a very gifted writer. She must be an artist, for she writes with a visual awareness seen usually only by advanced artists and photographers...." Read more

"...A wonderful, well written book that resonates! Well done, Elizabeth Berg." Read more

"This is a well-written book, and it's an interesting story, told through a series of journal entries and letters during a soul-seeking road trip of..." Read more

"...She brings humor and tenderness and a attention to fine details of everyday life to the surface...." Read more

6 customers mention "Reading experience"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book enjoyable to read and a wonderful read for women over 50.

"...Great read!" Read more

"...an effort to explain what all this feels like, and both enjoyed the read and the message." Read more

"Good summer read and very relatable. Remembering the person you really are underneath your daily rolls in life.Enjoyed very much." Read more

"...She was delighted to receive it and told me later that she very much enjoyed reading it." Read more

18 customers mention "Storyline"10 positive8 negative

Customers are mixed about the storyline. Some find it great and unexpected, while others say it lacks plot development and is disappointing.

"This is a well-written book, and it's an interesting story, told through a series of journal entries and letters during a soul-seeking road trip of..." Read more

"...this unbelievably selfish, self-absorbed, incredibly inane and clueless drama queen...." Read more

"...This is a feast of a story that I want to read over and over again." Read more

"...Truly enjoyed the story and felt the characters were written well and realistically. Such a nice way to start 2019, by reading this book." Read more

Endearing
5 out of 5 stars
Endearing
After reading this book I decided to do exactly what she did I took a road trip and I wrote my husband every day while on the road. I didn't visit many places I went to one city and stay there for 2 weeks. Each day I did something that made me happy and wrote my husband And told him about it. This book can bring out the sexy in any woman. Very romantic and endearing book.
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Top reviews from the United States

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars today I picked up one that satisfied my story-tooth
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2016
Verified Purchase
After ranting on my blog that I couldn't find a book, today I picked up one that satisfied my story-tooth. The Pull of the Moon by Elizabeth Berg is a brilliantly conceived, beautifully written story about a woman's journey, from what happens to us at 12 to the transformation that comes with our 50s. Nan is none of us, yet my guess is that each of us will find something to identify with as she goes walkabout from her marriage. She doesn't leave her husband as much as she goes looking for her lost self.

Talking about being part of the "bridge" generation, she says, "We flowered in the sixties, but the spirit of the fifties was deep in us." That identity split may make this a book that works more for those of us over 50 than younger women. As Nan travels about, she connects with strangers who help her find pieces of herself that got lost along the way.

One of the heart-breaking stories she hears comes from an 86-year-old farm woman who shows her poems her husband wrote to her. After he died, she found them buried in a drawer, apparently not thinking they were actually good enough to give to her.

I take back my rant ... apparently I haven't been looking in the right places.

And for the one-star reviewers, I understand your criticisms. Few of us have the resources (and the patient husbands) that would make this journey possible. But, as someone who lost her husband at the beginning of her 60s, I recognize so many of the feelings of losing pieces of myself without even realizing it. I remember a day after he died when I realized that I truly didn't know what I wanted to eat. After 40 years of marriage, my first thought was always, "What would he want?" It has taken 10 years, but I'm starting to recognize my own tastes and needs.
98 people found this helpful
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Dyane
4.0 out of 5 stars touching story
Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2024
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The author has a way of expressing what so many women think but don’t express in words. It feels very personal.
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Claudine Wolk
5.0 out of 5 stars Woman Discovers Delicious Way to Find Her Way Back to Herself...Love It
Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2018
Verified Purchase
This novel is not a stereotypical look of a woman in menopause. Nan comes to the decision that in order to stay married she needs to take an unplanned and unmapped trip. All the while she writes letters to her husband to stay in touch. What a delicious idea. I am going to guess that her quest for some kind of knowledge about herself is a dream of many a woman, menopausal or not. I found the book extremely enjoyable and the tone was on right on target. I ended up writing down 13 quotes that had an impact on me to keep for prosperity and for further ponder.

If I included all the quotes, I would get in trouble for fair use, you will just have to buy the book! I will share one that was particularly insightful. Nan asks herself, “where have you been?” And then, “I meant to come back.” Powerful, right? Wives and mothers give it all to their families over many, many years. They essentially put their life on a shelf, willingly, in order to give what is needed to their family. When the kids grow up and the family’s needs are gone, she needs to find a way back to herself. It’s simply common sense. You can not ignore something for years and years and then expect to simply pick it up again.

For many women, the realization that she has to get to know herself again is a bit of a surprise. In The Pull of the Moon, we see through Nan the way ONE woman decided to come back to herself. It might not be your way or my way but it is a way. The book serves as an example or maybe even an encouragement to women that they are worth the time and the work to figure out what will make them happy later in life.
13 people found this helpful
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Bret Scott
3.0 out of 5 stars A Thoughtful Read
Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2014
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This book is the second I've ready by Elizabeth Berg, and I know I want to read others. I like her style and the subjects she covers. This, "The Pull of the Moon," deals with a woman's search for herself as she is aging (she's 50 in the book) and a little (seems to me) lost, directionwise. It is a common passage to go through, and like other life experiences, is most helpful when shared and understood from the perspectives of others.

I am a bit older than the main character, Nan, but I could certainly identify with many of her thoughts and feelings ( having "been there," etc.). Though I did not take the same kind of trip she took to "find herself," I believe I experienced my "trip" by involving myself in a variety of activities. The role of the -- albeit fortunate -- non-working woman is a difficult one. I was not thrilled with some of the reviewers here who labeled the main character Nan as self-centered or selfish, telling her to "get a hobby," or "do volunteer work." While those are fine activities, we as individuals, and women (though fortunate to not need to work to earn money) often have a difficult time discovering the meaning of why we exist; men largely (and nowadays many women, too) define themselves by the work they do. Indeed, I seem to recall Nan describing her husband as someone who didn't need to work any longer (certainly had the means to live very comfortably), but kept on doing so anyway. This speaks to me of the need to identify with one's work -- something she didn't have.

To me, Nan's was a thoughtful personal discovery -- and brought me back to a time when my children were young and I was a stay-at-home mom thinking I could go nuts if life didn't change. I believe we all need purpose -- and just being someone's mother is not purpose enough, since the children grow up and leave someday. What do you have then? Women throughout the ages -- remember women in the middle 1800s, people like Mary Todd Lincoln -- have intelligence and much to offer and often don't get to use their gifts when they are stuck in traditional roles (or not permitted due to traditions, etc., as it was for women of past centuries. We only got the vote less than 100 years ago ...) Many of those women actually did seem "crazy" (for lacking a suitable way to express themselves) and were often committed to mental institutions.

Berg's reference to how girls change by the age of 12 stayed with me, too. Yes, as far along as women have come we very often "allow" men to be in charge -- we give up hopes, dreams and, yes, power to fully develop as individuals.

I recommend this book and feel it was well worth the time reading it. I gave it just three stars since I wish it went into more depth in some areas, and I wish it were longer -- that's about my only problem; I would've liked more of it. Maybe that's the book I shall have to write some day ... Elizabeth Berg, you may have inspired me.
15 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

margo
5.0 out of 5 stars Pull of the Moon by E. Berg
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 22, 2014
Verified Purchase
I read this book in an afternoon. She really captures the characters and is so quirky you don't know what is coming next. I will order more of her books in the near future.
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Anne
5.0 out of 5 stars Comment on this storyThe Pull of the Moon
Reviewed in Canada on August 23, 2011
Verified Purchase
This book, is an amazing read. I first read it when I was 40 and then some of it was 'me' and some i thought, never!. Now having read it again at age 66, I relate to all of it!! it is a book that could have been written by most women about us and our feelings as we go through different stages of life. now i have it in hard copy and have bought 5 for gifts, s I know it will be sooo appreciated by the recipients. All women should read it, men should also, it would give them a glimpse into how we fell as we age and live longer in our relationships and maybe both would benefit greatly form the experience.
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Nikibythesea
4.0 out of 5 stars book review
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 4, 2013
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a really good read. left it with my sister and she turned it into a book club read and they all liked it too
One person found this helpful
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Bear
5.0 out of 5 stars Relatable
Reviewed in Canada on February 3, 2020
Verified Purchase
Love this novel. A must read for all woman 💗. Men to if you want to understand your woman ☝️💗
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Bear
5.0 out of 5 stars Relatable
Reviewed in Canada on February 3, 2020
Love this novel. A must read for all woman 💗. Men to if you want to understand your woman ☝️💗
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mia rose
5.0 out of 5 stars Review
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 7, 2013
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I enjoyed this book immensley, but I like all of Elizabeth Berg's books.
I recommend it highly.
It was hard to put down.
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