The Law of Moses by Amy Harmon

The Law of MosesNarrated by Tavia Gilbert and J.D. Jackson

We have a First Chapter Listen of The Law of Moses.

When The Law of Moses was originally released in 2014, I tried to read the eBook. I had recently discovered the beauty of Amy Harmon’s writing and was eager to get my hands on anything I could, even if I couldn’t get hold of an audio copy. However, I found myself unable to stick with the written word, spoiled by the stellar performances of Tavia Gilbert in A Different Blue and Running Barefoot. I was sure that, in Ms. Gilbert’s capable hands, The Law of Moses would be another keeper. Sadly, it just wasn’t to be.

Everyone has an opinion about Moses. Some say he’s crazy. Some consider him a symbol of tragedy. Still others fear him. Everyone knows his mother abandoned him in a run-down laundromat and he’s been shuffled from one unwilling family member to the next for seventeen years. Finally, Moses comes to live with his great-grandmother. He’s not planning to stay. He plans to leave town just as soon as he turns eighteen, but fate has other plans.

Georgia Shepherd is a small-town girl through and through. She loves her parents, her horses, and, suddenly, inexplicably, she finds she loves Moses too. She can’t really say why. He pushes her away at every turn. Talk of his hallucinations and the beautiful paintings he produces as a result, scare her. Still, Georgia cannot turn away from Moses, even if it turns out to be what is best for her.

On Thanksgiving morning, tragedy strikes, leaving Moses in a psychiatric hospital, and Georgia alone, bereft, and pregnant. What follows is not a pretty story. The love shared by Moses and Georgia is harsh and gritty, rarely sweet and sensual. Ms. Harmon writes of heartache and betrayal, of love and loss.

If you know anything about my taste in books, you’re probably wondering why I didn’t fall in love with this book and these characters. Even as I write this, my reasons feel a little unclear, and some of them can’t be shared without giving away major parts of the story. Part of my problem has to do with some of the plot devices the author used. Moses was born addicted to crack. He has problems because of this. Fine. Straightforward. Sensible. Now, what if I told you he sees dead people and paints the images they project upon him? What if I also told you that someone has been taking young women from small Utah towns? Combining these things with what could have been a moving story of love and redemption somehow cheapened the experience for me. I read tons of books about missing young women and the predators who prey upon them. If I were so inclined, I could read even more books about those who commune with the dead. These aren’t the things I’ve come to expect from Ms. Harmon. Perhaps I hold her to an unrealistically high standard. If I do, it’s only because her previous books have touched me deeply in a way The Law of Moses simply was unable to do.

I love flawed characters. In my opinion, they are what makes any book seem real. I don’t want to read about two-dimensional, plastic people. I want to sense their humanity. Having said this, I also want characters to be understandable and sympathetic. Georgia, in particular, was hard for me to warm up to. She basically throws herself at Moses, refusing to listen when he tells her to back off. Then, when things go wrong, she sulks like a spoiled child. Sure, she had reasons to be angry, but what happened to handling one’s feelings like an adult? True, Georgia is only seventeen when the book opens, but, by the time it ends, she’s nearly twenty-five. She experienced so many things, and yet, I didn’t get the impression that she’d grown much at all.

Tavia Gilbert’s narration of this somewhat strange novel is partly responsible for keeping me listening. Had she not brought every character to life with her usual aplomb, I doubt I could have finished the book. She handled this whole book, inconsistencies and all, like the pro she is. As usual, her characters are easily differentiated. Her ability to portray such believable male characters always leaves me in awe, and this time was no exception.

I wish I could be as complimentary when it comes to newcomer J.D. Jackson. This was my first experience with one of his narrations, and I’m pretty sure it will be my last. His natural speaking voice is pleasant enough, low and sonorous. His depiction of Moses and the other men in the story was quite good, and matched my mental image. However, Mr. Jackson needs some serious work on his portrayal of women. He makes Moses’ great-grandmother sound like a squawking parrot, and Georgia sounded like something one might run across in a cartoon. He tried to raise his pitch and soften his tone, perhaps to suggest her femininity, but he failed miserably. I was constantly distracted by his strange way of speaking whenever Georgia was present.

There were also quite a few mispronunciations throughout Mr. Jackson’s narration. Moses is an artist, and he speaks of other artists rather often. Unfortunately, Mr. Jackson didn’t seem to know how to pronounce some of their names, or the titles of their works. His performance could have been helped by some research, I’m thinking.

If you’ve never read an Amy Harmon novel, I implore you not to start with this one. There are much better examples of Ms. Harmon’s lush prose. Why not try Running Barefoot, which is set in the same town as The Law of Moses? The heroine, pianist Josie Jensen Yates, makes a few small appearances here. Start with something bittersweet and poignant, something that is not hampered by an unskilled narrator. In short, start with a story that will hook you in and refuse to let you go.

Shannon


Narration:  Tavia Gilbert: A and J.D. Jackson: C-

Book Content:  C-

Steam Factor:  You can play it out loud

Violence:  Fighting

Genre:  Contemporary Romance

Publisher:  Tantor Audio

 

The Law of Moses was provided to AudioGals by Tantor Audio for review.

 

3 thoughts on “The Law of Moses by Amy Harmon

  1. My experience was different. I was completely drawn into the story and savored every moment. Around an A- for me in content and A for Tavia and B+ for JD. We all can hear things so differently!

  2. I absolutely loved this book. I read it the first time then read it the second time immediately. Then I waited for the audio version because IT WAS AWESOME. I love Tavia Gilbert’s story telling. She could read the phone book and I would buy that audiobook.

    I understand your reasons for not caring for this story. Those things did not take away from the overall story for me. The audio version will be listened to by me as often as Making Faces and Running Barefoot (I’m up to 5 “listens” so far).

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