The Wishing Moon

Eleven-year-old Judith Randall wants the ordinary pleasures that other children in Green River take for granted. Her carefully chosen clothes, early departures from parties and duties at grown-up gatherings keep reminding her of the rules around her family. On May night, the prospect of placing May baskets with her friends makes even a familiar street feel full of possibility. Norah, the family cook, adds fairy lore to Judith's hopes.

Set against the social divisions of a New England town, the novel connects private feelings with wealth and local influence. The powerful Everards have a special interest in Judith, while a later scene places her beside Neil Donovan in a buggy, arguing over his determination to leave town with her. Readers interested in family expectations and unequal relationships will find those pressures expressed through intimate conversations, childhood rituals and a tense dispute about who can decide another person's future.