Review: Becoming Moon

Becoming Moon is the poignant coming-of-age story about a young man struggling to be himself amid pressure from a conservative family. Following his dream of becoming a writer, he turns away from everything he knows, and enters adulthood embittered, angry, and resentful.
As he struggles to make a name for himself, he is presented with the opportunity of a lifetime. Although it requires a betrayal of his principles as an artist, he resigns himself to what appears to be fate. The writer’s compromise brings money and recognition, but these are fleeting and he soon finds himself caught in a web of depression and financial hardship. 
Desperate and sinking quickly, the writer begins taking trips to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where he hopes to reconnect with his muse. During one of these excursions, he meets Nigel Moon, a grizzled fellow author nearing the end of his career. Moon gives the writer a second golden opportunity and the chance to prove himself in the face of personal doubts—but only if the writer is able to set his past aside.
Equal parts witty and dark and wry and tragic, the text uses simplicity as its focus. Raw and honest, Becoming Moon is an unforgettable book about exorcising past demons and finding personal redemption.

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My Review:

I don't even know where to start with this book. I mean, it was good. This book was a well written, really great book to read. The characters were varied and even if a couple fell through the cracks, for the most part they were multi-dimensional characters. The plot was complex without being too complex to follow, and interesting enough to want to read in the course of one day (as opposed to some books that I will put down and scribble or make paper stars at work instead of reading it and then it takes me several days to finish it) 

I mean, it was a really good book. Four stars, easy. The fifth always depends on whether I would spend money on it. And here is my problem. People are heralding this book as a literary masterpiece, like it's a modern day classic that should be taught and over analyzed in school. They may not say that, but it's pretty clear in the vocabulary they're using. They are not using the same vocabulary that they use for reviews on Harry Potter, or even The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. No, they are using the exclusive vocabulary reserved for The Scarlet Letter, or Mark Twain books. 

I really don't feel like this was a masterpiece. That's a pretty heavy word to give something. It was very good, and I would certainly read it at the library or love it as a gift or even buy the kindle version. But I wouldn't spend more than $3.00 on this. 

Overall: We're left at 4.5.

And also, I got this book for free from the author through a Goodreads Giveaway.