The Moonlight School

"The Moonlight School"

by Suzanne Woods Fisher

If you're looking for a light-hearted historical novel and have an interest in education, this one is for you. Prior to reading this, I had never heard of the moonlight schools or her creator, Cora Wilson. The story of the moonlight schools (adult literacy program) intrigued me but Cora Wilson herself intrigued me even more. 

For those who have no idea what I'm talking about, I'll briefly summarize the background of the novel. Most adults living in the Appalachians in the early 1900s were either illiterate or semi-illiterate. Cora Wilson was the superintendent of education of Kentucky (and the first woman too!). She was motivated to start the Moonlight Schools after learning about an 80-year-old woman who taught herself to read and write, smashing the belief that adults had passed the threshold for learning. They were called Moonlight Schools because the literacy classes took place during moonlit nights after the kids' lessons were over and the adults were done with work. 

The novel follows Lucy Wilson (Cora's fictionalized cousin) who leaves her comfortable life in Lexington to work as Cora's assistant in the Appalachian mountains of Kentucky. Living a sheltered life has made Lucy meek, delicate and ignorant, so the rustic, hillbilly mountain life she encounters turns into a huge culture shock for her. 

I did not care much for Lucy and found her extremely unlikable and annoying in the first 100 pages of the novel. She is very ignorant- product of her privileged upbringing. And I...cannot...stand...ignorance. Of course, I softened a little toward her as she learned to rise up to the circumstances and grew a backbone. But it irritated me that she remained naive about Andy's true character to the last moment, even though there were SO MANY hints about his selfish ambition.  

I did not care for the childish infatuations of Angie and Fin. I had to grit my teeth during every Angie scene, she is a typical moody, jealous, overconfident, condescending teenager. 

Brother Wyatt was hands down, my favorite character. His devotion to God was just so ahhh I don't even know how to describe it. His faith and strength are very inspirational and encouraging. It's a shame that his character is not based on a real person. 

I'm surprised I actually enjoyed most of the novel, despite not being a fan of novels based on the Appalachians or the hillbilly culture (sorry if it offends someone, just not my cup of tea). I've never been to the region but I know it must be breathtaking, I just don't like it for the setting of a novel. 

This brings my rating to 3.5 stars, not the best, but not the worst. I was intrigued by Charlotte's disappearance ( honestly, I did not see THAT coming until the sweater and the ring were found). Her mysterious disappearance had me guessing only to be surprised by a plot twist! 

I received a copy of this book from Revell in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.