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sam_hartwig's review
5.0
Does it have to end?! This is another Australian book that has completely blown me away! Cath Crowley knows how to write about a character and make them feel so real. The book is told from Lucy & Ed's point of views, it goes back and forwards between them and every now and again there will be a poem from "Poet" (which also tells another side to the story).
I had heard many good things about this book, so I thought it's definitely time to give it a go. I am so glad I finally did because it was amazing and inspiring! In such a short amount of time I was drawn into the story and managed to fall head over heels in love with these weird band of characters. They had me swooning, laughing out loud and heartwarming me all over.
This is one of those extraordianry books that is all about the characters and you feel like the story is weaved in amoung them. I love it when a character can jump off the page and that's how I felt about each and every one of them. What I also noticed was not only did the characters bring this book to life, but the art seemed to bring colour and life to it also. So many of the characters get their inspiration for their art from life experiences and at times the art almost felt like it's own character.
It all seemed to zoom by and I almost feel like I have to read it again to really take everything in.
This is my first Cath Crowley book and after reading this I plan to read as many of her other books that I can find. I recommend everyone read this book!
Also on my blog
I had heard many good things about this book, so I thought it's definitely time to give it a go. I am so glad I finally did because it was amazing and inspiring! In such a short amount of time I was drawn into the story and managed to fall head over heels in love with these weird band of characters. They had me swooning, laughing out loud and heartwarming me all over.
This is one of those extraordianry books that is all about the characters and you feel like the story is weaved in amoung them. I love it when a character can jump off the page and that's how I felt about each and every one of them. What I also noticed was not only did the characters bring this book to life, but the art seemed to bring colour and life to it also. So many of the characters get their inspiration for their art from life experiences and at times the art almost felt like it's own character.
It all seemed to zoom by and I almost feel like I have to read it again to really take everything in.
This is my first Cath Crowley book and after reading this I plan to read as many of her other books that I can find. I recommend everyone read this book!
Also on my blog
stuckinafictionaluniverse's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
I like that about art, that what you see is sometimes more about who you are than what’s on the wall.
This would make a great indie movie.
It’s one of those dreamy contemporary stories, almost ridiculously unrealistic but heartwarming all the same.
This wasn’t what I expected. I foresaw a trip through Australia; a hunt for someone who didn’t turn out to be who she thought and plenty of sad moments.
Instead, our main characters meet in the first few chapters. They hate each other’s guts after one unfortunate meeting years ago. Dreamy Lucy doesn’t know Shadow is the boy she’s admired and wanted for so long, and dismisses him as a jerk.
Shadow the artist isn't aware of Lucy's love for him, and is still upset over what happened that night.
When Lucy asks him and his friends to help her find Shadow, he accepts and wonders how long he can hide his secret.
What follows is a long night of adventure, bicycle rides and different types of confrontation.
Despite how much I enjoyed this, there is something lacking for me. Although I liked the characters and related to them, I didn’t deeply care or love any of these people.
The plot didn’t hook me for some reason, and I kept waiting for it to get better. This could've been a five-star read.
What Graffiti Moon needs is more. More witty and bold dialogue; more of a glue that holds the story together; characters that are more fleshed-out and get the spotlight they deserve.
The family relationships had so much potential which they failed to live up to. There’s Lucy’s father, who lives in their backyard shed and is a magician-comedian, her novelist mother who insist on the pair not getting a divorce because it’s just a phase, Leo’s grandmother who we only get a glimpse of but is lovable and caring, and Shadow’s mother who takes care of her son’s best friend as if he were her own.
Now it sounds like I didn't enjoy the book, but I truly did. It simply didn't live up to my expectations, but I would love to read more from Cath Crowley. The humor is light, the dialogue believable and snarky.
This flashback to Lucy's first date was hilarious!
’’You shouldn’t have grabbed my arse. You don’t do that on a first date. Atticus Finch would never have done that.’'
’’You’re out with me and you have a boyfriend?’’ he yelled.
’’No!’'
’’Then who the fuck is Atticus Finch?
’’He’s in the book we’re reading at school.’'
’’You’re talking to me about books? When I’m bleeding all over the road? Shit. Shit.’’
And then there are passages where my heart aches and I envy Crowley's writing. My feelings about this are extremely mixed. In the end, I wanted to like it more than I did.
Final verdict:
A solid contemporary. If you want a bittersweet adventure with likable characters and pretty writing, pick this up. If you’re looking for something more memorable and thought-provoking, you’ll be disappointed.
We sat on a hill near her house and I was quiet and she didn’t break any part of me. We rode our bikes through a sea of sky where all the shitty factories were stars and the world was a place we could swim right through.
I like that about art, that what you see is sometimes more about who you are than what’s on the wall.
This would make a great indie movie.
It’s one of those dreamy contemporary stories, almost ridiculously unrealistic but heartwarming all the same.
This wasn’t what I expected. I foresaw a trip through Australia; a hunt for someone who didn’t turn out to be who she thought and plenty of sad moments.
Instead, our main characters meet in the first few chapters. They hate each other’s guts after one unfortunate meeting years ago. Dreamy Lucy doesn’t know Shadow is the boy she’s admired and wanted for so long, and dismisses him as a jerk.
Shadow the artist isn't aware of Lucy's love for him, and is still upset over what happened that night.
When Lucy asks him and his friends to help her find Shadow, he accepts and wonders how long he can hide his secret.
What follows is a long night of adventure, bicycle rides and different types of confrontation.
Despite how much I enjoyed this, there is something lacking for me. Although I liked the characters and related to them, I didn’t deeply care or love any of these people.
The plot didn’t hook me for some reason, and I kept waiting for it to get better. This could've been a five-star read.
What Graffiti Moon needs is more. More witty and bold dialogue; more of a glue that holds the story together; characters that are more fleshed-out and get the spotlight they deserve.
The family relationships had so much potential which they failed to live up to. There’s Lucy’s father, who lives in their backyard shed and is a magician-comedian, her novelist mother who insist on the pair not getting a divorce because it’s just a phase, Leo’s grandmother who we only get a glimpse of but is lovable and caring, and Shadow’s mother who takes care of her son’s best friend as if he were her own.
Now it sounds like I didn't enjoy the book, but I truly did. It simply didn't live up to my expectations, but I would love to read more from Cath Crowley. The humor is light, the dialogue believable and snarky.
This flashback to Lucy's first date was hilarious!
’’You shouldn’t have grabbed my arse. You don’t do that on a first date. Atticus Finch would never have done that.’'
’’You’re out with me and you have a boyfriend?’’ he yelled.
’’No!’'
’’Then who the fuck is Atticus Finch?
’’He’s in the book we’re reading at school.’'
’’You’re talking to me about books? When I’m bleeding all over the road? Shit. Shit.’’
And then there are passages where my heart aches and I envy Crowley's writing. My feelings about this are extremely mixed. In the end, I wanted to like it more than I did.
Final verdict:
A solid contemporary. If you want a bittersweet adventure with likable characters and pretty writing, pick this up. If you’re looking for something more memorable and thought-provoking, you’ll be disappointed.
We sat on a hill near her house and I was quiet and she didn’t break any part of me. We rode our bikes through a sea of sky where all the shitty factories were stars and the world was a place we could swim right through.
roglows's review
5.0
Words do not describe how fantastic this book is,maybe because the worDs Cath Crowley uses in her prose are all so fantastic on their own. I can't recommend this book enough. Reads like an indie movie, natural, unpretentious, vivid.
iriidescent's review
4.0
I didn't expect to like it as much as I did, but I thought it was a great book! I liked how the story was told from each main character's viewpoint. That way I got to see both sides of the story. It was filled with suspense and cheesy romance and I didn't put it down until I finished.
I would have liked for the characters to be more developed. I felt like some things went too fast and sometimes too slow. I would have liked for this book to be longer actually, perhaps showing Ed and Lucy after their adventure. Overall, I thought it was an amazing book.
I would have liked for the characters to be more developed. I felt like some things went too fast and sometimes too slow. I would have liked for this book to be longer actually, perhaps showing Ed and Lucy after their adventure. Overall, I thought it was an amazing book.
annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review against another edition
4.0
Zo heel af en toe, als ik me verveel en moe ben en me nergens toe gezet krijg, scroll ik door de boeken op boekenkraam. En heel soms zie ik dan een boek dat ik persé moet hebben, maar "moet" ik dat aanvullen met andere boeken om van de aanbieding gebruik te kunnen maken. Graffiti Moon was zo'n aanvulling, een boek dat me aansprak, maar wat ik anders nooit gekocht had.
Maar ik ben wel blij dat het toch in mijn winkelmandje is beland. Het plot is niet ingewikkeld of groots. Het is eigenlijk vrij simpel: Lucy is zelf kunstenares en is verliefd op de onbekend jongen die zichzelf Shadow noemt en wil naar hem op zoek. Ed wordt door zijn vrienden over gehaald haar te helpen, wat betekent dat hij haar helpt om hem te zoeken. Maar wat gaandeweg gebeurt, is dat twee karakters, die dachten niks voor elkaar te kunnen betekenen langzaamaan elkaar vinden.
De metaforen van de kunst, zowel die van Lucy, als die van Ed, als die van de grote meesters, loopt als een hele mooie rode draad door het verhaal. De schrijfster voelt nergens de behoefte dit uit te leggen, wat het des te mooier en des te indrukwekkender maakt omdat het echt de kans krijgt voor zichzelf te spreken.
Combineer dat met twee karakters die ons mee laten kijken in het diepste van hun ziel en je krijgt een heel puur, mooi en eerlijk verhaal. Dit alles is opgeschreven in prachtige zinnen die goed bij de personages passen, alhoewel het verschil tussen hun manier van praten wat mij betreft wel wat groter gemogen had.
Al met al een verhaal waarbij kunst mensen samenbrengt en één iemand die in je gelooft genoeg kan zijn om de toekomst te veranderen.
Maar ik ben wel blij dat het toch in mijn winkelmandje is beland. Het plot is niet ingewikkeld of groots. Het is eigenlijk vrij simpel: Lucy is zelf kunstenares en is verliefd op de onbekend jongen die zichzelf Shadow noemt en wil naar hem op zoek. Ed wordt door zijn vrienden over gehaald haar te helpen, wat betekent dat hij haar helpt om hem te zoeken. Maar wat gaandeweg gebeurt, is dat twee karakters, die dachten niks voor elkaar te kunnen betekenen langzaamaan elkaar vinden.
De metaforen van de kunst, zowel die van Lucy, als die van Ed, als die van de grote meesters, loopt als een hele mooie rode draad door het verhaal. De schrijfster voelt nergens de behoefte dit uit te leggen, wat het des te mooier en des te indrukwekkender maakt omdat het echt de kans krijgt voor zichzelf te spreken.
Combineer dat met twee karakters die ons mee laten kijken in het diepste van hun ziel en je krijgt een heel puur, mooi en eerlijk verhaal. Dit alles is opgeschreven in prachtige zinnen die goed bij de personages passen, alhoewel het verschil tussen hun manier van praten wat mij betreft wel wat groter gemogen had.
Al met al een verhaal waarbij kunst mensen samenbrengt en één iemand die in je gelooft genoeg kan zijn om de toekomst te veranderen.
abaugher's review
5.0
beautiful story! set in australia, narrators--three of them--have lovely accents. all the action takes place over the course of one memorable night, with lots of flashbacks for depth. beautiful, just beautiful. can't describe it, just read it!
aelinsgarden's review
5.0
I read this book for the first time in 2014 when I was 13, digitally, and from the moment I started, I couldn’t stop. I read cover to digital cover in a span of four hours. I remembered it for the first time in years tonight and did the same exact thing. Except this time i did it in three.
nadine_booklover's review
4.0
Somehow this book reminded me of "Looking for Alaska" or "Paper Towns". However I liked "Graffiti Moon" much more. I didn't get bored once. It has a nice steady pace and the perfect length. The characters a very well formed and easy to like.
What I like most here is the fact that all characters act one's age. That's kind of refreshing and nice for a change.
I think reading this book is really an experience you don't want to miss out!
What I like most here is the fact that all characters act one's age. That's kind of refreshing and nice for a change.
I think reading this book is really an experience you don't want to miss out!
stephxsu's review
4.0
Australian authoress Cath Crowley burst into my life last year with her US debut, A Little Wanting Song, which was beautiful and sad and gratifying and made my heart ache in ways that, in some ways, felt like a reaffirmation of how much words could make me feel. She’s done it again with her second book to be published in the US, GRAFFITI MOON, becoming another example of why more Americans should take note of the astounding YA that Australia has to offer.
GRAFFITI MOON is a Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist without the hipster music references and excessive foul-mouthiness. For me this is a really good thing, as I can enjoy the cuteness of a he-said/she-said story in which we readers know more than the characters about what’s going on, without crashing into the f-word every other sentence. (Gosh, Nick, for serious, to what effect is your display of your highly creative vocabulary?) Lucy and Ed had my heart from the start: I love a good story where boy and girl hate one another even though there’s some obvious attraction going on.
It would be pointless to write a review on any of Cath Crowley’s books without mentioning her way with language. The woman obviously has poetry flowing through her veins, bred into her genes. Reading GRAFFITI MOON is an experience for your poetic taste. Some authors can draw scenes that paint themselves vividly in your mind; Cath Crowley does that, and she crafts phrases that just make you sigh, so extraordinary do they look on the paper, feel in your mouth. She can write descriptions like “The heat rising from the takeaway place nearby makes the air look like satin” and make you wonder why anyone ever bothered to describe that visual phenomenon in any other way.
GRAFFITI MOON is a study in words, not quite characters or plot. Supporting characters are marvelously quirky or ridiculous, and brighten up any scene. You don’t quite read Lucy and Ed’s alternating POVs to better understand their persons, for, as is expected, their voices sound fairly similar. At times the plot can feel a little draggy, because Lucy and Ed do quite a fair share of talking. And the one “bad guy” in the story feels pretty flat, that side plot appearing and dissipating somewhat clunkily.
Nevertheless, reading GRAFFITI MOON was a delightful experience, as, I hope, rereading it will be, too, one day in the future. For I have no doubt that I will come back to this story, to savor again and again the skill that Cath Crowley can wield in writing.
GRAFFITI MOON is a Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist without the hipster music references and excessive foul-mouthiness. For me this is a really good thing, as I can enjoy the cuteness of a he-said/she-said story in which we readers know more than the characters about what’s going on, without crashing into the f-word every other sentence. (Gosh, Nick, for serious, to what effect is your display of your highly creative vocabulary?) Lucy and Ed had my heart from the start: I love a good story where boy and girl hate one another even though there’s some obvious attraction going on.
It would be pointless to write a review on any of Cath Crowley’s books without mentioning her way with language. The woman obviously has poetry flowing through her veins, bred into her genes. Reading GRAFFITI MOON is an experience for your poetic taste. Some authors can draw scenes that paint themselves vividly in your mind; Cath Crowley does that, and she crafts phrases that just make you sigh, so extraordinary do they look on the paper, feel in your mouth. She can write descriptions like “The heat rising from the takeaway place nearby makes the air look like satin” and make you wonder why anyone ever bothered to describe that visual phenomenon in any other way.
GRAFFITI MOON is a study in words, not quite characters or plot. Supporting characters are marvelously quirky or ridiculous, and brighten up any scene. You don’t quite read Lucy and Ed’s alternating POVs to better understand their persons, for, as is expected, their voices sound fairly similar. At times the plot can feel a little draggy, because Lucy and Ed do quite a fair share of talking. And the one “bad guy” in the story feels pretty flat, that side plot appearing and dissipating somewhat clunkily.
Nevertheless, reading GRAFFITI MOON was a delightful experience, as, I hope, rereading it will be, too, one day in the future. For I have no doubt that I will come back to this story, to savor again and again the skill that Cath Crowley can wield in writing.
mollywetta's review
5.0
This review and others appear on my blog, wrapped up in books
This book was recommended to me by one of the teens in the book club I organize at the library. We have similar taste; we both like books that inspire that ache in your soul. I’ve never really read anything less than a rave review of this novel, so I had high expectations going in, and still, Cath Crowley managed to blow me away with her hanging moon and shooting flames and skies that go nowhere.
Graffiti Moon is the story of Lucy and two of her friends on the night of their high school graduation. They’re out for a night on the town, and all want something to happen, to get something that they want. Lucy wants to meet the enigmatic Shadow who paints beautiful graffiti murals all around town, not hang out with Ed, the guy from her art class who dropped out of school after she gave him a broken nose on their first date. But Ed says he knows Shadow, and takes her on a tour of his secret haunts in the hopes of finding him during the course of the night.
The story of their night is told between mostly by alternating Lucy and Ed’s first person point of view, but there are also poems by Ed’s friend, Poet, who sometimes writes verse alongside Shadow’s murals. Anyone who knows my reading taste knows that I am highly suspicious of any novel written in alternating first person and think most people should probably not go sprinkling poems into their novels (I also am personally not a fan of novels in verse). But Cath Crowley can pull this off. Though the story takes place during the hours of just one night, we learn so much about Lucy and Ed’s past with each other and also about their families that wouldn’t have felt organic without the close, present first person perspective. The nature of the plot demands we get both character’s perspective. It works beautifully.
Though overly descriptive language and poetic conventions can easily distract me from a story, the metaphors bring the setting to life, reveal so much about the way the characters see the world, and are clever without being contrived. The description of not only the process of making art, but of real-life pieces that Lucy and Ed have seen in museums or read about, bring the works to life so the reader can experience glass-blowing and painting and viewing art through Lucy and Ed’s eyes.
This novel captures the exact feeling of being right on the cliff and not sure if you’re ready to jump into adulthood. It examines the infinite possibilities one night in the city can bring. It’s about art, and hope, and confusion, and those sorts of crazy moments that force you to reveal yourself in a way you normally don’t. It’s a series of coincidences and conversations that bring two people together in just the right way to make you believe in the possibility of love.
Unlike the angsty, die-without-you, insta-love that creeps into a lot of young adult fiction, this is an attraction that felt believable and real. All of the couples in the book are feeling out their potential partners, learning what they want in a romantic relationship and who might fill those needs. It doesn’t deny the spark between two people, but it also doesn’t deny that you can feel it for more than one person at a time or have conflicted or unresolved feelings for someone.
I can’t recall a novel that has transported me back to my own late teenage years in the same way that Graffiti Moon did. Ed and his friends aren’t bad kids, but they definitely are up to no good on this particular night. It reminded me of my own misadventures with somewhat dangerous, misunderstood boys. But reading it as an adult, I also appreciated the way the adults in the book we’re portrayed. Ed and Lucy both have mentors in their craft and that play a supportive role in their lives. I enjoyed Lucy’s parents too, and their unconventional occupations and relationship—and really want to explore the idea of Mister BS living in a shed while I finish my novel!
The dialogue was so intimate and real I often felt as if I was eavesdropping. The whole novel was so delightfully quotable, I wanted to Instagram the entire book. (My Instagram feed is proof I lead a life full of books, wine, and irony).
I’d recommend this novel to just about anyone, but particularly fans of romances without the cutesy factor and readers who love art. This felt similar to If I Stay and Where She Went for me in terms of the quality of the writing, though was not as deep emotionally. This is a quick, engrossing read that is perfect for curling up with and reading in just one night—my favorite way to read a book. This is on my list of books that should be required reading for any journalist wanting to do a piece on young adult fiction, because it demonstrates the literary merit, accessibility, and quintessential tone of YA. Can we please stop reading about Harry Potter, Twilight, and The Hunger Games as if they represent all of YA?
This book was recommended to me by one of the teens in the book club I organize at the library. We have similar taste; we both like books that inspire that ache in your soul. I’ve never really read anything less than a rave review of this novel, so I had high expectations going in, and still, Cath Crowley managed to blow me away with her hanging moon and shooting flames and skies that go nowhere.
Graffiti Moon is the story of Lucy and two of her friends on the night of their high school graduation. They’re out for a night on the town, and all want something to happen, to get something that they want. Lucy wants to meet the enigmatic Shadow who paints beautiful graffiti murals all around town, not hang out with Ed, the guy from her art class who dropped out of school after she gave him a broken nose on their first date. But Ed says he knows Shadow, and takes her on a tour of his secret haunts in the hopes of finding him during the course of the night.
The story of their night is told between mostly by alternating Lucy and Ed’s first person point of view, but there are also poems by Ed’s friend, Poet, who sometimes writes verse alongside Shadow’s murals. Anyone who knows my reading taste knows that I am highly suspicious of any novel written in alternating first person and think most people should probably not go sprinkling poems into their novels (I also am personally not a fan of novels in verse). But Cath Crowley can pull this off. Though the story takes place during the hours of just one night, we learn so much about Lucy and Ed’s past with each other and also about their families that wouldn’t have felt organic without the close, present first person perspective. The nature of the plot demands we get both character’s perspective. It works beautifully.
Though overly descriptive language and poetic conventions can easily distract me from a story, the metaphors bring the setting to life, reveal so much about the way the characters see the world, and are clever without being contrived. The description of not only the process of making art, but of real-life pieces that Lucy and Ed have seen in museums or read about, bring the works to life so the reader can experience glass-blowing and painting and viewing art through Lucy and Ed’s eyes.
This novel captures the exact feeling of being right on the cliff and not sure if you’re ready to jump into adulthood. It examines the infinite possibilities one night in the city can bring. It’s about art, and hope, and confusion, and those sorts of crazy moments that force you to reveal yourself in a way you normally don’t. It’s a series of coincidences and conversations that bring two people together in just the right way to make you believe in the possibility of love.
Unlike the angsty, die-without-you, insta-love that creeps into a lot of young adult fiction, this is an attraction that felt believable and real. All of the couples in the book are feeling out their potential partners, learning what they want in a romantic relationship and who might fill those needs. It doesn’t deny the spark between two people, but it also doesn’t deny that you can feel it for more than one person at a time or have conflicted or unresolved feelings for someone.
I can’t recall a novel that has transported me back to my own late teenage years in the same way that Graffiti Moon did. Ed and his friends aren’t bad kids, but they definitely are up to no good on this particular night. It reminded me of my own misadventures with somewhat dangerous, misunderstood boys. But reading it as an adult, I also appreciated the way the adults in the book we’re portrayed. Ed and Lucy both have mentors in their craft and that play a supportive role in their lives. I enjoyed Lucy’s parents too, and their unconventional occupations and relationship—and really want to explore the idea of Mister BS living in a shed while I finish my novel!
The dialogue was so intimate and real I often felt as if I was eavesdropping. The whole novel was so delightfully quotable, I wanted to Instagram the entire book. (My Instagram feed is proof I lead a life full of books, wine, and irony).
I’d recommend this novel to just about anyone, but particularly fans of romances without the cutesy factor and readers who love art. This felt similar to If I Stay and Where She Went for me in terms of the quality of the writing, though was not as deep emotionally. This is a quick, engrossing read that is perfect for curling up with and reading in just one night—my favorite way to read a book. This is on my list of books that should be required reading for any journalist wanting to do a piece on young adult fiction, because it demonstrates the literary merit, accessibility, and quintessential tone of YA. Can we please stop reading about Harry Potter, Twilight, and The Hunger Games as if they represent all of YA?