Loose in the Bright Fantastic

I am thrilled to have been given an advanced copy of Loose in the Bright Fantastic to read and review. This novel was riveting from page 1 until the very end. I could not put the book down. Bravo to Author E.B. Moore for writing such a poignant story. It was, for me, Susan Minot's EVENING meets Joanna Nell's THE GREAT ESCAPE FROM WOODLANDS NURSING HOME. The rotating points of view bring this novel to life. I empathized with each character. I can't wait to read more from this author!

Maggie, and her adult children Clair, and Hank were all very much true characters, Maggie is in search of her past as she remembers it. She is stubborn and tender, hilarious and heartbreaking. I loved her true self and cheered laughed and felt my heart break at times.

Loose in the bright fantastic is a beautifully crafted story with excellent writing. I found the story and writing to have an almost magical feel which kept me captivated through the whole novel.

It was so eye opening to follow the perspective of someone struggling with memory loss as it gave the narrative a sad and whimsical feel which was part of why i enjoyed it so much.

I think the author did a wonderful job of blending the realities of someone suffering Maggie’s condition and how it affects the people around them whilst bringing in lightness and a sense of joy.

Would absolutely recommend this book and would love to purchase a hard copy when it is published.

Maggie and her family are trying to cope their best dealing with Maggie's dementia. The struggle between the need for care and independence cause Maggie to run from the hospital to save her home that has been sold. Her memories and faculties come and go during the mission and we also get to learn about Maggie's life, her now deceased husband Dan, children Clair and Roger, and grandchildern - especially five year old Hank "Major Amazing Man".
There was enough development of the many characters to feel connected to each, and to understand their perspectives of how to handle the next stage of family life.
The search for Maggie over several days brings a lot of clarity to the whole situation, for Maggie and her family.
It's bright, sweet, funny, and poignant.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in excahnge for my opinion.

I loved this book. What a wild adventure! The author does an incredible job at exploring POV of a character suffering from dementia and the family members who are left to make decisions regarding their future.

Maggie is a woman in her seventies who recently had a tumor removed from her brain. She was showing promising recovery directly after her surgery but now dementia is setting in and her family has decided it’s time for her to go to a nursing home. This doesn’t sit well with Maggie so she makes a grand escape. We are following multiple POVs along Maggie’s romp through the streets of Boston; Maggie, her daughter, and her five-year-old grandson. In this story, readers go on a wildly, bizarre adventure with an elderly runaway who just wants to be free to make her own way.

Obviously I don’t know what it’s like to be a person diagnosed with dementia but I have close family who have and being inside Maggie’s mind is exactly how I would imagine it. So often elderly people are treated like children because what they communicate on the outside seems uncouth to societal norms. In Maggie’s case, we see that she grasps for moments of clarity at times and remembers a lot more than she is given credit for. Because of this book, I have a completely different outlook on the behaviors of people with memory loss and brain damage. Which is just and extra perk that goes along with the enjoyment and adventure I received from this lovely little book. I would highly recommend it! Especially to my mom who cares for my Grandmother, who reminds me so much of Maggie.

What a wonderful and astoundingly unique read! This tale follows Maggie, a hospital escapee with a touch of dementia searching for, well, something--even if she can't remember just what it is. The narrative perspective puts the audience directly in the middle of a compassionate and, at times, laugh out loud hilarious tale of family, friendship, and a search for meaning.

This title also attempts to close a gap in adult fiction, in which the protagonist has an active role in the story, rather than being sidelined after "aging out" of protagonistism, all while her adult children offer a window into the termed "sandwich generation", those that are both raising children of their own while aiding their aging parents. The author is so clearly unafraid to tell a story that needs to be told, and does so with an immense amount of wit, charm, and empathy.

Aside from our "traveling hero", Maggie, the story also features her children--a divorced mother and a closeted gay man, and explores the complexities of family drama in which the family outlasts the drama in the end. Maggie meets a very unlikely cast of characters as she embarks on her grand journey, and their stories are just as important as Maggie's own, creating the sense of a collective narrative that is as much an emotional journey as it is a physical one.

All told, the author's unique flare combined with some much-needed attention to this specific type of story made this a highly compelling and fun read, one that twists and turns where you least expect it and, in the end, leaves the reader feeling as though they too have been walking the streets of Boston with Maggie in tow.

3.5 rounded up to 4.

Light and quick, mostly humorous, using humor to get one through the tragedy of what happens to the minds of some seniors.

The first two-thirds of the book felt oddly familiar, which makes me think I've read something similar somewhere along the line.

I did so love the relationship between five-year-old Hank and his "gram."

Loved this book. I love books about people living in their "golden years". We need more books like this. Such a lovely main character, vand the rest I fell in love with too.

This novel is utterly unique with a stunning storyline and writing.

Thank you to the author and the publisher for this ARC through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

Heartwarming and enjoyable.

The special relationship with her grandson is adorable and constantly had me smiling.

Some lightheaded situations to deal with a tough time, for all included.

Well written . Definitely recommend

A light take on a dark subject, this book shows, in novel form, how the author approached a devastating family challenge, the matriarch's failed brain surgery. Moore mixes the real and the imagined, with humor being the best method to get through the day.

Maggie will stay in your heart long after you put down this book. In a masterful disguise, she disrupts her children’s plans to sell her home and find a facility that will provide care for her. She traipses through the once so familiar Boston landscape, toggling back and forth between her memories and the fear that her children will place her in a home. Maggie’s main concern is that she will lose the special relationship she has with Hank, her five-year-old grandson, who seems to be the only one who understands his Nana and who manages to start his own search for her. With grit and humor, E.B. Moore has captured what readers can imagine are the fragmented thoughts of someone with dementia. We come to know Maggie through her own muddled mind and from the perspectives of her daughter and grandson. The book’s ending is filled with grace, satisfying the reader, who has been rooting for Maggie all along. A perfect read for anyone, especially those who are have experienced, or are experiencing, life with a person with dementia.