The Moon, the Stars, and Madame Burova: A Novel

Written by Ruth Hogan

Narrated by Nina Wadia

From the wildly popular bestselling author of The Keeper of Lost Things—an uplifting, slightly magical story about how it’s never too late to find out who you really are.

""Ruth Hogan is the queen of uplifting fiction and Madame Burova reminds us why. The writing crackles with humor and warmth. I can't imagine a better book in which to lose yourself at the moment. Stunning, immersive and absolutely wonderful."" --Annie Lyons, author of The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett

Madame Burova—beloved Tarot reader, palmist, and clairvoyant—is retiring and leaving her booth on the Brighton seafront.

After inheriting her mother’s fortune-telling business as a young woman, Imelda Burova has spent her life on the Brighton pier practicing her trade. She and her trusty pack of Tarot cards have seen the lovers and the liars, the angels and the devils, the dreamers and the fools. Now, after a lifetime of keeping other people’s secrets, Madam Burova is ready to have a little piece of life for herself. But she still has one last thing to do—to fulfill a promise made in the 1970s, when she and her girlfriends were carefree, with their whole lives still before them.

In London, it is time for another woman to make a fresh start. Billie has lost her university job, her marriage, and her place in the world when a sudden and unlikely discovery leaves her very identity in question. Determined to find answers, she must follow a trail…which leads to Brighton, the pier, and directly to Madame Burova’s door.

In a story spanning over fifty years, Ruth Hogan has conjured a magical world of 1970s holiday camps and seaside entertainers, eccentrics, heroes and villains, the lost and the found. Young people will make careless choices which echo down the years….but it’s never too late to put things right. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Sep 21, 2021
• ISBN: 9780063075450

Ruth Hogan

Ruth Hogan is the author of several bestselling novels, including The Keeper of Lost Things. She lives north of London in a chaotic Victorian house with her husband and a much-loved pack of rescue dogs.

Reviews for The Moon, the Stars, and Madame Burova

[amy · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The narrator is brilliant, she does a wonderful job and helps keep the story interesting. The story was slow in the beginning with several characters and timelines to keep straight. It is an uplifting book.

[Stephannie Cloninger-Hultz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this story and the narration was simply perfect

[Mandy Reynolds · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ruth Hogan did it again! Absolutely beautifully written and narrated!

[Dayna Bennett · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I just adore Ruth Hogan. Her stories are always rich with characters and full-circle, satisfying endings. Her writing is poetic. A marvelous story. Love!!

[Erin Lewicki · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

?My Thoughts?

I honestly don’t think I’ve ever read a book quite like this one before. It was simple yet had so much to offer. It was very light all around, with a mixture of magic, romance, mystery and more, no specific theme being too overpowering. This book alternates back and forth between two timelines, which not all people like, but was very easy to follow. I felt so lost (in a good way) in this book, mesmerized by the way the story and the characters just drew me in. I love how even though there were two different timelines, it all just came together at the end, complete with a happy ending. You couldn’t ask for anything more. I really enjoyed this one. If you’re looking for a light read with crystal balls, tarot cards, mystery, romance and more, this is a book for you!

[desiree_reads · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I got this from a book club subscription where all the books are a surprise. Didn't look like my style, but the Brighton setting was appealing.

Only made it a few pages in. I don't do seances, ghosts, taking to dead people.

Next.

[brangwinn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What a fun story! Set in Brighton England in two time periods, present day and the 1970’s Madame Barova is a gifted fortune teller. In the 1970’s she had a fortune telling booth on the Promenade and at a family resort. She’s had secrets told to her by many people. She had a chance at love, but the death of her lover ended her hopes for finding love. Despite that, she makes it her goal to help people, particularly Billie who is a Londoner, but was dropped off as a baby by Madame Barova’s fortune telling stall. Having kept in contact with Billie’s adopted father, she writes to Billie after her father’s death and tells Billie she has some things that Billie’s mother gave to Madame Barova to give to Billie. Billie comes to live with Madame Barova hoping that Madame is her real mother. Staying in Brighton, Billie finds friends and hope for a new beginning, thanks to the efforts of Madame Barova and other residents. It’s a story of hope and the realization that

[shelleyraec · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Moon, the Stars and Madame Burova is an engaging novel from Ruth Hogan about family, friendship and identity.Billie is shocked when a letter from her father, passed on by the family solicitor, informs her that she was not the biological child of her late parents, but a ‘foundling’ discovered on the Brighton promenade, whom they adopted when she was just weeks old. Reeling with unanswered questions, a second letter follows from a Imelda Burova, purporting to have information for her. Though she suspects the woman, a fortune-teller with a booth on the prom, is just touting for business, Billie agrees to a meeting.After more than forty years telling fortunes from her booth on the Brighton prom, as did her mother and grandmother before her, Madame Burova has recently retired but still keeps many of her clients secrets, amongst them is a gift for the infant she found abandoned in front of her booth. Sworn to secrecy, she can’t tell Billie who her mother is, but is willing to support her in her search for her father. The story is told through two timelines, the early 1970’s and the present. The earlier timeline centers around Imelda and the entertainment employees of a Brighton holiday park, Larkins, where Imelda spends part of her time giving readings for guests, while the latter has Billie searching for information about her biological parents.Unfolding at a good pace, there is a pleasing balance of drama, romance, tragedy and humour in the story, along with just enough tension to encourage interest. While the mystery surrounding Billie’s parentage is the main focus of the novel, Hogan also touches on issues such as racism, workplace sexual harassment, grief, and prejudice. I liked both of the main characters well enough. Imelda is lovely, proving to be kind, thoughtful and loyal in both timelines. Billie’s upset at discovering her adoption so late in life is understandable, as is her desire to know more. I’m not sure where her affection for bowler hats comes from though. The larger cast of the novel is quite varied, with a handful having role in both timelines. Dog lovers will also appreciate Imelda’s relationship with her loyal and much loved canines.I found The Moon, the Stars and Madame Burova to be a pleasant, entertaining read with an uplifting ending.

[twink_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was thrilled to see that Ruth Hogan had a new book coming out. The Moon, The Stars and Madame Burova has just released. And it was another wonderful 'heartwarming, heartstring tugging' book from Hogan.Imelda Burova has spent her life as a fortune teller on the Brighton pier. She is ready to retire, but has one last promise to fulfill. Billie has lost her job, marriage, and her place in the world when a discovery upends her sense of who she is. "Determined to find answers, she must follow a trail…which leads to Brighton, the pier, and directly to Madame Burova’s door."Oh, I loved every page! Hogan's description of the pier evoked vivid mental images for me. I'd love to stroll the promenade, hear the sea, eat some treats, ride some attractions - and visit Madame Burova's booth. The other setting that really stuck with me was the Madame Burova's vardo (a Romany caravan). I'd happily live in it.I'm not going to detail the premise too much - it's better it unfolds unheard for you. The story unfurls over a span of fifty years, from present to past. In the past we meet the entertainers who worked at a 'holiday camp' attraction at the pier. Over the course of fifty years, many themes are touched on - love, loss, friendship, family, racism, workplace harassment, social strata and more. You may discover what the final answer will be for Billie before you reach the final pages - but it's the journey there that is the ah-ha.The premise is wonderful, the setting perfect - but it is the characters that make this such a wonderful listen. Imelda is the standout lead - her calm manner, thoughtfulness and more, make her someone you wish you had in your circle of friends. The supporting cast is just as well drawn. Quirky, kind, lovable, bristly to the downright cruel. You'll find your favorites, but enjoy them all - except for maybe one. (And......there's a dog! :0)I chose to listen to listen to The Moon, the Stars, and Madame Burova. I've often said that I become more immersed in a book by listening. And that's most definitely the case with Hogan's latest. The reader, Nina Wadia, was fabulous. She has a very versatile voice, providing different tones, speeds, accents and inflections for all of the players. Her voice is clear and easy to understand. Her speed of speaking is just right. There's a nice gravelly undertone to her voice. She inserts reality into her performance, such as laughter that felt and sounded real. Her performance had me feeling like I was part of the story. An excellent performance of an excellent book.

[kimkimkim-7 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book and only wish I could give a definitive explanation why. Maybe is was the the fiery, protective and controversial Shunty-Mae the first Madame Burova we encounter, or Alexei who loves his wife and daughter unconditionally, and most definitely the careful and compassionate personality of Imelda who is the last in the line of the Madame Burovas. Maybe it was the setting of Larkings Holiday Park and the stalls on the Brighton Pier. It could have been all the lesser characters who were so beautifully defined or the roles they played. It might have been all the secrets and silences Madame Burova has spent a lifetime keeping. Or was it the hint of lingering love that was never completely lost?! And what of the parallel story of Billie and her search for knowledge and understanding?! Then there are all the tendrils and feathers lost in the wind, all ultimately landing in a basket on the Brighton Pier. Spanning decades the story never falters.This is a beautiful, soft story of things lost, found, hidden, discovered, resolved, understood and fulfilled. Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow and Custom House for a copy.

[kathl33n-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ruth Hogan is one of my favorite authors and I have been lucky enough to read all four of her books. As with all her books, this one had fantastically written characters and great dogs. Although the dogs in this book didn't always fair as well as in her other books, their endings turned out great. The other element that I always enjoy in her books is place. She is always able to create a common setting that almost becomes a character in the book. In past books it was a restaurant and a cemetery, in this one it's the sea and a boardwalk. And what endears me the most to her books - found family - which she created again with the lovely characters in this book. TW - there is a fair amount of animal abuse sprinkled through the first portion. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy and provide my honest opinion.

[linda.a. · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This story begins in the present day as Madame Burova, reader of Tarot cards, palms and her crystal ball for more than fifty years, is preparing to retire. She had taken over the family’s booth on Brighton’s promenade from her Romany mother, Shunty-Mae, in 1972 but has grown weary of other people’s questions, problems and revelations: she now needs to carve out a life for herself whilst there’s still time. She has always kept her clients’ secrets but some have proved more burdensome than others and, as she prepares to close her booth, she picks up two brown envelopes she had been entrusted with decades earlier. They contain the secret which has troubled her most but the time has now come for her to open them and fulfil a promise made long ago. In London another woman is also about to make a fresh start. Billie is taking a final look around her childhood home which has just been sold following her father’s death. An only child, she had always felt secure and loved so her memories, although tinged with sadness now that both parents are dead, are good ones. A year earlier her divorce had been finalised and she had taken voluntary redundancy from her job to look after her father but now, with no ties, she’s uncertain what she’ll do next. However, when she receives a brown envelope from her solicitor, containing a letter from her late father which tells her that she had been a foundling whom they’d adopted when she was three weeks old, her world is turned upside down and all that she’d taken for granted about her identity must now be questioned. A second brown envelope forwarded by her solicitor, with an explanation that the sender, Imelda Burova, had known her father for many years but had always communicated with him via the solicitor’s office, compounds the mystery. In this letter Imelda invites Billie to meet her in a café in Brighton because she has information to share which would be to her advantage. Switching between the present day and Brighton in the early 1970s, this warm-hearted, easy to read story very quickly introduces the reader to a large cast of (mostly!) likeable, colourful characters, some of whom will play a part in revealing the mystery surrounding who Billie’s parents were. In addition to giving readings in her promenade booth, Madame Burova also offers them to guests at Larkins Holiday Park (think a Butlin’s camp with a sleazy, ‘wandering hands manager!) where she gets to know the other entertainers, including Sara-Jade the contortionist, Jeanie the singer, Dolly, Daisy and Dixie the ‘dancing mermaids’, talented pianist Charlie and, most important of all, Wall of Death rider Cillian, someone who will always hold a special place in her heart. Using all these characters, as well as Imelda’s relationships with her parents and her delightful group of friends in the community, the author paints a wonderfully nostalgic picture of summer holidays in a seaside town – I could almost smell the briny sea, the candyfloss, the hotdogs and suntan lotion! She also conjures up an authentic feel of what life was like in the 1970s, a time when overt racism, discrimination and sexism were commonplace and seldom challenged. I did find it a bit frustrating that these darker themes appeared to be treated rather superficially, with none of them being explored in any depth. However, I soon came to understand that to have done so would have undermined the essentially ‘feel-good’, optimistic and occasionally rather mystical nature of Ruth Hogan’s storytelling. She creates a world in which, however tragic or upsetting some experiences are, love and friendships are stronger than enmity and good will always triumph over evil. Maybe there are times when, even for the most cynical among us, it’s good to allow oneself to be immersed in such generous warm-heartedness and optimism! In addition to the cast of larger-than-life human characters, the story features four unforgettable dogs Dasha, Star, Mabel and Sparrow, all of whom added a very enjoyable dimension to my reading … in fact there were moments when I found myself yearning to join them (and their owners) in their walks along Brighton’s pebbly beach! Some of the scenes in the book are set in St Pancras railway station and the author’s wonderfully evocative descriptions of the statue of Sir John Betjeman (who can resist touching it as they pass!), the piano players and the Betjeman pub brought back happy memories of meeting friends there when I lived in London. One unexpected result of reading this story has been that it has prompted me to reread some of his poems and I’m enjoying being reminded of how much I enjoy them! Even though I’ve never had my cards read, the scenes featuring Madame Burova’s Tarot cards readings felt very authentic so it came as no surprise to discover that the author, keen to ensure she was writing ‘knowledgeably and respectfully’ about Imelda and Shunty-Mae’s culture, gifts and profession, spent many weeks learning how to read the cards. Apparently the life story of Eva Petulengro, the famous clairvoyant and fortune teller whose booth remains on Brighton’s sea front, was the author’s inspiration for this novel and, as far as I can judge, she did justice to both her fictional characters and her real life ‘muse’ in her portrayals.This is an entertaining, well-written ‘feel-good’ story – ideal as a summer read or an antidote to all those ‘pandemic blues’! With thanks to the publisher and Readers First for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.