What a great time I had reading Ivan Obolensky’s Eye of the Moon!
Full of wonderfully fresh characters, it’s a story full of stories that become interwoven as the novel unfolds.
Looming over the book and all the characters is the fabulous estate of Rhinebeck, part Gothic castle, part Downton Abbey and part upstate New York country home.
The estate holds many secrets, mysteries, and the hearts of all who have lived there or hope to. But it’s the characters that we take with us and hope to see again.
Finely drawn, unique and complex, these are less characters in a book and more people we come to know better as we spend time with them. Comedy, romance, death, passion, mystery, and magic are all elements that drive the story.
Full of suspense and always revealing new surprises, this novel is just plain fun to read. And I for one can’t wait for a sequel!
-Kurtwood Smith
Award-winning actorEye of the Moon is an intricate and intimate story of fascinating people; their intellect, their problems, their inner and outer selves.... very nicely detailed with all facets of the individuals revealed.
-Kathy Braceland
Award-winning artistEye of the Moon is a delightful story, full of family dynamics, intrigue and the occult. I found the plot to slowly unfold as the characters’ lives unfolded before me. The sections dealing with intuition were very insightful. I can definitely see this work being produced as a miniseries.
-Laura Sarley
Owner of Coastal Printworks, Inc. A wonderfully engaging read. Five hundred pages that grab you and won’t let go of you, while taking you in a swirl of discoveries through the realms of magic, finance, love, passion, and intrigue. Not for one moment did I feel it lacked research or knowledge of the subjects touched upon. It awoke many memories of my growing up. The splendor of a beautifully set table, the perfect orchestration of a well-served dinner. The joy of taking it for granted.
-Maria Candelaria Alvarez
VP Media and Communications, Cloud9World Eye of the Moon has potions, spells, myths, legends, white- and black-tie dinners, rare wines, and especially intrigue, and lots of it. Ivan Obolensky takes you into a world that existed in the US and Europe in the not so distant past. This was a time when everybody of consequence knew each other and vast wealth was concentrated in the hands of a small group of established families who prized discretion, their reputations, and traditions. Nonetheless, they conducted themselves in ways that belied those intentions. Take a ringside seat and watch the action unfold.
-Donald Zilkha
President of Zilkha Partners, LPIvan Obolensky has whipped up a storyline in Eye of the Moon that twists and turns the characters in a storm of a journey. We readers are allowed to sit in the eye of that storm quietly peeking into a captivating world few of us have walked through before.
In any arena, relationships are the critical factor. The relationship you develop with another individual or group of individuals drives how you exist in this world. Why do you like/respect someone and how does that determine how you interact with them, trust them and are willing to be a part of their world? This book’s journey looks at the relationships between individuals who live in the upper-class society and their support staff who play the critical role of connector.
The people issue is the driving factor.
-Dr. Bruce Newlin
Consultant, Leadership SolutionsEye of the Moon is an engaging and entertaining read. In it, the reader is taken on a journey in which the storyline, and each of the characters, are built around a web of mystery, intrigue, betrayal, and suspense. Based on a wonderful country estate, one is guided by the two main characters through an investigation of the family’s secrets, which include magic and the occult, financial trouble, and secret relationships. Detailed descriptions of the fabulous meals and wines served throughout the story, make it a delightful journey through the various surprises that we encounter at each turn. As the story develops, one encounters everything from true friendship and romance to redemption and forgiveness. A page-turner.
-Dr. Patricia Alireza
Experimental Physicist Obolensky has woven a fascinating and enchanting web with his novel Eye of the Moon. An intellectual rollercoaster ride, it took me to another place in time, and is a breath of fresh air in today’s world where we sometimes forget the art of conversation and the importance of forgiveness and love. It has something for everyone, and I will certainly be reading it again and again to catch the subtle nuances, and relive the surprises that come throughout the story!
-Vanessa Richardson
Award-winning Voice Actor/ProducerI enjoyed Eye of the Moon immensely and hope Obolensky intends to give us a sequel. The style reminded me of the Victorian and early 20th century books that I love so much.
The description of the setting was so well done, I could really picture that old place in my mind. I like to be able to follow characters as they move around! The characters themselves I found to be totally satisfying, who first appear to be stereotypical and evolve into complex and profound personalities, reacting in unusual though entirely credible ways.
The supernatural elements were gripping and blended in very well with the rest; I do like a good dollop of the 'unknown' in my stories!
-Marcela Dutra Mohr-Bell
TranslatorA wonderful historic mystery with nuanced knowledge of Egyptian occultism, shamanic rituals, and erudite insights, this novel offers an engrossing read through the relationships and dialogs of sophisticated characters, in the cultural setting of a wealthy estate in New York.
Obolensky’s narrative is thick in occult knowledge, and his characters are complex and enduring. I couldn’t stop reading as the story and characters evolved in completely unexpected ways. It kept me on my toes!
-Cristina Echavarría Usher
Board Member of Alliance of Responsible MiningThis was a wonderful mix of characters and their relationships were well defined. I felt very much a part of the world of Rhinebeck.
-Margo Ternstrom
Interior Design and Architectural Illustrator The narration is intimate, almost like you are being told all this in the strictest of confidence and the reader feels like they are privy to a society page scoop that no one yet knows about.
-Maria Long
Retired Teacher, CS 214, New YorkThis story is the first in over three decades to invoke the sensation I had when first reading Marcel Proust’s world of the early twentieth-century Paris aristocracy, and the intrigues and exuberance of a social class in which strong passions, artistic and life expressions are cultivated, in a very refined ambiance.
-Germán Gonzalez Correa
TranslatorObolensky shows us a highly entertaining view of high society family dynamics where female characters possess wealth and power, and where secrets of the past are revealed. At times witty, sexy, and immensely unpredictable, this novel will keep you on your toes
and turning pages!
-Jennifer Nguyen
Marketing Consultant, Grid GraphicsVery entertaining. Great dialogue, and the combination of human frailty and spiritual intervention makes for a very unique family drama/ghost story/love story.
-Craig Houchin
Award-winning Screenwriter, LudlowLoved it! World of finance meets Egyptology, in a modern-day Agatha Christie setting. Great twists and unexpected revelations. I want more! The house itself was a character and I want to know its next adventure.
-Ann Thomas
HomemakerThis novel changed my life; it opened my eyes to the world around me, within me, like I could never have imagined.
-Amalia Santa María
Film and stage actress