Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
Published 1994 · 50,633 words · about 3 hours at an average pace · Coming-of-Age, Literary Fiction
How hard is Walk Two Moons to read?
Walk Two Moons scores 52 out of 100 for difficulty on ReadingRate, making it quite demanding. The score is a weighted composite of nine measures: four of how hard the prose is to parse, five of how hard the meaning is to extract.
- Vocabulary: 38 out of 100
- The vocabulary is generally accessible, reflecting the voice of a thirteen-year-old narrator. While it includes some folksy colloquialisms like 'chickabiddy,' 'gooseberry,' and 'gol-dang,' and occasional slightly less common words such as 'caboodle' or 'ornery,' these terms are usually clarified by context or are not overly obscure. The book avoids specialized jargon or invented language, placing it above simple contemporary fiction but well below works like *Moby-Dick*.
- Sentence structure: 42 out of 100
- The sentence structures are predominantly clear, direct, and conversational, reflecting the youthful narrator's voice. While some sentences are compound or complex, they do not feature extensive nesting of clauses or highly convoluted grammatical demands. The narrative maintains a fluid, readable pace, making it more straightforward than the elaborate prose found in *The Great Gatsby* or the experimental syntax of *Ulysses*.
- Abstraction: 60 out of 100
- While the core narrative is concrete (a road trip, personal stories), the book consistently delves into significant abstract themes such as grief, identity, prejudice, and the meaning of life. The narrator explicitly reflects on philosophical questions like 'In the course of a lifetime, what does it matter?' and integrates mythology lessons, weaving abstract concepts into the personal journey. This thematic depth elevates its abstraction level beyond purely concrete narratives like *Asterix the Gaul* or social observations in *The Great Gatsby*.
- Information density: 55 out of 100
- The book interweaves multiple narrative layers—Sal's present journey, Phoebe's unfolding story, and Sal's flashbacks and reflections on her mother—alongside symbolic messages and mythology. These threads are introduced and developed clearly, allowing for a moderate pace of information absorption without overwhelming the reader. While not as conceptually dense as encyclopedic works like *Ulysses*, the emotional and thematic layering requires more attention than a sparse, plot-driven narrative.
- Narrative indirection: 55 out of 100
- Sal's narration explicitly presents Phoebe's story as a 'plaster wall' covering her own, requiring readers to actively infer the parallels between the two girls' experiences of maternal absence and grief. While Sal eventually reveals the full truth of her mother's death, the initial withholding and the symbolic 'fishing in the air' metaphor necessitate readerly inference to connect her emotional state to the unfolding events.
- Symbolic density: 68 out of 100
- The novel is rich with accessible, recurring symbols that deepen its themes. Key motifs include trees (representing stability, life, and the mother's presence), the journey (mirroring Sal's emotional quest), and the explicit 'walking in someone's moccasins' (empathy). Other symbols like 'birds of sadness' and 'Pandora's Box' are directly discussed by characters, making their thematic significance clear to the reader.
- Ironic distance: 38 out of 100
- The narrative maintains a relatively low ironic distance, as Sal's first-person voice is primarily earnest and emotionally vulnerable, especially concerning her grief. While Sal's initial misinterpretations of characters like Mrs. Cadaver and Mike provide situational irony, this serves to highlight her journey of understanding rather than to create a pervasive satirical critique. The gentle humor from Gram and Gramps also contributes to a sincere, rather than ironic, tone.
- Resolution withholding: 45 out of 100
- The primary narrative mystery concerning Sal's mother's fate is definitively resolved by the story's conclusion, providing a clear plot closure. However, the emotional processing of grief and the ongoing adjustments for Phoebe's family are portrayed as continuous, open-ended processes. The ending offers a sense of acceptance and new beginnings, acknowledging that life's challenges and personal growth extend beyond a single resolution.
- Structural complexity: 60 out of 100
- The novel employs a frame narrative where Sal recounts Phoebe's story to her grandparents during a cross-country road trip. This structure involves frequent, purposeful interweaving of the present journey, Sal's narration of Phoebe's past, and Sal's own flashbacks and internal reflections. While the point of view remains consistently first-person, the non-linear presentation of events requires active reader engagement to connect the various narrative threads.
How Walk Two Moons is regarded
Walk Two Moons holds a literary regard score of 56 out of 100, weighing its place in the canon, its critical reception, its influence on other writers, and the standing of its author. Regard is measured separately from difficulty: a demanding book is not necessarily an admired one.