Praise for Virtue

“[Virtue] is poignantly recounted in intimate alternate chapters from the perspectives of Tom and Hannah. Moot writes with a succinct eloquence, creating a cast of psychologically plausible characters. For instance, when Hannah learns that Madison has been called a “dyke” by a boy at school, the intensity of her shifting emotions are palpable: “Digest, process, breathe. Calm, thoughtful mother. No, fuck that. Rage. Protect your daughter. ‘I’m calling his mother.’”…[Virtue] is a carefully conceived and sharply written novel with characters that are impossible not to root for. A compelling family tale with convincing, psychologically perceptive writing.” — Kirkus Reviews

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“I really like when I stumble across a new author. I like it even more when I enjoy what I’ve read. Virtue was a quick read that quickly got me engaged in the storyline. You’ve got a marriage that is in trouble, you’ve got teens struggling in high school and then there’s the family issues outside the home. I think we get so caught up in what we want life to look like that we forget about others or ourselves but at some point we need to get back to who we were and stay true to ourselves. I like that these characters were able to see that and decide what was best for them individually and as a whole.”

Annette L.
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“The characters in this story were easy to connect with and the author did a great job making them so likable in the process. The ending was perfect and provided the perfect moment of healing with imperfect characters. I loved this.“

Debbie O.
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“This is the perfect book for this time in quarantine from Covid-19. Its of-the-moment issues will make you want to order the book that Tom has written, which is very critical of Donald Trump. Tom, a professor of philosophy at a Maine university, is trying to be true to himself while battling with a closed-minded college president. His students love him, but he runs into difficulty with the administrator over his popular weekly blog and his anti-Trump sentiments that are not popular with the university’s largest donor. What could be more contemporary. Written in alternating chapters by Tom and his wife Hannah, you see a marriage in trouble because of a lack in openness and communication…[Virtue is] amusing, entertaining, and fun to read while social distancing.”

Anne W.
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“This book ended up being so much more than I expected it to be. I was very impressed. The issues and themes are so contemporary that at times I wondered if I were actually reading a work of fiction. The characters were engaging and really felt like real people. I really enjoyed getting two different narrators; Tom and his wife Hannah. It meant I never got bored, and sometimes I would start getting a bit annoyed with one of the characters then it would switch which I really appreciated. It was the perfect lock-down read.”

Leona N.
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“This was a thought-provoking book. It was a realistic portrait of marriage and parenting and the moral and ethical issues that result from the work/life balance. I enjoyed the honesty and confusion and misunderstandings that are reflective of real life. The journey of the characters was satisfying even if it wasn’t a traditional happily ever after.”

Deborah C.
Read on NetGalley

Well-written, deeply felt and very funny, John Moot’s Virtue is a pleasure to read.

Dana Isaacson, acclaimed editor

“The best thing about the book was the writing which was of high quality and that is what kept me hooked. The story-line in general was good and included a lot of elements of family drama, trust, friendship, rekindling, reconnecting with parent, finding oneself and I enjoyed the journey it took me on. If you enjoy reading family drama fiction, you should give this a try.“

Ayushi
Read on Bookish Ayushi