Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
Caroline Herschel really only wanted one thing – to make her brother proud so he wouldn’t send her back to their family in Hanover. When William’s main interest and success was in music, Caroline learned to sing with his orchestra. But when William’s interests turned to the skies and he was commissioned as the Royal Astronomer, Caroline quickly learned to help her brother build his telescopes and record his discoveries. But it was her own work in this field that would not only seal her place in history, but help salvage her brother’s reputation when a series of challenges befell his work, putting him behind schedule and at risk of losing his commission.
Penny Haw’s work as a historical biographer is on full display in her latest release The Woman and Her Stars, following the life of Caroline Herschel. From supporting character in her brother’s life to the star of her own show, Haw takes care to the influence and skill Caroline deployed throughout her life, despite her diminutive physical and societal stature. This impressive novel carries depth and detail that will bring readers back in time to the 18th century with an ease I have grown to love about Haw’s writing!
I give The Woman and Her Stars 4 out of 5 stars. Given the complexity of the science behind telescopes and astronomy, I was afraid I would be completely out of my element with this book, but Haw breaks it down in a way that readers of any amount of science background can enjoy. I also appreciate the way she explores the social requirements of the time, explaining them in a way that feels like part of the narrative. With that said, I found the late chapters frustrating for me – it felt like Caroline’s character was being held back and I’m not entirely sure that’s because of the circumstances of her life. It felt as though Haw was rushing some aspects of the storyline and may have left pieces out or ended too soon. As with all of Haw’s books I’ve read, I didn’t want to stop learning about Caroline’s life when this story ended and went looking for more immediately!
If you have always been fascinated by the heavens, this is a great book for you – Caroline is one of the firs female astronomers recognized by history and her works set the stage for equality in science. I would also recommend this book to readers who enjoyed Haw’s other works, or novels like Trace Enerson Wood’s The Wright Sister or Marie Benedict’s The Only Woman in the Room. With several mentions of King George III, this is also a wonderful glimpse of life both in court and the countryside during his reign for fans of Bridgerton and Hamilton, too.
The Woman and Her Stars will release on March 3rd. Preorder yours today on our Bookshop.org page!
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What I’m Reading
- Current print book: How to Be Okay with Nothing is Okay, Jenny Lawson
- Current audio book: 1984, George Orwell
- Book I’m most looking forward to: Revenge Prey, John Sandford
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