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Summary
Summary
In late-eighteenth-century Ireland, accidental stargazer Caroline Ainsworth learns that her life is not what it seems when her father, Arthur, throws himself from his rooftop observatory. Caroline had often assisted her father with his observations, in pursuit of an unknown planet; when astronomer William Herschel discovered Uranus, Caroline could only watch helplessly as unremitting jealousy drove Arthur to madness. Now, gone blind from staring at the sun, he has chosen death over a darkened life.
Grief-stricken, Caroline abandons the vain search, leaves Ireland for London, and tries to forget her love for Finnegan O'Siodha, the tinkering blacksmith who was helping her father build a telescope larger than his rival's. But her father has left her more than the wreck of that unfinished instrument- his cryptic atlas holds the secret to finding a new world at the edge of the sky. As Caroline reluctantly resumes her father's work and confronts her own longings, Ireland is swept into rebellion, and Caroline and Finnegan are plunged into its violence.
This is a novel of the obsessions of the age- scientific inquiry, geographic discovery, political reformation, but above all, astronomy, the mapping of the solar system and beyond. It is a novel of the quest for knowledge and for human connection -- rich, far-reaching, and unforgettable.
Author Notes
John Pipkin was born in Baltimore and received his Ph.D. in British Literature from Rice University. His first novel, Woodsburner , was named one of the best books of 2009 by the Washington Post , the Christian Science Monitor , and the San Francisco Chronicle . It won the Massachusetts Book Award for Fiction, the Steven Turner Award for Best Work of First Fiction from the Texas Institute of Letters, and the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. Pipkin lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife and son.
Reviews (2)
Booklist Review
In this lovely, meditative historical novel about the daughter of an eighteenth-century stargazer, Pipkin explores the conundrum astronomers face when confronted by an endless universe and humanity's near-insignificance in comparison. The story follows several characters all of them stars in their own galaxies in multiple plotlines, which is sometimes confusing and diffuses the book's focus on Siobhan (aka Caroline). Incorporated into her story are William Herschel, discoverer of Uranus, and his sister (also named Caroline); the 1798 Irish Rebellion; telescope-making and star-mapping; a fictitious family of Ainsworths living in Ireland; and the adoption of a foundling. This multitude of sprawling parallel plots and descriptive historical details, along with the large cast of seemingly unrelated characters, does help bring home the author's point that life and astronomy are made up of endless searches among diverse possibilities. This lyrical, philosophical book both frustrates and delights. Its focus on discovery is similar to that in Michael Byers' Percival's Planet, and Pipkin's poetic language will remind readers of Dava Sobel's essay collection, The Planets (2005). Herschel's story is also fictionalized in Carrie Brown's The Stargazer's Sister (2016).--Baker, Jen Copyright 2016 Booklist
Library Journal Review
For Arthur Ainsworth, the Great Comet of 1744 marked an end and a beginning: the end of his family, killed by smallpox, and the launch of a life spent scouring the heavens in search of celestial bodies to name after his loved ones, and searching for connections. Oddly enough, it is the distant stars that bring him a "family": an orphaned girl, both daughter and assistant, who carries on his work; a talented blacksmith who builds his telescope; and even his rival -William Herschel, who discovered and named the planet that Ainsworth sought for his own memorializing. Pipkin's (Woodsburner) exquisitely crafted historical novel offers readers many things: a sensitive recounting of Ireland's travails as its impoverished populace struggles to feed and clothe itself, a riveting description of the passion of discovery in the late 18th century, and a brilliant examination of such age-old themes as the longing for permanence and belonging. VERDICT A pleasurable read for lovers of historical fiction and for those longing for reassurance that following one's passion does indeed lead to healing and belonging.--Cynthia Johnson, formerly with Cary Memorial Lib., Lexington, MA © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.