Publisher's Weekly Review
A determined young woman, born into a Quaker community in 19th-century Nantucket, defies social norms on the path to becoming a "lady astronomer" in Brill's charming debut novel. Very loosely based on historical "girl" astronomer Maria Mitchell, Hannah Price spends her days going to Quaker meetings and tending to books at her town's library, but nights she spends with her eyes on celestial bodies or crouched over mathematical calculations, dreaming of discovering a comet all her own. A serious girl obsessed with the pursuit of knowledge, Hannah fears the passionate restlessness of her twin brother Edward, even as she rejects the strictures of marrying to attain stability. Hannah's sober routine is interrupted when she takes on a new pupil, Isaac Martin, a sailor from the Azores, whose race shakes up Hannah's standing in the town. Martin's ideas and instinctive personal connection with his new teacher alter her attitude toward love and faith. From the main streets of Nantucket to its dunes and shores, from a Harvard observatory to the cities of Europe, Hannah's emotional and professional journey will please fans of feminist-minded and romantic historical fiction. Agent: Julie Barer, Barer Literary. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Hannah Price spends her nights on the rooftop porch with a telescope pointed at the heavens, hoping to spot a new comet. During the day, she chafes under the strict discipline of her mid-nineteenth-century Quaker community in Nantucket. She also chafes under her own sense of propriety and self-discipline when she finds herself drawn to handsome and passionate Isaac, the Azorean second mate on a whaling vessel who has sought her out for instruction in navigation. Their obstacles are similar both hope to achieve greatness in disciplines dominated by white men and soon Hannah cannot deny her affection, much to the displeasure of her community. Brill has created a compelling and likable character in Hannah Price; it's easy to root for her to find her comet and acknowledge her feelings for Isaac. Hannah's search during a period of great discovery and advancement in astronomy, as well as her relationship with Isaac amid widespread abolitionist sentiments, adds up to a stirring historical drama. In an author's note, Brill acknowledges that pioneering, Nantucket-born, comet-discovering astronomer Maria Mitchell was the inspiration for Hannah's story.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2010 Booklist
Library Journal Review
On 1845 Nantucket, all Hannah Gardner Price wishes is to find a comet, but she's been brought up in a community of Quakers who believe a woman's path, however well she has been educated, is toward marriage and children. At 24, Hannah hopes for something more: to remain single, helping her father with their business working on nautical instruments and, perhaps, getting a government contract to map the coastline. Into her life comes Isaac Martin, a black whaler who wishes to learn navigation and hires her to help him. As the lessons progress, she finds herself drawn to Isaac. Narrator Carla Mercer-Meyer does an adequate job voicing the many characters, especially Hannah and Isaac. The odd, inconsistent mispronunciations of some words may bother some listeners. Verdict This novel, which was inspired by the life and work of Maria Mitchell, will appeal to fans of historical novels with an underlying romantic interest. ["Brill's debut raises thought-provoking questions on the limitations to achievement societies impose based on race, gender, or divergent beliefs. For readers of historical fiction, particularly those with an interest in science, who savor the unfolding of a character's emotional and intellectual development," read the review of the Riverhead hc, LJ 1/13.-Ed.]-Suanne B. Roush, Osceola H.S., Seminole, FL (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.