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    The Movement of Stars
    The Movement of Stars
    The Movement of Stars
    Audiobook14 hours

    The Movement of Stars

    Written by Amy Brill

    Narrated by Carla Mercer-Meyer

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    It is 1845, and Hannah Gardner Price has lived all twenty-four years of her life according to the principles of the Nantucket Quaker community in which she was raised, where simplicity and restraint are valued above all, and a woman's path is expected to lead to marriage and motherhood. But up on the rooftop each night, Hannah pursues a very different-and elusive-goal: discovering a comet and thereby winning a gold medal awarded by the King of Denmark, something unheard of for a woman.

    And then she meets Isaac Martin, a young, dark-skinned whaler from the Azores who, like herself, has ambitions beyond his expected station in life. Drawn to his intellectual curiosity and honest manner, Hannah agrees to take Isaac on as a student. But when their shared interest in the stars develops into something deeper, Hannah's standing in the community begins to unravel, challenging her most fundamental beliefs about work and love, and ultimately changing the course of her life forever.

    Inspired by the work of Maria Mitchell, the first professional female astronomer in America, The Movement of Stars is a richly drawn portrait of desire and ambition in the face of adversity.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateMay 20, 2013
    ISBN9781452683317
    The Movement of Stars

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    Reviews for The Movement of Stars

    4.5/5

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    • 5/5
      Hannah Gardner is a young woman who yearns for a self determination that is not available to women of her place and time. Her father is remarrying and moving from the only place she has ever known, Nantucket to Philadelphia. Hannah, an amateur astronomer is spending her spare time searching the skies for a formerly unknown comet so she can win a prize offered by the King of Denmark. She feels this will give her what she needs to be on her own. How though will she succeed when she doesn't have the fancy equipment that others have?The book is loosely based on the life of Maria Mitchell and I must admit that I knew nothing of this amazing woman. I love when a book leads me to something new that I can further research. I'm fascinated by the stars and I was enthralled by this book. The story was a page turner for me and it's an aspect of history I can honestly say I've not given much thought to. The addition of Hannah's relationship with the young sailor added the tension of race relations to the tale - a very real issue in 19th century America. The characters were very well drawn and the story very satisfying.
    • 4/5
      Review originally published on my blog: AWordsWorth.blogspot.comHannah Price is unique. Even as she outwardly follows the principles of her strait-laced Quaker community in Nantucket, she is straining against their limitations. Her heart is in the stars, obsessively searching for a comet to call her own and win the King of Denmark's medal. Rather than trying to become a "good catch" and transition into wife-and-motherhood, Hannah spends her days in the Atheneum (basically a library), and her nights watching the skies and assisting with her father's repair business (servicing navigational instruments for whalers). If she is a bit "unconventional," it is okay -- as long as she maintains the pretense of adherence, the community will mostly accept Hannah's quirks. Until she starts teaching a young whaler-sailor from the Azores. Isaac Martin is unlike anyone Hannah has ever met, and as their secret lessons continue, he not only stretches her mind - he opens her heart, in ways Hannah never thought possible. As Hannah stretches, she begins to question: herself, her family, the whole Quaker community. The answers are sometimes surprising, but as she gains a clearer picture of Life, Hannah grows. Even after Isaac leaves, and the formal "lessons" end, Hannah keeps searching for truth. Not the accepted truth of her people, or her past, but the truth that will propel her into the future.The Movement of Stars is a beautiful story of personal growth, and the importance of asking your own questions. With careful historical context, and just enough astronomical history to make this spacegirl happy, it's an engrossing read that makes me want to find out more about Maria Mitchell, the real-life American astronomer who inspired the story.
    • 4/5
      The Movement of Stars is quite an enjoyable story and an impressive debut for novelist Amy Brill. I was intrigued by the main character, Hannah Gardner Price, from the very beginning. Hannah’s life is inspired by a true historical figure named Maria Mitchell who was the first professional American female astronomer. The story is set in the mid-1800’s in a Quaker community on Nantucket Island. Hannah is not a common woman for her times. As she grows up with her father and brother learning about star gazing and repairing marine chronometers, she develops a true passion for astronomy rather than the domestic arts. Despite the strict boundaries of her community and religion, she learns to think for herself and make independent decisions in both her personal and professional life. Along with the historical and personal growth facets of this novel, there’s a nicely portrayed love story as a bonus. A very attractive young man named Isaac is a whaler from the Azores and he ends up playing a very important role in Hannah’s life.It was a pleasure to spend time with this nicely paced book. It is an intelligent, intriguing story set in a fascinating location, and the well-drawn characters from previous times come to life on the pages.
    • 3/5
      Thank you so much to Library Thing Early Reviewers for my copy of this first novel by Amy Brill.I enjoyed this gracefully written and quietly beautiful book very much, but rarely am I so conflicted about the rating I will give! As I finished the first few chapters, I thought, "Well, I love the Nantucket setting but it is moving very slowly and the characters seem a little wooden -- 2 stars." Then as the tension builds and Hannah Price faces so many challenges to her independence and integrity, I got hooked. I was very invested in the relationship between Hannah and Isaac and waited for the island's reaction to unfold -- 4 stars! By the end, I was still trying to puzzle out my reactions.Hannah Price is based on Maria Mitchell, who did actually gain fame as America's first Lady Astronomer and who did live on Nantucket. Hannah is a Quaker, a member of the Society of Friends, and the Friends have a huge influence on Nantucket and on Hannah's character. I had always thought of the Quakers as a very liberal community compared to the Puritans and other churches of early America, but Brill does a good job showing the contradictions and tensions within this community -- women run businesses and all members have access to books and the library, women and children included -- but at the same time, every member's behavior is monitored and commented upon. Hannah learns to honor herself and her intellect both from her father and from her church but at the same time has not learned how to open herself up to doubt, ambiguity, passion, feeling -- anything outside her Nantucket world and her books of astronomy.I so wish this book had been told in the first person with the immediacy that narrative voice can give! The novel suffers from what I call "the Williamsburg effect" -- there are times the historical details, as accurate as they are, seem to layer over the narrative and turn it into an enactment, a museum piece, rather than a depiction of life. The use of the "thees and thys" of Quaker plain speech don't help. Sometimes Hannah seems so alive and at other times, she is so clearly a representative of the themes Brill wishes to explore. Hannah refers to the limitations of her sex far too many times -- we get it. Her revelations about her personal freedom at the end are couched in language that is much too 21st century, especially her final letter to Isaac. I preferred the scenes that SHOWED us Hannah's predicament, like her chilling interview with Dr. Hall on his porch. Isaac, too, while appealing, remains a cipher and a symbol of the "other," the black man on Nantucket, whose plight parallels Hannah's own. I don't feel we really understand who he is and how he thinks and feels.The book leaves me with some stupendous scenes and moments, especially one I won't soon forget. Brill describes a devastating fire on Nantucket, and Hannah, exhausted from trying to save the Athenaeum and its books, rests on the street and is surrounded by wisps of paper -- grocery lists, love letters, the fragments of lives and inner thoughts. Just beautiful -- as is the final image, the coming of electric light to Nantucket and the dimming of the view of Hannah's beloved stars.I recommend this book highly to lovers of historical fiction, strong women characters, and coastal America. A similar but much better book is Brooks' Caleb's Crossing, set on Martha's Vineyard at an earlier time (the 1660s) but very similar in that it examines the relationship between a Puritan girl and a Native American and is also concerned with the limitations on women's lives, particularly in education.
    • 4/5
      The Movement of Stars by Amy Brill1840's Hannah lives on Nantucket and studies not only the stars but the workings of clocks, prisms and lighthouse lenses.Her father has a new love and is moving to Philadelphia and he doesn't like the idea she will be home by herself. Edward her brother has finally come home with a wife, Mary.She has had many marriage proposals and she contemplates accepting one so it will be suitable for her to stay and work on the island. She is so fascinated by the nebula's that she seesand makes notes in her journal of seeing them. She will become famous with the refractors unveiling and she will attend. She works towards becoming the first astronomer.I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
    • 4/5
      The Movement of the Stars by Amy Brill called to me immediately! As soon as I saw the cover, I knew the story would be connected to Maria Mitchell, the first professional female astronomer in United States. I had learned about her on my visit to Nantucket Island. But instead of a biography, this is historical fiction inspired by her. Amy Brill has researched her subject well. In the back of the book, she defines all the differences between Maria Mitchell and Hannah Gardner Price. Hannah Gardner Price is fascinated by the heavens; it is her passion to study the night skies. Her desire is to discover a new comet and to be recognized publicly by winning a gold metal awarded by the King of Denmark. She lives with her father and is dismayed to hear from him that he was planning to marry and move to Philadelphia. How was she going to stay on Nantucket and continue to her search for the comet? Women cannot live alone in this strict Quaker community. Isaac Martin, a handsome dark skinned second mate wants lessons in navigation so he can advance his career. Hannah undertakes that but she is also drawn to this man‘s intellect and physically. This love for him changes her life profoundly.I loved the richly drawn characters, her fascination and devotion to the stars, the portrayal of Nantucket from 1845. I also loved the detail from the clothes that she wore to her inner feelings. My only negative is the pace. For the first third of the book, the book dragged a bit. Then suddenly, the story sped up and I could not lay it down! This is the author’s first book and I think it is an excellent start. If she could have thinned out the first part, it would have been a five star book.I recommend this book to all who love historical fiction. Be patience with this book and you will be well rewarded.I received this book as a win from Library Thing and that in no way influenced my review.
    • 4/5
      With all the lights in cities and suburbia, it can be hard to look up and see the stars overhead. But when you get out into an area where the artificial lights don't overwhelm the stars, the night sky is magnificent. I have never learned the names of the constellations but that hasn't stopped me from wanting to lie down on the ground, look up, and just sink into the vastness of the universe. So I can certainly understand the fascination that astronomers have with stars and space and celestial objects. In Amy Brill's debut novel inspired by Maria Mitchell, the first American female astronomer, The Movement of Stars, a very unlikely character, a nineteenth Quaker woman, is seduced by science and the night sky. Hannah Gardner Price lives on Nantucket in 1845 in the tightly knit, strict Quaker community there. Her father is a clockmaker and an astronomer and he has taught Hannah both his work and his passion. She is an intellectually curious young woman, drawn to the stars and the workings of the universe and as capable of scientific observation as he is. When her father, who has been long widowed, announces that he is going to marry and move to Philadelphia, he assumes that Hannah, as an unmarried daughter, will certainly be moving with him. She is desperate not to leave Nantucket and her observation of the night sky, searching as she is for an undiscovered comet so that she can claim King Gustav of Denmark's prize and the acclaim and recognition that goes with it. While her father prepares to leave the island and Hannah considers her limited options, she takes on a student, teaching Isaac Martin, a dark skinned sailor from the Azores, celestial navigation so that he can advance in his field. Isaac is an outsider like Hannah, he for the color of his skin and his foreignness, she for her unfeminine craving for education and knowledge and her desire not to marry but instead to contribute to her chosen field. So it is no surprise that Hannah and Isaac are drawn to each other. But her association with this sailor will cost her in her little community despite the fact that she has always dutifully adhered to the letter of the rules they have set out. Hannah not only flouts convention by rejecting the traditional women's sphere when her father was willing to accommodate her chosen life path but she continues to reject convention when it seems that she will be shunned entirely if she is not under the protection of a father, a husband, or her beloved twin brother, Edward, whose own wife is such a proper Quaker women that Hannah cannot see past her own prejudices to appreciate her new sister in law for the gifts that she does offer, like her acceptance and appreciation of Hannah's brilliant intelligence. Brill has written a well-researched and interesting novel about the place of women in science and the obstacles that they had to overcome just to practice, never mind to shine and be outstanding. Hannah was a very smart character, quick to learn and willing to persevere in the face of disapproval but she wasn't quite as schooled in the way of emotions and relating to people and her relationship with Isaac teaches her to love out of more than obligation, to examine her feelings and to know her own heart. Their romance perhaps distracted a bit from the fascinating idea of this woman with her eyes trained on the sky, waiting for her comet to appear and to be confirmed but it did contribute to her eventual self-discovery and offered narrative tension of a different sort. Women's choices were so constrained and it took such strength of character for Hannah to pursue her loves, both of Isaac and of astronomy and choices she eventually made were certainly unique. The novel takes a little time to get going and the pacing speeds up quite a bit at the end but over all, this was a satisfying historical novel about one woman's personal and professional growth at a time when certainly the latter was disregarded as important.
    • 4/5
      The 19th century was a time of many firsts for women in the sciences and other fields but they were far and few between as women had little if any formal education. In 1849, Elizabeth Blackwell was the first American woman to receive a medical degree. In the 1840s in Britain, Ada Lovelace, a mathematician, developed an algorithm that was intended to be processed by a machine (important in computer history). And in 1847, Maria Mitchell, discovered and charted a comet, and was then recognized with a gold medal from the King of Denmark. These women were groundbreakers, pioneers, explorers in a world closed to them. They had no female role models. They had no societal standing, but they sure had guts. It is interesting to note that two of the three women mentioned above (Blackwell and Mitchell) were Quakers. Quakers were progressive regarding the equality of women and they held the idea of educating girls and women as a critical premise of this equality. Thus Quaker women were often at the forefront of change. Many were teachers. Others stepped courageously out of the home sphere and into the “male” world. Think Susan B. Anthony (suffragist), Lucretia Mott (abolitionist, suffragist), and Jane Addams (social and political activist).Any one of these women would have made an inspiring figure for a fictional or non-fictional account. Amy Brill, author of The Movement of Stars, chose the Quaker astronomer Maria Mitchell as the inspiration for her protagonist, Hannah Gardner Price, and I am glad she did. I had no knowledge of Mitchell before Brill brought this novel into the world.Amy Brill’s story, set in the Nantucket Quaker community of the 1840s, follows the beautifully drawn character of 24 year old Hannah Price. Hannah challenges everyone and everything. She challenges the Quaker community by becoming involved with a dark-skinned whaler from the Azores (provincialism rules over broad-mindedness) . She challenges the notion that she can survive without a father or husband to provide for her. She challenges the tradition that women have no place in science. I am exhausted just imagining leading such a life!The Movement of Stars is a wonderful debut novel with vivid characters, rich history, and a fascinating setting. The writing itself is quite expert and lyrical at times. My only disappointment with the work was its pace. While the pace of life in that era was nothing like our much faster experience today, and a slow going story may be something some readers would appreciate, I struggled with it, especially in the early chapters. But other than that, I found it to be a worthy addition to the tomes of American historical fiction.
    • 5/5
      Amy Brill did a bang-up job of helping me to appreciate astronomy, a subject about which I know next to nothing. In the book, Hannah Gardner Price teaches those around her, pupils and her peers and family. The reader also learns because Hannah speaks the plain speak of the Friends. It is not only about astronomy, though. It is about navigation, religion, intolerance, sisterly bonds, politics and, of course, love. Hannah is well-respected in her Quaker community, and elsewhere, for her sky-watching. The fact is, she is a brilliant girl, tucked away in a small Nantucket town. Spotting a yet undiscovered comet is her passion, and her discovery of one brings changes to her world. Brill paints Hannah as a dreamer and a realist. Factual and straight-forward, Hannah finds it difficult to fit in with both the more decorous townspeople and the uncharted territory of the people from places like Boston and Philadelphia. I felt very taken in by Brill's writing , as well as her characterizations.The man who comes into Hannah's life, Isaac Martin is very appealing, and a decent fellow, exactly what a woman like Hannah responded to and deserved. But I will reveal no more. I enjoyed Brill's story, based on the first real female professional astronomer. It was not a tidy little story, all tucked up at the end. It was about a very real but fascinating woman, who encounters what all of us have faced or will face in our lifetime, but Brill ties in the wonder of the stars, the planets, the very heavens in Hannah's life. I would read something else by Amy Brill, who has worked for PBS (my favorite channel) and MTV.
    • 5/5
      Why is it sometimes more difficult to find something to say about a book I really liked than about ones I don't like so much? The Movement of Stars, by Amy Brill, tells the story of a young Quaker woman named Hannah living on Nantucket Island in the mid-19th century. The character is based on the real-life woman astronomer Maria Mitchell: Hannah spends her nights studying the stars and dreams of discovering a comet. The beautifully told story is in many ways about her learning to know herself better and learning to be true to herself. I enjoyed that the plot and characters were unique and did not draw on stock themes at all. The setting was well-drawn and I felt completely engaged in the world. I did not want to put the book down. I highly recommend The Movement of Stars and I hope that Amy Brill writes more novels!
    • 5/5
      Advanced Reader Copy courtesy of the publisherThe Movement of the Stars is the best sort of historical novel: engaging, beautifully written and really quite charming. Based loosely on the factual life of first American female astronomer Maria MItchell,the heroine is Hannah Price. The challenges of being an unmarried, intelligent woman and obedient daughter are balanced against her passion for the heavens and eventually her adventuresome spirit. A pleasure to read.
    • 4/5
      It is 1845, and Hannah Gardner Price has lived all twenty-four years of her life according to the principles of the Nantucket Quaker community in which she was raised, where simplicity and restraint are valued above all, and a woman’s path is expected to lead to marriage and motherhood. But up on the rooftop each night, Hannah pursues a very different—and elusive—goal: discovering a comet and thereby winning a gold medal awarded by the King of Denmark, something unheard of for a woman. Summary amazon.comSure-footed plotting and pitch-perfect scientific spirit plunge the reader into the frigid waters of pre-Civil War Nantucket. Racism, patriarchy, sexism and authoritarianism actively restrained women from pursuing their own goals. It required a strong will and financial independence for a woman to follow her passion.Every detail of Hannah rings true for me. Her job at the Atheneum, her simple life at home, her nights sweeping the constellations for new celestial bodies, her lack of freedom--she seems real to me. After achieving fame, Hannah remains a product of her Quaker formation; brusque, pared down and inquiring. A wonderful story of a persevering will to learn and to share knowledge with others.The book jacket calls The Movement of Stars a love story. Hannah's relationship with Isaac, first as a teacher of navigation, then friend and finally lover plays a pivotal role in the plot if only to demonstrate her open mind and absolute faith in knowledge. But a love story? More like a success story, with a meaningful relationship thrown in.8 out of 10 Recommended to readers who enjoy history, science, astronomy and compelling fiction.
    • 5/5
      Early Reviewer“The Movement of Stars” by Amy BrillImagination and research unite in this splendid debut novel, “The Movement of Stars.” Author Amy Brill says she was inspired by the life of Maria Mitchell but although fictional Hannah Price has some parallels to Mitchell’s successes, her personal life holds only a limited resemblance.Nantucket’s heterogeneous population and its location are background to this novel. Several historically significant events are coincident with the years encompassed by the book. A major fire is vividly described and the portrayal of the debut of electricity is stunning. (Fortunate the author whose plot overlaps actual dramatic events!) Brill shows us Hannah: twenty-two years old in 1845, a good daughter to her widowed father and congenial sister to her twin seafaring brother. She is not typical of the Quaker community in Nantucket, who consider socializing with the world’s people grounds for disownment from Meeting. She has been taught principles of astronomy by her father and had access to The Nantucket Atheneum. During a period of two years many changes alter her relationships with her family and the community (and, indeed, will influence the mapping of the sky). **I read the book twice: quickly, then more slowly...both times with great pleasure. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~In her “Author’s Note” Amy Brill pays tribute to Maria Mitchell, citing not only her astronomical success but “her lifelong advocacy on behalf of women’s education and women’s suffrage.” Even today we need to appreciate (and emulate) her strivings.
    • 2/5
      I felt this story seriously lacked passion. The only passion is for astronomy. Unless the heroine is talking astronomy, she's like a walking mass wearing a skirt. There was a hint of romance...but where did it come from? Just out of the blue.I found this a difficult read that couldn't seem to hold my attention for more than two pages at a time. Did I like a woman who knows her own mind? Yes, I did, but she lacked so much personality.I think anyone with passion for astronomy would love it, however.
    • 5/5
      This debut novel is a fascinating and enjoyable look at a woman's place in pre-Civil War America. It will be of interest to those who enjoy historical fiction, astronomy, or wish to learn more about the role of women in the mid-19th century. While I would not consider it a quick, easy read, it is well worth the little bit of additional effort, and Brill is an author to watch.Hannah dreams of being freed from "normal" female pursuits and desires the same opportunities as the men in her 1845 Quaker community on Nantucket. While her family and friends try to push her towards marriage, she studies the stars in the hope of discovering a new comet. Her passion is astronomy. When she begins to teach a black man how to navigate from the stars, she finds herself the subject of the town's gossip, and her behavior is seen as scandalous. In addition, her confusing feelings about him cause her to question her own beliefs.
    • 5/5
      I thoroughly enjoyed Amy Brill's debut novel, a historical novel set in the mid 1800's in Nantucket. Protagonist Hannah Gardner Price is a passionate and talented amateur astronomer, attempting to discover a new comet and win a prize offered by the King of Denmark. Fiercely intelligent and independent, Hannah is struggling to find her place in the world amongst Nantucket’s rigid Quaker community when she meets Isaac Martin, a dark skinned sailor from the Azores. Hannah agrees to tutor Isaac in celestial navigation and the two develop feelings for one another that challenge Hannah’s basic worldview. I wouldn’t classify this novel as a romance, it is more the story of Hannah’s journey through a pivotal time in her life.I found The Movement of Stars to be well written with a plot line that flowed nicely, and vivid descriptions that invoke a wonderful sense of time and place. I had just read Ahab’s Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund, also set in Nantucket in this time period and the two make wonderful companion books, mentioning many of the same people and events. Highly recommended!
    • 5/5
      The Movement of Stars was a joy to read! I am so glad I won this book! It is very well written and the descriptions of hannah's feelings and interior thoughts are quite poetic. And her inner thoughts are not presented in a way that detracts from the flow of the story. Her self discovery was very realistic and her relationships a natural progression in the events of her life. I will definitely be recommending this book as I am very interested in early American women historical fiction as are my friends. This book was an extra special treat for me because I've just taken up astronomy as a pasttime!
    • 4/5
      This novel, the first by author, Amy Brill, follows a story inspired by Maria Mitchell, a 19th century astronomer. In this account, Hannah Gardner Price finds herself at the age of 24 questioning her place in the Quaker community of Nantucket and fearful of impending changes brought about by her brother’s departure to sea and her father’s upcoming marriage and move to Philadelphia, both of which will require her to leave the life she knows and loves. Her only hope is to discover a comet and win the gold medal and money awarded by the king of Denmark. Hannah Price is a solitary woman but not lonely. She is surrounded by and in tune with the cosmos and deeply motivated by a desire to explore it. She faces seemingly insurmountable hurdles to her goal of discovering a new comet. She lacks the advanced instruments and higher education enjoyed by the many others who are also looking.The Quaker community of 1845 Nantucket Town is in a period of diminishment. There is a general loss of faith and traditions, with the strictures of the faith being followed without the underlying understanding and doctrinal foundations that brought them about. The result for Hannah is to be surrounded by provincial narrow-mindedness and suspicion.Brill’s skill in writing is evidenced by her ability to draw the reader in to Hannah’s frustrating life and get us to experience that frustration with her. In and among the many daily tasks of cooking and cleaning and trading and acquiring food, Hannah continues her search for a comet that will bear her name and win her the longed for prize that will gain her a modicum of self-determination. We are right there with her and when she spots something that looks possibly like a comet, we long to shoot her a text in capital letters, “GET THIS DOCUMENTED!” But she doesn’t, and someone else gets the comet that got away. Now, we slump through several chapters, sure that, like being struck by lightening, it can never happen again. Oh wait, that’s a myth; one CAN get struck by lightening more than once; and, knowing Maria Mitchell’s story and the number of pages left in the book, we know it will happen for Hannah.Along the way, Brill develops a critical character and relationship for Hannah in the person of Isaac Martin, a Second Mate serving on one of the many trading ships that visit this Nantucket harbor. Isaac is black, originally from the Azores, and looking for instruction in navigating. Well, originally, he’s just looking to get the ship’s chronometer adjusted. But he longs to learn and Hannah to teach. Their relationship remains that of a teacher and student with relentlessly building undercurrents. It is the stars that bring them together and his otherness that binds them, with Hannah’s conflicted feelings for Isaac igniting an inner dialogue that gives us a window into mid-19th century New England's complex relationship to and history with slavery and race relations, as well as Hannah’s own newly awakening difficulties with men in general.There are weaknesses. Well, challenges, let’s say. When Hannah reflects on her state of “servitude” as a woman, it comes across as naive and revisionist. In 1845, society did not yet have a vision of womanhood like that of the modern day. While we identify with the author’s gratitude to Maria Mitchell and the women like her who succeeded in achieving public recognition for their accomplishments, it is unfortunate that she didn’t take more care to create the reality that such women lived with and, particularly, the reality of their mental and intellectual lives. To be governed by and connected to the realities of their physical bodies in a way we can hardly begin to identify with, and yet to incorporate that reality, as well as society’s understanding of women’s gifts to life and their vulnerability, with their curiosity and hunger for knowledge, would take more work and more skill, but ultimately shed more light on the greatness of such women as Maria Mitchell. To apply a modern sensibility to Hannah’s situation is a lazy way out and disingenuous. It is, at times, difficult to sympathize with Hannah’s raging self-pity; and our admiration must go to those who, like Mary Coffey, use the circumstances at hand to bloom where they are planted.The strongest, most poignant moments are those reflecting the power of the selfless human heart, as when Hannah’s twin brother, Edward, offers to stay in Nantucket for Hannah’s sake. The generous offer from a seemingly self-absorbed brother gives Hannah the moment to consider what she really wants which is something not often offered or available to her. Brill excels in creating atmosphere and place whether it is the garrett balcony in the black, pre-dawn hours, or the Atheneum at night: the very books that would have been on the shelves and the speakers who had spoken there, like Frederick Douglass and Emerson; or the smells and sounds of the oil-slicked wharves at the harbor. When Hannah first stands before the great telescope at the Cambridge Observatory, her final love scene with Isaac, the moment when she finds pages of personal letters drifting on the air during the fire that burns most of the town, the scene when she faces the empty garret room with her old friend, the solitary Dollond telescope; all these are magical moments and remain with the reader long after the last page has been turned.
    • 4/5
      Amy Brill has loosely tethered her fictional protagonist to the life story of Maria Mitchell, America’s first “lady astronomer,” though Hannah Gardner Price is very much her own person. Like her literary sisters from Cape Cod and the Islands – Sena Jeter Naslund’s Una Spenser, Geraldine Brooks’ Bethia Mayfield, and all of Sally Gunning’s historical heroines – Hannah is an intelligent, singular woman who bends the conventions of her time. With a deep sensitivity to character and place, The Movement of Stars reveals her story. It is a luminously written novel about connections, both scientific and emotional, and how the people around us can either limit or expand our world.Hannah is an admirable character who’s difficult to warm to, at first. Unwed at age 24 in the year 1845, she keeps her personal feelings under control – except when it comes to the wondrous sights in the night sky she observes from her roof walk in Nantucket Town. Her Quaker community values women’s education, and she has already surpassed what her father Nathaniel, a former astronomer turned banker, can teach her. Using her Dollond telescope, Hannah hopes to discover a comet, which will not only vindicate her pursuits but could earn her a medal from the King of Denmark, which could fund future research and let her become self-supporting. Otherwise, she will have to move with her father to his future wife’s home in Philadelphia or find someone convenient to marry. She doesn’t like either option, and her predicament is painful and heartfelt: “The idea that she had always been powerless over her own future, but not realized it, was excruciating.” Hannah has been so occupied with stargazing that she has miscalculated her own future… but that’s nothing compared with what’s to come.When the dark-skinned Azorean second-mate of a whaling vessel, Isaac Martin, asks her for instruction in navigation to improve his skill (and therefore his lot in life), Hannah takes him on as a pupil. Their association and growing closeness cause a disturbance that threatens her continued acceptance by her fellow Quakers. One scene in which Hannah lets Isaac guide her imagination is moving and powerfully rendered, and when she begins to question the ideals she was brought up to believe, the plot intensifies and really begins to take off. With loving devotion to detail, Brill paints a vibrant picture of Nantucket and Quaker life in the mid-19th century: the seaside buildings, the bonnets and drab colors worn by believers, the plain speech with which they address each other, and their remoteness from the mainland – and how communication between scientists was slowed but not hindered by physical distance. Hannah has colleagues at Harvard, family friends who encourage her efforts, and it’s rewarding to see the mutual support system that lets her thrive. Within her own town, though, people aren’t as understanding. Her status as a junior librarian and amateur astronomer is respected, if considered eccentric for an unmarried woman. However, while Quakers abhor slavery and favor manumission, their tolerance for the influence of outsiders, especially those of another race, has limits. One of the novel’s most strongly evoked themes involves the point at which industrious self-reliance becomes close-mindedness and xenophobia. “Socializing with the world’s people was grounds for disownment from Meeting these days,” Brill writes of Hannah and Isaac. “How had they strayed so far off course?”Struggling within an atmosphere of social repression, Hannah stands fast, and her hesitancy to act on occasion makes her seem more real. The members of her family are equally as well defined, and the author’s prose is lyrical and poignant, the one distraction being repeated use of the same nautical metaphors. The novel’s finale suits the times as well as the personality of its complex, spirited protagonist. In all, this breathtaking debut about the mysteries of the heavens and the heart honors the perseverance of trailblazing women everywhere.
    • 5/5
      This book was great! I liked Hannah and was sad when she died in the end. I also followed aIong her life with great interest!

      I listened to this book on May 9th, 2022.
    • 4/5
      Unlike others here, I did not find this book slow to begin; instead I was immediately taken into Hannah's world and her beautiful mind. You quickly get a sense of the players in the story and I was I intrigued by them. The setting feels real and Hannah's struggles will inspire. This is a book I will be recommending for book clubs because the story and the characters lend themselves to interesting discussions. This is author Amy Brill's first novel and I look forward to more for her.
    • 4/5
      It took quite a while to get into this book but once I did I found it very enjoyable.
    • 5/5
      Like other reviewers, I felt like this novel took off slowly, but then it grabbed my attention and I couldn't put it down. Historically accurate concerning the women's suffrage movement in the mid-1800's, this story is based loosley on the life of asronomer, Maria Mitchell. Author Amy Brill's prose is lyrical, and the storyline is multifaceted and interesting on many levels. Don't give up on this one after the first few pages, you'll be glad you finished it!