I didn't like this very much which is a shame as I usually enjoy Harriet's books. I found this one strange and tedious. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

"I said to you once that I think of the past now, that is to say our childhood, as rather like living with wolves. Everything was chaotic, so terryfying, so confusing. The wolves were at the door and we ended up eating ourselves instead of making them disappear."

The Stargazers is an excellent piece of historical fiction, filled with tension and family drama. Sarah lives in a crumbling house in Hamstead with her loving husband and her two young girls. Life should be perfect, but Sarah can't help being haunted by her traumatic childhood.

Sarah's mother Iris lived in Fane hall as a young child, until her Uncle Clive kicked her and her mother out and took the stately home as her own. Over the years Iris' obsession with Fane Hall grew until she talked of nothing but regaining her former home. Sarah and her sister Vic were close as young children and looked out for each other but as they grew they each began to look after their own survival and their relationship fractured.

This book covers a myriad of topics ranging from childhood neglect to the fall of the british aristocracy. Harriet Evans writes in a beautifully, lyrical fashion and her characters are incredibly vivid. This book slowly ambles to 'the point' so if you want fast-paced this isn't the book for you.

One aspect of the book which I felt was covered particularly well was the way Sarah's upbringing had an effect on her own experiences of motherhood and caused her to doubt herself at every turn.

"Sometimes Sarah found there were lost moments, long seconds when she couldn't remember who she was.

She wasn't a musician, wasn't the girl who married Daniel in New York in a yellow jumpsuit. She wasn't the one who saved Stella, who helped her fly, who gazed at the stars with Bird Boy on summer nights. She was Friday's mother. That was all she remembered."

The Stargazers was a haunting book and I would recommend it.

"There are many things now that I don't understand, and I suppose that is why childhood is so fascinating to us all. We will never fully grasp the circumstances into which we were born and grown up."

I loved this book it was both beautiful and melancholy. I was transported into Fane hall by the wonderful writing , this author is fabulously descriptive .

This novel is a disturbing read in places as it features aspects of child abuse alongside cruelty from parents and peers. Thankfully, there are also several splashes of colour, life and light threaded throughout the text. They help illuminate what might otherwise be too painful for readers to plough through.

The immersive narrative is interwoven with events from the present and the past, slowly disclosing hidden secrets and lies. Sarah and her sister Victoria (Vic) respond to and process their hurt in different ways, leaving Sarah adrift as the major focus of her mother Iris’s wrath and her boarding school contemporaries' cruelty, ridicule and scorn.

Looming over it all, like another character itself, is Fane Hall, the family’s ancestral stately home, which Iris clings to tenaciously even when it becomes a crumbling ruin. She uses every trick at her disposal to secure it for herself and her girls, while failing to comprehend their indifference to it.

Sarah longs to escape her mother and the destiny that seems to be mapped out for her. She has one reliable friend called Bird Boy, who teaches her how to appreciate nature. Their relationship is a saving grace when Sarah is a child and their paths cross significantly again when they are adults.

Her ability to play the cello is another huge blessing even though it becomes problematic later on when her career gets crushed. Becoming a mother herself is a challenge she struggles with sometimes, but Sarah’s self-esteem soars when she lets love win the day. Grateful thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

I really struggled with this book as I could not get into it. I read to over halfway but found I was not invested in it. I found all the characters tedious and no major flow to the story. Having loved all of this authors books I am hoping if I pick it up again I may enjoy it.

I just could not get on with this book. It is very dark and depressing, and as I am currently on holiday, it was not a good choice for me. None of the characters appear to have any redeeming features, they are all equally dislikable. I struggled on for 30% or so, but had no desire to pick it up again, so it was a DNF for me. Many other reviewers have really enjoyed it, so read it for yourself to make up your mind.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

Lady Iris Fane is a child living in Fane Hall in the year 1922. When her father dies at the end of the great war, the Late Earl Ashley. They are awaiting his brother to return from abroad to take up his new title, the new Earl Ashley of Fane Hall.
Fane Hall is a mansion built in the late eighteenth century.
Moving forward in time Iris has two daughters, Victoria and Sarah.

The storyline moves from chapters of the year 1922, to 2022, covering the various decades in between, as it unfolds.
It has some parts that may be upsetting for some readers, suicide and child neglect. It also doesn’t refrain from mentioning some political and issues of bygone past.
I found the book a different and very interesting read, though I did wish the talented ladies who played the Cello had made more of an appearance in that respect and had made more of their talent.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Publisher for an advanced e-book copy. Opinions about the book are entirely my own.

Not my normal type of book, in so far that I was onto Chapter 11 still waiting for something to happen. However, this a very positive review as the book is beautifully written with a couple of nice wee twists at the end, Just beautifully written.

Ordinarily, I'd find a story about multi-generation family "influences" a bit of a dull topic. But pivoting around Sarah and her mother Iris and dear old Uncle Clive is very clever. Set from the 1920's through the 70's as Sarah "comes of age", buying her first big house with hubby Daniel, first baby, bit of marital trauma, estranged sister returns, confrontations, etc. But the book is so cleverly written that is could have been titled "Why?" as the plot slowly unfolds the "why" right up until the end.

Not my kind of book, but loved it!!

Harriet Evans is the queen of books about old houses and family secrets with a dash of coming of age (a favourite genre of mine) and The Stargazers might just be her best yet, an unputdownable book chanelling I Capture the Castle and The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets crossed with Noel Streatfeild vibes- a perfect blend.

The Stargazers is set across several time periods: the present day, the 1920s where lonely Lady Iris Fane waits for her uncle to come back to England to claim Fane, the family seat, the late 60s and 70s where Sarah and Daniel Forster start their married lives in Hampstead, and the 1950s as Sarah and her eler sister Victoria negotiate childhood under Iris's bitter neglectful regime. Once close, the sisters' relationship fractures as Victora jettisons Sarah to save herself, finding a place in the inhumane, cold and inadequate boarding school they are dumped in, Sarah finding solace in nature, the stars, and the kindness of the Bird Boy, an orphaned evacuee who knows what it is to have no one. Linking all four time periods is Fane, the decaying house Iris claims for herself in a never ending battle against her uncle, not caring who or what gets damaged as long as she wins, especially not the two daughters she fails to feed and clothe, let alone love and nurture.

The Stargazers is a beautifully written, atmospheric pageturner full of unforgettable characters, a book that will stay with you. Highly recommended,

Sarah had a disturbed childhood in a large rambling house, Fane, with her mother and sister. they were sent away to Boarding School which just exchanged one disturbed life for another.
Sarah's one consolation was her cello in which she could loose herself and her friend Bird Boy.
Years later she meets Bird Boy again and marries him, going on to have two girls.
In the background always is Fane, her childhood and the relationships between her and her sister. and she has a secret which she has never revealed.

Many thanks to the author publisher and Netgalley for a free ARC of this ebook.
Although this is a beautifully written book, with deep and complex characters, I didn't enjoy it all all. There was so much darkness and no light relief. At times it was just a lot of posh people shouting. It became such a chore to keep reading it, but I did so. It's not a book that i would heartily recommend, however many other reviewers have enjoyed it enormously.

Interviewing the writer at a Book Festival but reading this ahead of that event this quickly became a read for real pleasure and not just work. Spanning several decades but all centred around two families and two houses that for very different reasons mean so much to each. One a dilapidated country house, the other a Hampstead town house, Within the cleverest of plots it really explores what family means, the lasting reverberations of a toxic upbringing and memories of happiness lost and never quite recovered. It's a big book and while I feared I might get lost, the careful chapter headings and signposting meant that never happened. Particularly impressed by how the two houses are created: pretty sure I could find my way round both! Surprises until almost the last page and some of those lovely moments when you realise that x is also y and it all falls into place, don't want to give away the plot, so won't say more.

DNF - 44%
I feel bad that I just didn’t gel with this book, I can see pretty much every other reviewer has and perhaps if I’d pushed myself to complete it I’d feel differently. I DNF at 44% - I found there was no light and shade in the story, only shade and I didn’t click with any of the characters. When it became apparent that it was a chore to pick up the book I figured it was time to put this in the ‘just not my cup of tea’ category.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Harriet Evans is amazing! Her books never disappoint and The Stargazers is right up there with the rest.
A great storyline about the inhabitants of a house with a dysfunctional mother at the head. Lots of twists and turns in this book which kept me hooked from start to finish. A brilliant read.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

This book is a complicated mixture that I didn't take to entirely, the characters are mostly unpleasant and difficult to sympathise with, even when bad things happen to them, which seems to happen a lot. There are a couple of surprises baked into the narrative, but on the whole I just didn't have enough of an emotional connection to really enjoy it.

I’m a big fan of Harriet Evans and was thrilled to receive a copy of this book via Net Galley.
Sarah and Vic are sisters who have grown up with a mother who is obsessed with regaining ownership of the family seat, a massive stately home called Fane. This obsession is all consuming and seems to have made her a cruel and utterly neglectful mother. Across different timelines we see the impact of this life on Sarah, the younger sister, and her experiences of love and becoming a parent herself.
This book depicts an extremely unhappy life, and at times it was a very hard read. There is a plot twist towards the end of the book which goes some way to explaining the mother’s life, which made me more empathetic, but goodness, she’s so cruel.
In the later timeline, Sarah also has a house with a complicated story behind it. This storyline has a sort of parallel to the other house issue. Without spoilers, it’s hard to discuss further, but there are a lot of coincidences which take the plot in a very alarming direction.
I enjoyed this.

An intriguing story about a family told over different timelines. It captivated me right from the start, with the relationship between the sisters and then with their mother, and as a background the county home, Fane Hall. I found it an emotional read with some great twists at the end that I did not expect. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy for my honest review.

I throughly enjoyed this book. Sarah and Daniel’s love story is simply beautiful and their journey is incredible. This book covers some sensitive topics and I highly recommend.

First of all, The Stargazers has a beautiful cover which enticed me to read the book blurb and then ... well, I was immediately hooked by the enchanting storyline.

A multilayered family tale, we initially meet young Iris in a post-war England. Iris is a young child, living with her mother in the family home - Fane Hall, a mansion in the countryside of Sussex. Although unsure of what is happening with her family, Iris does realise that changes are about to occur with the reappearance of her long-lost uncle Clive. These events will have life-long repercussions for the family, and play a significant role for our protoganist Sarah.
Having met Iris, we then move to the present day and the life of Sarah Foster. Sarah has just received a letter from her sister Victoria (Vic), and is enduring a multitude of emotions on receiving this communication. As Sarah reflects on their relationship, the storyline moves back in time to the 1970s to show us Sarah's arrival in London.
With multiple timelines, it could be easy to become lost in this epic tale but Evans has cleverly built up each layer in the storyline and as the reader progresses, new secrets are revealed that explain exactly how Sarah and family have come to the current stage in life.
With hints of a gothic atmosphere, The Stargazers tells the tale about a family where dreams must be chased and rivalries will tear them apart. This is a beautiful and absorbing tale - one that I couldn't put down until the last page.

This atmospheric, multi-layered, story centres around houses and how they can come to shape someone’s identity and sense of belonging. The central character is Sarah Forster, who we mainly see as a 1950s housewife and cellist trying to make sense of her life in her new bohemian Hampstead home. The novel is quite vast in scope, shifting backwards and forwards in time (spanning 100 years, from 1920s to 2020), depicting childhood abuse, ragging at boarding school, long-running acerbic disputes, as well as early romance. Family mysteries gradually unravel and ultimately the main character learns more about herself and her motives. The novel is very well-written and has a gloriously gothic, unsettling quality. Despite this I somehow didn’t feel as gripped by the novel as I would have expected and felt my mind wandering quite a bit – perhaps some elements of the story could have been ‘tighter’? I also wish there had been more of the novel’s most compelling character, Lady Iris Fane. I think the novel would adapt wonderfully well to television though and look forward to reading more from this author.