The Stargazers by Harriet Evans

The Stargazers does something I’ve been trying to put across in my own WIP. It shows us that our own story, as we have experienced it and tell it to others, is only one strand of an infinite tapestry. Sarah Fox and her husband Daniel are moving in to their new house on The Row. It’s a proper house, meaning that as you walk through it you can imagine your child taking their first steps in the hallway or using the tree swing in the garden. When we were looking at houses we viewed an incredible place that felt to me like a grown up house because it had all the children’s heights written on the wall next to the kitchen door and also a little family of llamas, painstakingly cut out and coloured in then clear varnished onto a beam in the living room. It was a proper family home and I think this is a little bit of what Sarah feels as they cross the threshold of No 7. Perhaps amplified by the fact that Sarah has never known a real family home until now. Sarah and her sister Victoria (Vic) spend their early childhood in the family home of Fane Hall, one of the most splendid stately homes in the south of England. When their grandfather, the heir, dies. They are awaiting the return of Great Uncle Clive, who will become the Earl because Sarah’s mother, Iris, cannot inherit the house. Iris has doubts, but hopes that since the death of both her father and her husband, Uncle Clive will be benevolent and allow them to remain living in the west wing of Fane. Yet the man who returns from war with a new wife, Aunt Dotty, does not see things the same way. Fane is his, but he does grant them a small flat in Kensington.

Years later, after Iris has repeated to her daughters that Fane is her house, regardless of inheritance law. So, when they fall on hard times, she tells the girls to pack and brazenly moves into Fane, occupying a different wing to Clive. Time has been hard on Fane and it seems like her Uncle has allowed it to fall down around him. Every room feels ransacked and amazing collections like the taxidermy animals have been thrown on the floor, their glass cases broken and the smell emerging into the house. There’s also a far worse smell. Many of the toilets are blocked, the bathrooms unusable and their smell permeating throughout. This is the legacy of WW2 and Fane being used by the British forces, not very carefully it would seem. Uncle Clive is dirty, shambling and penniless. A game seems to resume between her Uncle and her mother Iris, but the girls will be elsewhere at boarding school. Iris settles in, waiting for him to die. At Fane, Sarah’s only friend in the world understands her home situation and gets to know her one to one. They are the stargazers. Sarah climbs out of her window in the middle of the night to meet him at the large tree, big enough to sit in and watch the night sky. There they don’t have to talk about their home lives, it’s simply understood. This young boy lives with the lady who runs the post office, but she’s a foster mum. He tells her they need to look forward to their futures not their pasts, to their dreams of being a musician and a film maker/ actor.

As we work our way through these different layers of family history, it works like a set of Chinese boxes, one story tucked inside another and we learn a little more from each. Sometimes, an event in Sarah’s childhood helps is understand the present. Then we read a snippet from Enid’s past that informs how she treats her own children. The Sarah we meet in her house in London is very different, as her life shrinks a little. She has two small children and spends all day taking care of them. She doesn’t have time for daily music practice and her hands become stiff so she can’t stretch to pluck the strings. Where once she played cello professionally, it now sits in the corner of a room upstairs untouched. Husband Daniel is a bit clueless about how Sarah feels. He’s a fellow artiste, but he’s an actor and television producer and he still gets to leave the house each day. He also starts a long Sunday lunch tradition for the neighbours which seems to a euphemism for come into the house, drink all day and neglect to clear up after themselves. Sarah struggles a bit in this chaos, especially when something outside of their daily routine happens - like her sister turning up to stay when Sarah had completely forgotten them. Instead of embracing the chaos and simply saying ‘I’ve forgotten completely, come on into the madhouse’ she tries to cover the fact that she’s not remembered, putting untold pressure on herself.

There’s a saying in counselling that no two children have the same parent, that applies strongly to Vic and Sarah. They are very different people, possibly due to the way they responded to emotional abuse as children: one was compliant and the other, despite being scared, was defiant. Not only was Enid psychologically damaging, she was neglectful. She is constantly forgetting to feed them, doesn’t buy them the right clothes for school and ensures they are seen as different both by the children of the village and even their school friends. We can see how different the girls are in their lives at school. Vic becomes a huge hit with the popular group and when asked to show her loyalty she doesn’t hesitate, even when that loyalty means shunning her little sister. There is bullying that’s uncomfortable to read and gave me the shivers. In choosing the popular girls, Enid has ensured her safety but has also signed up for a lifetime of putting on a front. Sarah may be shunned but at least she can be herself. I felt sorry for Vic, after all she is also the product of abuse, but in turning into an abuser herself she started to lose my sympathy. Especially when it comes to their treatment of Sarah’s music teacher, ruining his life just to affect Sarah in an act that has lifelong repercussions.

I thought this book was fascinating from a psychoanalytic perspective showing how we find ways of surviving abuse childhood that become part of our personality. In a twist I didn’t expect, a Sunday dinner at Sarah and Daniel’s goes South fast when their little girl disappears. The reasons why blew me away. Sarah’s eventual return to Fane in adulthood doesn’t work out in the way she might have hoped, but it helps her finally face up to what happened out here. The final paragraphs show us the irony of Enid clinging to Fane and to life. Did she get what she wanted in the end? Is the estate viable or have compromises mean made? As we find the answers to these questions we also see Enid’s decline as compared with the little girl she must have been when she first visited the house. This final flashback is brilliantly thought out and placed. That first visit can’t vindicate Enid, there is never an excuse for her actions towards her own children, but it could shed some light on what happened to set these wheels in motion. It might even explain her unshakable belief that Fane is hers. This is a great book about family, intergenerational trauma and the adults we grow up to be.

A lovely, engaging story.

Thank you to the writer, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

The Stargazers - Harriet Evans

Sarah and Victoria two sisters with the most awful mother (Iris) the world could imagine a totally selfish brute and bully who drives her daughters away. You get to see life from Iris' point of view as to why she turned out the way she is and why she is mad and obsessive about Fane Hall. The main character is Sarah, a cellist who wants her own daughters to have a life totally different to her own. She marries Daniel who she met as a child lives in a run down house in Hampstead living an impoverished bohemian lifestyle with its own plot twist dating back to Sarah's boarding school another horrendous experience,

The story is set over several timeframes, mainly the 1950s, 70's and modern day.

Although the book is very well written and beautifully evocative of the different timescales I can't say I enjoyed this and could not really find one character I liked enough to invest my time in. I even found Sarah irritating.

I found the I could not wait to finish this book and move on which is a shame as I have enjoyed Harriet's previous novels.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy.

The 1970s set the stage for Sarah's lifelong endeavor to conceal the haunting memories of her childhood. The perpetual dread, the nightmarish school days, and the looming, decaying mansion called Fane, which consumed her mother Iris, a woman whose beauty was rivaled only by her cruelty. Throughout her tumultuous upbringing, Sarah found refuge in her cello and the enchanting melodies that whisked her away from the desolation of her early years. She eventually finds sanctuary with her husband Daniel in their charming yet slightly chaotic Hampstead residence, building a life of stability. Her illustrious concert career not only bestows fame but also restores a semblance of identity.

Yet, the past possesses an insidious knack for infiltrating the present. No matter how fervently Sarah tries to evade its grasp, the magnetic pull of her mother, the enigmatic Fane Hall, and the concealed enigmas it harbors refuses to be suppressed. This clandestine force threatens to unravel the delicate happiness she's painstakingly woven. Sarah finds herself compelled to journey back to Fane, confronting the shadows of her youth and embarking on a quest to unearth the genuine essence of home.

This novel fits squarely within the realm of realistic fiction. The author artfully crafts an array of fictional personas and scenarios, painting an evocative tableau of society and its intricacies. The characters grapple with the themes of growth, self-discovery, and the unwavering confrontation of personal and societal tribulations. The narrative language resonates with clarity and brevity, vividly breathing life into the setting and the individuals who inhabit it. Natural and authentic dialogues seamlessly infuse the story with a genuine quality, while the narrative's pacing strikes a harmonious equilibrium, threading ample tension and release to keep the reader captivated.

While the eBook captures one's interest, there exists room for enhancement in terms of user-friendliness. Incorporating navigational chapter links, eradicating conspicuous word gaps, and imbuing the eBook with an enchanting cover design would undoubtedly elevate the reading experience. Currently, it exudes a somewhat document-like demeanor, prompting a modest reduction in my rating.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

I have to admit I struggled to get going with this book, unlike her previous books, but I am so glad I persevered. What a cracker it is. Sarah and her sister Victoria do not have an idyllic childhood and are often left to fend for themselves. Their mother Iris is a difficult woman who hankers after her old family home, Fane Hall. The book tells of the life story of Sarah, a talented cellist and her marriage to Daniel. The struggles she has of being a mother all the while trying hard to not to remember her past. The book tells of her past and it was these parts that were really bought to life. Her childhood and her life at school. It tells of how her and her sister become estranged and of the kind Bird boy who teaches her to look for the stars. I was actually sad to finish the book and thought the ending was superb.

'Don't you think there should be a name for people like us?' he said. 'Who look up and who dream of more, who dream of escaping? Who never lose faith, no matter how hard it becomes?'

The stargazers follows the complex story of the family linked to the fictional Fane Hall. Primarily the stories of Sarah and her mother Iris. Through time shifts Evans weaves a complex patchwork to tell the story that as ever has so many different layers. At times I struggled with the lack of a chronological narrative, although seeing the characters at various stages of their lives added another dimension and richness to them. That was just delectable.

Evans as usual crafts a story rich in twists and turns, characters continue to develop throughout the novel and nobody is quite as they seem at the first encounter. I felt Evans depiction of trauma was uncomfortably accurate and the strained relationships created as a result of the neglect suffered by various characters made sections of the book incredibly hard to read. The fact that Evans did not shy away from this portrayal in the novel is commendable.

I wanted to love this as much as my favourite novel by Evans, The Garden of Lost and Found, but something didn't flow in quite the same way for me. It's still beautifully written and a book that will stay with my for a long time to come. A clear four star read that I urge you to persevere with, it took me a while to settle into the narrative for this one. A huge thank you to Harriet Evans and Headline books for the ARC copy to review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read an advance copy of this book with no obligation to review.

I really enjoyed this book and will read it again. As soon as you start reading, you know you are in good hands and all set for a great read.

It has a great story, mysteries, brilliant and believable characters, authentic dialogue, moving scenes, happy scenes and a satisfactory ending. It has other things I like too - a bit of period detail, eccentric and unusual characters, betrayals, part set in a boarding school , partings, significant meetings, a twist - all good stuff.

I felt interested in Sarah straightaway and I liked her character throughout, which is more than I can say for shallow, traitorous Vic. I was moved almost to tears by the scenes with the Bird Boy in the Burnt Oak when they are looking at the stars and also by Sarah's reaction to the loving home life of her friend Monica. Part of the skill of the writing is that you can feel sorry for Uncle Clive and even for Lady Iris a bit.

It is a good meaty book with lots of easily distinguishable characters, very believable interactions and a lot of varied things going on. There is a lovely gasp aloud moment when Sarah and Guy are at Henry's birthday party .

I didn't feel that there was any padding or repetition, in the book (I find these to be regrettable features of many modern books).

A tremendously enjoyable read.

This is a book about complicated relationships between mothers and daughters and how a dysfunctional mother can stunt her child. It is almost three books in one, set in three different periods and follows the story of creepy Fane Hall and it’s inhabitants through to the present day. There are twists and turns right up to the end and I found myself engrossed.

I really enjoyed this multi layered family saga spread over three timelines. It covers relationships, childhood, trauma, motherhood……. and is a thoroughly absorbing hefty read. Loved the twists at the end- didn’t see those coming! Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the advance review copy.

🔭The Stargazers
✒️Harriet Evans

💫I had a rocky start with this book, but considering I had just finished ‘Demon Copperhead’ , it was going to be a tough act to follow.
🦉Once I got my bearings, I became fully immersed and loved how all the different story and timelines flowed together, building layer upon layer of an intricate and compelling chronicle. ✨

A stunningly good read from an author who never disappoints. This is like 3 books in one with stories of mothers and daughters through the ages, greed, cruelty and despair in times of hardship dominate. However in its heart there is redemption and love- with some unexpected twists right at the end.

A riveting story from beginning to end, thoroughly entertaining and compelling.

Thank you to Netgalley the author and publishers for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review

What an emotional journey that was!
I am no stranger to Harriet Evans and have read previous books so I was exceptionally happy to be given the opportunity to read this early.

A must of those that love past and present timelines, dual POVs.

History surrounding a great house and its family.

This was a fantastic read, Harriet Evans really does take you on a journey in her books.

Very good! Highly recommend

A family member recommended this author to me and I´m sooo glad she did. I was totally immersed from page one to the very last. Set in the past and present, it is a story of a house, not just any house but for Iris, it was "her house", not "uncle Clive" or Iris´s daughters but "her house".

I´m certainly going to be looking out for this author in the future.

Highly recommend.

My thanks to NetGalley and Headline for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

This is the first Harriet Evans book I have read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The main character is Sarah, who we first meet during lockdown sharing her house in Hampstead.
with her daughter Friday, and her granddaughter Esme.
The other dominating character is the family stately home Fane Hall.
Sarah’s mother, Iris, is obsessed with the house, to the exclusion of all else, including the care of her daughters.
The story is set over several timeframes, mainly the 1950s when Sarah is at school with her sister Victoria, and the 1970s when she is setting up home and trying to raise her children having had no maternal role model.
The book is filled with fascinating, damaged characters, and the central mystery is slowly revealed with a lots of surprises along the way.
There are very strong messages about how destructive obsession can be, and how things can be better if you can forgive and move forward. But also that we all have our own ways of coping with the past.
A great read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Headline for the opportunity to read this book.

A captivating family story told over multiple timelines right up to the pandemic, though this is only briefly touched upon.
It is a tale of two sisters, their relationship with their mother and each other, and at the centre of it all, Fane Hall a country mansion in Sussex.
The author weaves many threads with an interesting mix of characters. I warmed to Sarah and Daniel and rooted for them from the start.
I found certain passages regarding child neglect a little disturbing. However, there are some delightful uplifting sections with a touch of humour.
I was surprised by the twist towards the end - I didn't see it coming.
Harriet's writing is powerful and beautiful.
Brilliant and I was totally absorbed by this novel.
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC.

This book is magnificent. It's disjointed, changes tone, jumps around and in doing so completely reflects the story. It's one of those books that makes it hard to start another one once you've finished it. The differents settings are so vivid in all their awfulness. I felt at times that I was shivering along with the characters. While the story is grim and gripping and at times hopeful and touching, it's the characters who make it. Even ones we dislike, particularly Iris, are fully rounded and believable. Along the way you'll meet ones that will touch your heart, like Mr Williams, but it is Sarah's story and she's one of the most well drawn characters I've ever read - from little girl to woman, mother, wife. As the strands of the story come together, you won't be able to put this book down.

This was a hard emotional book to read.

Sarah is trying to mother two girls and come to grips with a traumatic childhood - hated by her mother, sent away to school with her sister, Vic and left to survive in the holidays at Fane - the family estate which she loves. Here she meets her one friend - Bird Boy - who understands her. Her mother - Iris - is trying to wrest control of the estate from her uncle, Clive with tragic consequences all round.

Her one solace is her cello but even this brings its dark side.

Both Sarah and Vic have to return to Fane before the death of their mother to face their fears and find a way to understand themselves and move forward to a real understanding of home and family.

It is disturbing to read about the effects of such a dysfunctional childhood on their adult reality.

Full of twists - two I did not see coming - this book kept me interested right to the end.

One to be recommended.

A brilliant, heart-warming story set through multiple timelines tat are all interconnected. I was blown away by the amazing worldbuilding, characters and really fun twists and turns which are incredibly timed and you can truly tell how much work went into this book as there are so many layers and well written characters. Overall an outstanding book I highly recommend.

A stately home, Fane Hall, is in disputed ownership and in a rapidly deteriorating condition. Iris Fane is obsessively determined to save the house but her two daughters suffer the consequences of her neglect. Woven into a story that grips and surprises the relationships in this tale are startlingly vivid and ofttimes unexpected.

Wow, I was already a huge fan of Harriet Evans but I think this may be her best yet.
The book flits between time periods in the main character, Sarah’s life. We see her tragic childhood, her marriage in the 70’s and also her present life as a grandmother.
I think Harriet Evans really is the Queen of making a house integral to the story. Sarah grew up at Fane Hall, one of the finest stately homes in the country in its heyday. The house is pivotal to the plot, it is what drives Sarah’s mothers to be so terrible and destructive. Her treatment of Sarah and her sister Vic is horrific and it is fuelled by her obsession with Fane.
Fane is mirrored with Sarah’s marital home in Hampstead. It is not without its problems but the London home becomes a place of love and safety for her which she so desperately needed.
Sarah finds solace in playing the cello and I loved the way her instrument helped bring out her brave side. The only time she stands up to her mother is over her cello.
Sarah’s relationship with her husband, Daniel is a very interesting aspect of the book. In some ways he is the hero of the story but I loved how Evans’ still showed his flaws and his sometimes selfish behavior. So many things in this book are simply not black or white.
The Stargazers is definitely Harriet Evans’ darkest book. Sarah’s mother, Violet is terrifying a times. Her behavior is incredibly dark and sinister, I can’t stop thinking about how awful she is. The book reminded me a little of Jane Eyre in places, it is incredibly sad and frightening at times but there is a small glimmer of hope running throughout.
What a fantastic book, I would highly recommend.