The Silent Stars Go By

The Silent Stars Go By is a beautiful YA historical story about Margot, and the baby she gave up when her fiancé Harry is declared missing in action during the First World War. Now Harry has returned for Christmas, a different man to the boy who went to war, and Margot must decide whether to risk telling him the truth.

This was a quiet story in many ways, yet packed an emotional punch. Margot, at seventeen, feels a lot older than her years. One of five children to a vicar, she's grown up sheltered in a small village, yet has already faced one of the hardest decisions of her life. Her son, James, is now raised by Margot's parents and sees them as his mother and father. There's jealousy on Margot's part, and an unconditional love she can't show James in front of others incase it risks exposing her secret. There's grief, a loss that she can never be to James what she wants to be. She's grieving for a life she can never have. It leads to a difficult relationship between Margot and all her family, with all of them on tenterhooks at times, although it's clear that all the siblings are close.

Her relationship with Harry feels realistic and tinged with tension. She's anxious about seeing him, after shunning his letters in finding out he's still alive. How can she possibly tell him he has a son, but it's a son he can never admit he has? Every conversation is tinged with sadness and longing, furtive looks and loaded comments. They're never left on their own, adding to this building of tension between them. A few times I was desperate for Margot to just tell Harry the truth.

The book also does a good job at tackling the issues of PTSD for returning soldiers. The plot of Margot's eldest brother returning to the family for Christmas after time at the front sits in the background of the story with comments about how he can no longer keep down a job, or feel like life is worth anything. It's just one example of how life has irreversibly changed for everyone because of the war - like the fact that there aren't enough eligible men anymore. The bells ringing for the first time in years to ring in Christmas morning was a particularly poignant scene, as the family had forgotten the constant peel of the bells to mark important events. With the return of men from the war, there's finally enough of them to ring the bells again. It marked a new beginning.

Beautifully written story, with a plot that quietly draws the reader in with its relatable and complicated characters and exploration of post war Britain from a teenager's perspective.

I love YA fiction books and I’ve read loads but I’d never read a YA historical fiction until now.
Wow, I loved it! It gives you all the feel and grabs your heart. This one is a definite must read

The characters really come alive in this book. The family interactions are spot on. Lovely Christmas setting. There is much internal wrangling of Margot as she plays over what she should do, which seems to be fitting for one so young dealing with such big decisions snd their consequences.

Beautiful story. As a mother I truly felt for Margot, I cannot imagine how much hurt and turmoil she was going through. I enjoyed her interactions with her siblings and mother but the best parts were with Harry, James and towards the end, her father, finding her place within the family as she transitioned from child to adulthood. She is trying to keep everyone happy and thinking of others at the expense of herself at times. I did feel the ending was rather abrupt and I was left a little unsatisfied. It is the sort of ending where if you know there will be a follow-up you can placate yourself, but, as a stand alone it is quite vague and open for interpretation. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the book and read it within a couple of days as I couldn't wait to find out what was next! I would definitely recommend to anyone that enjoys historical, real-life, family/romance fiction.

Sally Nicholls' latest historical YA is set in the aftermath of the First World War. Margot Allan, a vicar's daughter, discovered she was pregnant after her fiancé Harry was reported missing in action. Two years later, Margot's parents are bringing up her son James as their own and Harry has returned to their village in time for Christmas. What kind of future can Margot expect with James and with Harry? I loved Nicholls' YA suffragette novel, Things A Bright Girl Can Do; this is, intentionally, a much simpler and more straightforward story. Nicholls warmly evokes the atmosphere of the village at Christmastime, as well as the heady flashbacks to Margot and Harry's summer romance. She brings the Allan family vividly to life despite their brief page-time, and we do really care about and root for the characters. Margot's central dilemma isn't developed as subtly over the course of the novel as it might have been, so her internal monologue becomes quite repetitive at times, and the book stalls a bit in the middle. Nevertheless, this is a cozy, lovely read that I'm sure will appeal to adults as well as teenagers. 3.5 stars.

This is a really sweet love story, set during first world war and covers the story around the secret pregnancy, the shame around her having a child is very sad. While parts are quite sad, the way Sally has written this is really thoughtful and moving. I thought that the epilogue was a lovely touch. This book covered a really important topic around unwed mothers in the early 20th century and is something not often covered in YA books, a wonderful addition and great for readers of YA or older

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I read this story over Christmas which I think added to the impact of the story, which was gentle but emotionally complex. Margot and her young fiancé Harry, are separated by the First World War. When he is declared missing in action, a devastated Margot must face the fact she is pregnant with his child and he might never come home. A vicar’s daughter, Margot agrees to let her son be brought up as her parent’s child to avoid the stigma of an illegitimate child in their small sheltered village. I was caught up in Margot’s emotions as she watches the son of a man she loved brought up as her brother. Her mum now receives the adoration a small boy has for his mother, and Margot has to hide her jealousy and the overwhelming love she feels for little James. There’s a deeply felt grief at the loss of being his mother. The tension can become difficult at times although the family secret has not been exposed. This is a very close family, lying to each other for what they believe is the best of intentions.
This Christmas, Harry returns, Now Margot faces a huge dilemma, does she leave things as they are or does she divulge the secret? Her excitement at seeing him is now tinged with tension and lies, so she cannot truly enjoy it. She has avoided his letters too, once she found out he was alive, for fear of their deception coming to light. How can she tell him he has a son he can never admit to. I loved the quietness of the book, full of silences pregnant with emotion and longing, In the background is the aftermath of the war itself. We see in Margot’s brother the way his war experience has left him unable to settle back into normal life or keep a job. However alongside all of this is a whisper of hope, as for the first time since the war has ended there are enough men back in the village to ring the Christmas bells, An quiet, emotional story that I really enjoyed.

There is such a gentle beauty to this book. It documents just a few days in one family over the Christmas period in 1919, with the shadow of war and pandemic hovering over them, all the more poignant this year. The main character, Margot, is torn between different worlds and potential futures, all the while trying to keep the people she loves close and happy.

The Silent Stars Go By is a historical fiction book set in 1919. Margot is 19 and going home for the first time in some time. It's the first Christmas with the whole family since the war and Margot is really dreading it. Her (former?) fiancé, Harry, is back from the war after having been missing in combat and presumed dead for some time. He's been contacting her for a little while but she's been scared and hasn't responded. See, Margot got pregnant right before Harry went missing and gave the baby to her parents to raise... She's torn about how to explain, if she should tell him and how to act around her son, James. It's just all a mess and she's really not doing well.

When I requested this book on netgalley, I didn't think twice. I saw Sally Nicholls and didn't even read the summary. I read Things a Bright Girl Can Do a couple years ago and loved loved loved it. So this was no brainer.
When I finally did read the summary, I was a little disappointed, it wasn't was I expected and it didn't really sound like my thing. Obviously, I'm an idiot and I was wrong. I should have trust in Sally Nicholls. She really brought the characters and the scenery to life. I really felt like I was at the vicarage, in the village in 1919. I felt for Margot. So much. I just wanted to hug her from beginning to end. We really had very little in common but I still felt like I understood her... It's even more impressive how much this book made me feel considering how short it was. I read it in less than " hours... in one sitting.
It really is going to stay with me for a while and makes look forward to reading more from Sally Nicholls.

A beautifully written YA story of a pregnant teenager whose partner is Missing In Action in WW1, so her only choice is to give her baby up for adoption. Compelling characters and a wonderful storyline, I enjoyed it and think it will be a great addition to school libraries and teenage collections for years to come