The Woman and Her Stars
1782, England: Caroline Herschel has followed her older brothers George and Adam from Hanover to Bath, England. Under George’s tutelage, Caroline, stunted and scarred from childhood illness, has gained some skill as a singer in her brother’s musical productions. But now George, obsessed with the night skies, is abandoning music for the prestigious appointment as His Majesty’s Royal Astronomer, and Caroline feels she has no choice but to follow him to Datchet, a village near the royal palace, and assist her brother in his observations.
Caroline soon learns to love the stars and astronomy, but she remains dependent on her brother and his approval, terrified he might send her back to Hanover and her demanding, invalid mother if he becomes unhappy with her in England. However, time and change come to all relationships.
Caroline Herschel became the first woman in England to earn a salary for any scientific work when in 1787 she was placed on King George III’s salary roll. She discovered several comets and made numerous contributions to astronomy. This fictional retelling of her life focuses on the years from 1782, when she and her brother left Bath, to 1789, after her brother George’s marriage. Caroline’s own memoirs and diaries reveal little about this period, and in this thoughtful and riveting account, Penny Haw has attempted to fill in the gaps. Caroline’s inner journey from subservient assistant to an accomplished scientist in her own right is well described. In the process, the author has created an absorbing novel that shines a bright light on a complex personality and a remarkably gifted human being. Recommended.
