I wasn't supposed to send it to this list so you don't have to make note of it.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Saturday, February 18, 2017 3:51 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: The stargazer's sister DB83453
I'll tuck it on my list for future reading. But that list is long, and my days
seem far too full, especially for a guy who "retired" back in 1993.
Carl Jarvis
On 2/18/17, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
<https://nlsbard.loc.gov/nlsbardprod/download/detail/srch/DB83453>
The stargazer's sister DB83453
Brown, Carrie. Reading time: 10 hours, 38 minutes.
Read by Suzanne Toren.
Historical Fiction
Caroline Herschel's brother William, a composer and astronomer,
rescues her from a life of poverty in Germany to serve as his
assistant and manager of his household in England. She also helps in
his scientific research, but William's plan to marry alters her world.
Unrated. Commercial audiobook.
2015.
This was a really fascinating book. It transported me back to the
later part of the eighteenth century and drew me in completely to the
story of Carolina, referred to in the story as Lina. I've just checked
on line and verified that William and Carolina really existed and were
astronomers who received all of the honors that are mentioned in the
story. The only fact that appears to be altered in this fictional
account is that in the book, William has no children. But WikkiPedia
says that he had one son, named John. Of course this is historical
fiction so there certainly may be other facts that the author chose to
alter. But in this novel, we first meet Lena as a small child, living
in a rather unhappy household in Hanover, Germany.
The family is poor. Her father is a musician and musical scholar, but
barely earns enough to care for his children. Her mother, work worn
and constantly pregnant with new babies, some of whom die, is angry
and resentful at her hard life. There is a special bond between Lina
and her much older brother, William, probably because William, who is
incredibly intelligent, recognizes this same quality in his little
sister. From the time he was a young boy, William was fascinated by
the stars and he began sharing his interest in, and knowledge of them
with Lina when she was only five. But William grows up and leaves Lina
behind at home. She contracts smallpox which disfigures her face and
stunts her growth. She is badly treated by her mother and by her
eldest brother, Jacob. Her life is filled with drudgery and in
correspondence with William, she begs him to rescue her from a life of
servitude and loneliness. Eventually, William does come for Lina and
most of the book is taken up with what happens to Lina after she joins
her brother in England. I suppose that the author intended me to be
captivated by the stories of William's and Lina's astronomical
studies, and I was intrigued to some extent, particularly with how
their accumulating knowledge of the universe enhanced their belief in
God. But I was much more interested with what it took to do the
everyday tasks that were required to live. Lina was responsible for
all of that. We forget how much effort was involved in preparing
simple meals, keeping clothes clean, getting from one place to
another. For example, when Lena discovers a comet and needs to give
the specific information about how to locate it to other astronomers
so that they can duplicate her find and verify it, she has to mount a
horse and ride for eight hours in the middle of the night after having
meticulously written out all of her findings twice, once for herself,
and once for the person who needs to see the work. And throughout the
story, there is the issue of her brother's assumption, which she
shares, that he is the more important of the two of them and that it
is her responsibility to do all of the tasks which support his work
because she is a woman and he is, therefore more important than she.
The fact that he couldn't have accomplished what he did, without her
tireless efforts, seems not to occur to him. I think that probably,
one of the talents of the author is to evoke so much emotional
response in the reader. I was certainly not detached while reading the
book.
I was angry on Lina's behalf a good part of the time. If you decide to
read this book, I'd be interested to know what parts of the book were
most meaningful to you.
Miriam