The Blind Astronomer's Daughter by John Pipkin

Final Rating: 2.9/5

 “Nothing in heaven or earth is content to be alone, and so there must always be something more.”

  Across 18th-century Europe fantastic discoveries are being made as a six-tailed comet lights up the night sky portending some whisper: the end of days. It is here Mr. Pipkin lays the foundation of his multiple threaded stories of lives revolving one another that takes the reader to the boundaries of obsession, desire and beyond the stars of possibilities to celebrated immortality. Having such a unique premise and setting that initially beckoned this reader to look plus the peek at available beautiful quotes touching the hidden hopeless romantic side of me; I couldn’t help the visions that danced in my mind of experiencing perhaps a brilliant force of writing and scientific subject but also a reminder of a personal beloved classic. It sometimes surprises me what I'm in the mood to read but alas as soon as the romantic strands to this tale appeared, I only found interest in the one character involved and lost concern for the other. Perhaps Caroline’s personality and actions presented as too modern but by the later half, I wanted to completely follow the lesser key characters and research every few minutes more about the fascinating information that was shared about the Hershels.

  Nevertheless, with one letdown the lyrical writing and wonderful attention to recorded astronomic facts kept me turning the pages thinking perhaps I was mistaken and something was coming heralding an ending worth the wait but no, it also seemed to be missing sadly along with the characters that just walked off into the shadows. I also couldn’t shake the disappointment in the extreme measured pace of this book or the sense of confusion with jumping timelines and some of the philosophical aspects to a couple passages but it may be only this reader. All noted negatives aside; I would still recommend this novel. It is sure to spark an interest in the complex science of astronomy along with its better (and lesser) known names attached to amazing discoveries and its exceedingly lovely descriptions of the heavens above may just have the curious gazing up a little longer into the waiting darkness thinking about life’s mysteries and what may be out there.

*I would like to thank Bloomsbury USA and NetGalley for the opportunity to read The Blind Astronomer's Daughter A Novel