https://tamaranth.blogspot.com/2022/02/202222-falling-sky-pippa-goldschmidt.html ( )

This was a First Reads giveaway. This is a debut if I am not mistaken, and if that is the case, well done. I did not feel particularly engaged, but at the same time something kept drawing me back to the book and I read it quite quickly. There was some graphic sex, not entirely necessary IMHO. In a way it reminds me a bit of [b:The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry|13227454|The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry|Rachel Joyce|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1335816092s/13227454.jpg|18156927], in the way that a family withdraws from one another after a tragedy. It linked as well to [b:Percival's Planet: A Novel|7705758|Percival's Planet A Novel|Michael Byers|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1317065484s/7705758.jpg|10412185] as far as the astronomy went, and to [b:Possession|41219|Possession|A.S. Byatt|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1391124124s/41219.jpg|2246190] as it related to the academic life. The blurb here on GR is really a very good one in terms of accuracy. The cover artwork is very lovely also. I enjoyed it and wish the author well on her future projects. ( )

I received an ARC of this book from Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.

It took me a while to really getting into this novel. The language and narration was beautiful throughout, but it wasn't until about halfway through that the story actually got me engaged. The ending isn't necessarily satisfying, but it coincides well with Goldschmidt's desire to portray "the beauty and the uncertainty" in astronomy as well as in life. Overall, I think this was a wonderful novel, but it did take some effort to get through. ( )

Good

Jeanette is a young post-doctorate chasing a permanent position at university. She goes on a viewing trip to Chile and discovers an anomaly which, if not just an observational glitch, would throw much of modern astronomy in doubt (something that would make red shift unreliable). Her boss encourages her to publish hinting that it will aid her career and when she does she is not prepared for the consequences. On the home front she embarks on a new, intense relationship that goes in an unexpected direction. To top it off her sister died when she was young and she has never got over it and as both her professional and personal lives start to spiral the trauma of losing a sister makes itself felt again. This is an engaging and interesting read. It has mixed reviews elsewhere and reading some of the ones that give it a poor rating I feel it necessary to point out that not everything is wrapped up at the end so if you want your plots to all be resolved look elsewhere as this is the biggest gripe people seem to have. For me it was a bit more realistic and the way it’s written, to explain why would contain spoilers though. A nodding acquaintance with astrophysics would enhance the read but isn’t totally necessary, although I have read some reviews saying there was too much science in the book.

Overall – Engaging and interesting read ( )

Telling the story of a life scared and shaped by childhood tragedy.

Fascinating parallels drawn between astronomy and time travel; points made about the importance of the absence as much as the presence of things; the (un)certainty of science ... ( )