What readers think of Under the Wide and Starry Sky, plus links to write your own review.

This book captured my interest from the beginning as we journey through the lives of Fanny Van de Grift Stevenson and Robert Louis Stevenson. Horan portrays her characters as flesh and blood, real-life people who brave the unknown in search of a home where Louis can survive and thrive. Fanny endures many hardships as they travel the world, more than once nursing him back from the brink of death and finds herself submerging her creative side to focus on the practical work to be done. This is a work of fiction, strongly anchored in history. Portrayed in depth, the characters come to life as people for whom we care.

Fans of Nancy Horan's "Loving Frank" will not be disappointed with her second novel. She manages to bring to life the equally fascinating characters of Louis and Fanny and their loving, but turbulent, relationship as they travel the world. Historical facts are expanded upon, bringing insight into the life of a famous author and his strong and remarkable wife. It is an ambitious work, which sometimes seemed a little more detailed than necessary, but well worth the read.

I received an advance copy of Under the Wide and Starry Sky. I found it a welcome addition to the other recent historical novels about the wives of famous people, the women behind the men. Since I didn’t know anything about the life of Robert Louis Stevenson, I found it particularly interesting to learn about him, and his wife led a fascinating life as well. I also enjoyed reading about the time period and the places they traveled. One would never have expected someone in poor health to have managed to travel to the most far-flung places in a time when travel was so difficult. The author brought to life the challenges of Stevenson’s health, finances and relationships. Although the book was a little longer than I would have liked, it was a unique story. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy historical fiction, and I think it would make a good choice for book discussion groups.