What do readers think of An Infinite Love Story by Chanel Cleeton? Write your own review.

I must admit that I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought that I would. I was in school when the space race was going on, so I well remember the teacher rolling a TV into the classroom so we could watch a launch or a splashdown. I also remember watching in horror as the Challenger exploded. In contrast to watching the smiling waving astronauts, I have a good friend who is the wife of a now retired astronaut. He has a room filled with medals and memorabilia and she has the memories of worry and raising four children often on her own.

I feel that the author did a great job of comparing and contrasting the thrills and excitement of being an astronaut with the struggles of being the spouse. She also showed well the difficulty for a woman to have a successful career in the 1960s. The loss of the baby added yet another element of stress to a couple already under stress.

My reason for a "4" instead of a "5" is that I did not find the addition of time travel and black holes to be necessary. I think the strength of the book was the characters and their relationships .

I love the time of the story and the character development. I will admit I did not finish the book, but not because it was not good. First, I do not like stories that go between present and past. I can't explain why but I would just prefer that they tell the story from beginning to the end. Second, I figured out pretty quickly that right now was not a good time to read the story because it would be emotional. But, what I did read I would recommend.

This was a multi layered story from the early 60's to '68 or so.

Vivien is a woman before her time, self assured, career oriented & not looking for love or a commitment. Her friend meets a guy & asks Viv to come along & meet his friend, story takes off from there.

There's some science stuff, but it did not take away from the actual story.

This was a love story, a struggle to be a strong woman in that era & the difficulties in being a wife or girlfriend of an astronaut.

I did enjoy it & I did have a little crush on Jim Mitchell!!

It's the year of space stories, between 'Project Hail Mary', and 'Atmosphere'; and now we have Ms. Cleeton's entre into the genre. Known mainly for her historical fiction novels set in Cuba, this is a new avenue for her.

A love story, that may or may not have some 'otherworldly' aspects to it, it's set in 1968, at the height of the Space Race, when the world is fixated on the Moon and the brave men who reach for it. Joe Mitchell, an ambitious astronaut, is poised for one of his career's most dangerous missions. He and his fellow crew members launch into space amidst great global anticipation, but soon contact is lost. When officials presume the spacecraft destroyed and the crew dead, Vivian, Joe's wife, is left in a world of grief, disbelief, and unanswered questions.

Rather than giving in to despair, Vivian relives the story of their love, from their first meeting to the vibrant life they built together, to make sense of what has happened. As rumors swirl and the investigation unfolds, something else begins to happen: mysterious communications arrive that only Joe could have sent, leading Vivian to wonder if love might truly transcend time and space.

There haven't been many books written about astronauts' wives and the struggles they endure, and by centering the narrative on Vivian's experience, Cleeton gives the emotional stakes real weight, making Joe's possible fate feel profoundly personal rather than abstract.

There's great character development here and you feel for Vivian and what she is going through. Another great addition to the Cleeton library!

I've enjoyed escaping to Cuba set in historic timelines and a touch of romance in Chanel Cleeton's earlier books. So, I was intrigued by her newest novel and yet hesitant about the description. A plot that relives the early days of the space race? Science fiction? It was a bit like doing a double-take when bumping into an acquaintance because you don't recognize them at first. Perhaps they've lost weight or have a shocking new hair style?

I'm glad I gave this new look and feel of Cleeton's a try. I was quickly drawn into lives of the characters - their backstories and aspirations. The plot is romantic but not an impractical fairy tale. It is heartbreaking at points and also gives readers pause to consider the important issues of early space travel, such as the enormous safety risks and lack of privacy the astronauts and their families faced.

What I found particularly satisfying was how the characters matured, learning critical life lessons! I felt that one subplot came out of nowhere. Perhaps this speed bump was intended to reinforce that life is not perfect and challenges can be the path to new strengths and perspectives.

I continue to have faith in Chanel Cleeton and will continue to read her backlist as well as future publications. This newest offering would be an excellent selection for book clubs. Thank you to BookBrowse and Berkley Publishing Group for an opportunity to review this Advance Reader Copy.

Having grown up during the Space Exploration era, I enjoyed reminiscing about the many times, we, as a family watched launches with a mix of excitement and trepidation. It was also sobering to realize how the life of an astronaut, his wife and his family were impacted by this stress, this need to succeed and the public face of every aspect, good or bad. The love story was sweet and realistic as both thought of the impact of a relationship so fraught with the impact of one career path.

However, I felt there was a disconnect with what Vivian experiences after Joe's last mission. We are taken on a scientific review of wormholes. But that's not the answer. And I felt it just wrapped up too quickly with no explanation. I am glad she continued to fight for Joe and the other astronauts, but I felt the ending was abrupt. The epilogue was painful as well.

The 1960's were tumultuous. I grew into a teenager during those years. I vaguely remember the Kennedy/Nixon debates on TV. But the race riots, Kent State murders, JFK, MLK and RFK assassinations as well as the Vietnam war body count on national news nightly are forever etched into my memory.

The Space Race however was a magical story amid all the drama. The astronauts were handsome and daring and all of their wives were beautiful and dutiful. However, Cleeton prefaces her novel, An Infinite Love Story, with this statistic: "There were thirty-nine astronauts in the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo space programs. Twenty of those marriages ultimately ended in divorce."

The novel begins as, Vivian, an astronaut's wife faces the unimaginable. Joe's spaceship has lost contact, can't be found and is not expected to return. Vivian is a young woman who has married the love of her life. When Joe disappears, she is determined to find out why, by whatever means. Through flashbacks we are introduced to the human side of the space race magic. Lonely wives, philandering husbands and unpredictable futures all take a back seat to the mission of winning the race to the moon.

As an adult, the story and characters felt a little obvious and predictable. Yet Cleeton inserts a little space magic into Vivian's search that is enjoyable and almost believable. An Infinite Love Story is an easy read, somewhat predictable but recommended for those who wish to remember the reality and the magic of space travel in the sixties.

So having recently read Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid I was ready for another space/astronaut love story. Unfortunately, this book doesn't quite cut it although I know it's difficult to find a place next to a favored book. Ms. Cleeton does a very good job with the space and astronaut part of her story especially setting it against the space race with Russia, the rush to reach the moon and the fear of the Cuban Missile Crises. I thought she was very compassionate in describing the difficult life of space wives and the bias of the early space program against women as astronauts. I do think the love story between Vivian and Joe fell short. Joe is a charismatic, confident, fighter pilot with a life long desire to become an astronaut. He is willing to put his life on the line for what he wants and doesn't have to sacrifice anything for his dreams. Vivian is a journalist who has had to fight for what she wants, desires a quiet life and has no desire to constantly move houses after having had to do that as a child. She's the opposite of Joe; she isn't even sure she believes in the Space Program believing the millions are better spent domestically. Even after they are married she constantly reminds him that she wishes he were something else, like a boring dentist, and even tries to get him to abandon his idea of becoming an astronaut. She ultimately gives up everything she is and believes in to be a hated space wife. I understand it was not uncommon for women to give up their dreams for their husbands in the 1960's but her dislike of her life and her unhappiness with her husband didn't seem like an infinite love story to me until he died. I also didn't care for the time travel/wormhole part of the story. The note from the author said that she believed that great loves could be lived over and over yet she ultimately gives no explanation for the odd occurrences and basically just lets them drop. I recommend this book to anyone that wants to relive a bit of the space race but don't look for a great love story.