Jane C

I enjoyed being invited into Sara Seager's life. I especially enjoyed learning about Sara's work on exoplanets and the Starshade project. Having helped someone close through the grief process of losing a spouse, I am glad that Sara found support in The Widows of Concord. I would have liked to learn a little more about Jessica, Diane and Christine as Sara mentions that she became close friends with them, even having Jessica live with her and her sons. I also wonder if Sara ever sought professional help about where she fits on the autism spectrum. Overall, a nicely paced read about a slice in the life of a most interesting person.

Migrations left me feeling let down and with more questions than answers. I did not connect with Franny, the narrator and thought she was unreliable, as in her remarks to others about her parents. The reason for Franny's wanderlust was never made apparent, even implicitly. She had found love with Niall and even with Ennis Malone. Even Niall's mother, Penny, accepted Franny and was willing to help her. What became of Ennis and his crew? These folks were too integral to the plot to just fade away. Also, the uneven way the backstory was brought in kept bouncing me out of the story--when did this happen, now? And, why bring in the father exactly at the end of the story? What did he have to do with anything except possibly in a minute way by his absence. I enjoyed Niall and Ennis and wished for a better way to have their story told.