For fans of All the Light We Cannot See and The Women in the Castle comes a riveting literary novel that is at once an epic love story and a heart-pounding journey across WWI-era Russia, about an ambitious young doctor and her scientist brother in a race against Einstein to solve one of the greatest mysteries of the universe.
A BEND IN THE STARS by RACHEL BARENBAUM
Publication date: May 14, 2019
Published by: Grand Central Publishing
Genre: historical fiction, literary
SYNOPSIS
In Russia, in the summer of 1914, as war with Germany looms and the Czar's army tightens its grip on the local Jewish community, Miri Abramov and her brilliant physicist brother, Vanya, are facing an impossible decision. Since their parents drowned fleeing to America, Miri and Vanya have been raised by their babushka, a famous matchmaker who has taught them to protect themselves at all costs: to fight, to kill if necessary, and always to have an escape plan. But now, with fierce, headstrong Miri on the verge of becoming one of Russia's only female surgeons, and Vanya hoping to solve the final puzzles of Einstein's elusive theory of relativity, can they bear to leave the homeland that has given them so much?
Before they have time to make their choice, war is declared and Vanya goes missing, along with Miri's fiancé. Miri braves the firing squad to go looking for them both. As the eclipse that will change history darkens skies across Russia, not only the safety of Miri's own family but the future of science itself hangs in the balance.
Grounded in real history -- and inspired by the solar eclipse of 1914 -- A Bend in the Stars offers a heartstopping account of modern science's greatest race amidst the chaos of World War I, and a love story as epic as the railways crossing Russia.
Before they have time to make their choice, war is declared and Vanya goes missing, along with Miri's fiancé. Miri braves the firing squad to go looking for them both. As the eclipse that will change history darkens skies across Russia, not only the safety of Miri's own family but the future of science itself hangs in the balance.
Grounded in real history -- and inspired by the solar eclipse of 1914 -- A Bend in the Stars offers a heartstopping account of modern science's greatest race amidst the chaos of World War I, and a love story as epic as the railways crossing Russia.
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PRAISE FOR A BEND IN THE STARS
"A rousing debut. . . Fans of Kristin Hannah will enjoy Barenbaum’s exhilarating tale."
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"A romantic adventure with a neatly dovetailed ending that will appeal to fans of Kristin Hannah and Pam Jenoff." -BOOKLIST
"A Bend in the Stars is a vivid and wrenching debut, full not only with the darkness of history but also with hope — a literary saga for fans of The Invisible Bridge and All the Light We Cannot See. Love and war and Relativity weave together seamlessly, and we're left understanding that there's more than one way for the universe to bend."
REBECCA MAKKAI, AUTHOR OF THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST THE GREAT BELIEVERS
"A sweeping epic that transports the reader into another era, even as the struggles of its characters feel powerfully modern and timely."
MADELINE MILLER, AUTHOR OF CIRCE AND THE SONG OF ACHILLES
"With the timelessness of a folk tale, the twists and turns of an adventure story, and the pleasures of a science thriller, A Bend in the Stars both fills the reader's heart and keeps it beating fast. This novel's strong gravitational pull draws you powerfully alongside Miri and Vanya in their harrowing quests, and its emotional payoff makes you never want to let them go."
CHRISTOPHER CASTELLANI, AUTHOR OF LEADING MEN
A riveting and deftly-plotted novel that leads us through the twisted labyrinths of Riga, hurtles us atop a pile of crates on a train rumbling toward Kiev, and illuminates how the violence of history and the thrill of scientific discovery unfold in startling simultaneity.
ILANA KURSHAN, AUTHOR OF IF ALL THE SEAS WERE INK
"Rachel Barenbaum's A Bend in the Stars is a beautiful thrill ride steeped in the history of Czarist Russia, from its poverty-ridden shtetls to its roaring trains, and the awesome lure of science. This is a book of history rewritten, dreams realized, and justice served-a book about relativity, war, hatred, and the weight of our assumptions and our great loves."
MICHELLE HOOVER, AUTHOR OF THE QUICKENING
"I loved this so much. The comparison to Dr. Zhivago, one of my favorite movies, to Einstein is perfect. A love triangle, a solar eclipse, the Czar and everyone trying to just survive, A Bend in the Stars is a terrific literary saga for those readers of All the Light You Cannot See and A Constellation of Vital Phenomena."
ANNIE PHILBRICK, BANK SQUARE BOOKS
"A rousing debut. . . Fans of Kristin Hannah will enjoy Barenbaum’s exhilarating tale."
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"A romantic adventure with a neatly dovetailed ending that will appeal to fans of Kristin Hannah and Pam Jenoff." -BOOKLIST
"A Bend in the Stars is a vivid and wrenching debut, full not only with the darkness of history but also with hope — a literary saga for fans of The Invisible Bridge and All the Light We Cannot See. Love and war and Relativity weave together seamlessly, and we're left understanding that there's more than one way for the universe to bend."
REBECCA MAKKAI, AUTHOR OF THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST THE GREAT BELIEVERS
"A sweeping epic that transports the reader into another era, even as the struggles of its characters feel powerfully modern and timely."
MADELINE MILLER, AUTHOR OF CIRCE AND THE SONG OF ACHILLES
"With the timelessness of a folk tale, the twists and turns of an adventure story, and the pleasures of a science thriller, A Bend in the Stars both fills the reader's heart and keeps it beating fast. This novel's strong gravitational pull draws you powerfully alongside Miri and Vanya in their harrowing quests, and its emotional payoff makes you never want to let them go."
CHRISTOPHER CASTELLANI, AUTHOR OF LEADING MEN
A riveting and deftly-plotted novel that leads us through the twisted labyrinths of Riga, hurtles us atop a pile of crates on a train rumbling toward Kiev, and illuminates how the violence of history and the thrill of scientific discovery unfold in startling simultaneity.
ILANA KURSHAN, AUTHOR OF IF ALL THE SEAS WERE INK
"Rachel Barenbaum's A Bend in the Stars is a beautiful thrill ride steeped in the history of Czarist Russia, from its poverty-ridden shtetls to its roaring trains, and the awesome lure of science. This is a book of history rewritten, dreams realized, and justice served-a book about relativity, war, hatred, and the weight of our assumptions and our great loves."
MICHELLE HOOVER, AUTHOR OF THE QUICKENING
"I loved this so much. The comparison to Dr. Zhivago, one of my favorite movies, to Einstein is perfect. A love triangle, a solar eclipse, the Czar and everyone trying to just survive, A Bend in the Stars is a terrific literary saga for those readers of All the Light You Cannot See and A Constellation of Vital Phenomena."
ANNIE PHILBRICK, BANK SQUARE BOOKS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Rachel Barenbaum is a graduate of Grub Street's Novel Incubator program. In a former life she was a hedge fund manager and a spin instructor, before moving to the New Hampshire woods to write. She has an MBA from the Harvard Business School and an AB in Literature and Philosophy from Harvard College. A Bend in the Stars is her first novel.
You can find her on:
A Bend in the Stars by Rachel BarenbaumMy rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
A Bend in the Stars is a sweeping epic portrait of the devastation and desperation of war. This story does not read like it came from a novice writer, far from it. If I hadn't known this was a debut novel beforehand, I would have expected this kind of talent from a seasoned author with years of honing their craft under their belt. Once I got past situating myself in the beginning, I was flying through the book for the majority of its 464 pages. That's no mean feat. With every gasp that escaped these characters, every fearful thundering heartbeat, I was standing next to them in solidarity.
Miri and Vanya Abramov have already suffered great loss and injustice by the year 1914. Their parents died attempting to make it to America for the family, and since then tensions have escalated to the point of war. As Jews living in pre-war Russia, beatings and murder are occurrences that could happen without warning on any given day. There is no such thing as safety, and they've learned to live their lives as if walking on eggshells. To survive the constant abuse and discrimination and get by one day at a time. The siblings are both brilliant in their own right: Vanya is a professor of physics, Miri a doctor who has just been approved to become one of the first few female surgeons to practice in her country. But however much they excel, there are always those who wish to abuse their position of power to prevent them from succeeding.
Vanya idolizes Albert Einstein and has even corresponded with him once over his theory of relativity. He is consumed with the idea of proving his theory and making a huge difference in the world through scientific discovery. The upcoming total solar eclipse is his chance to make that contribution, and at the same time gain entry into America. If he can meet with the American journeying there to take photographs of the rare event, a position at Harvard will be assured. That will mean safety and freedom for his family unlike anything they've experienced before. Unfortunately the timing of WW1 breaking out is cataclysmic for his plans. But he's determined to succeed and begins a perilous, life or death journey fraught with danger.
The historical detail was very well researched, and rich with detail without being too indulgent. I never felt as if it was at the expense of a well paced plot. We alternated between brother and sister until they finally intertwine towards the end near the final climax. Fact and fiction were perfectly woven together to create a war novel unlike any I've read before. There was love amid the madness: unequivocal love for family, and another love story that seemed doomed to end in tragedy in one way or another. Why? Because Miri is engaged, suddenly there is another love interest, and at any moment any one of them could die at the hands of a multitude of people hunting them. I'm not a huge fan of love triangles, and this one was no different but those are my personal preferences. I felt almost guilty for taking off a half star because the quality of the writing was so good. So gripping. This romance fell in a grey area for me because of the extreme circumstances that influenced the decisions made. Still there was some disappointment involved, but not enough to detract much from my love of the overall story.
The flash forward to the year 2000 brought everything to a close so poignantly and tied all the loose ends together crisply. Rachel Barenbaum is a new talent to watch. After her sparkling debut, I'm a firm fan that will be following her work in the future. Not to be missed!
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