The Murmur of Everything Moving: A Memoir

by Maureen Stanton

The Murmur of Everything Moving shares with readers the most sincere and bravest of love stories. Maureen Stanton brings us back to a fateful time in her twenties, when life was filled with aspirations and dreams, until her passionate relationship with Steve, a hard-working electrician and recent divorcee, is intruded upon by serious illness. From there we are led into a finely-wrought exploration of devotion and hope, leaving us to wonder who we are ourselves as family members and caregivers. This beautiful and aching memoir is an odyssey through the difficult but exquisite terrain of love⸺romantic, brotherly, spiritual⸺in the face of illness.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction

262 pages, Paperback

Published March 15, 2025

About the author

Maureen Stanton is an award-winning nonfiction writer. Her book, The Murmur of Everything Moving: A Memoir (March, 2025) won the Donald L. Jordan Prize for Literary Excellence. Her book, "Body Leaping Backward: Memoir of a Delinquent Girlhood," was a "People Magazine" Best New Books choice and Maine Literary Award winner. People Magazine called Body Leaping Backward a "blazingly important memoir about the possibility of change." Stanton also wrote "Killer Stuff and Tons of Money," a work of immersion journalism that explores the subculture of flea markets, antiques, and collecting. "Killer Stuff" received a Massachusetts Book Award in nonfiction, and was a Parade Magazine "Great Summer Reads" pick. She has received a National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship, Pushcart Prizes, Maine Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowships, and her work has been listed as "Notable" by Best American Essays (Houghton Mifflin) eight times. She teaches at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

Reviews

[Amarachi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully haunting recollection of love, illness, and death. The writing in this is so incredibly precise that it cuts you right to the bone. Stanton wastes no time; every word, sentence, and anecdote is considered, and every scene is intentional. It all works together to show you, the reader, what it felt like to fall in love with a man, fall out of love with him, become his caretaker when he is diagnosed with cancer, and be thrust back into that love once more knowing that it will all end in tragedy.
Like the writer upon learning her fiance's diagnosis, you spend the entire book holding your breath, waiting for that moment, that last scene. When it does come it is just as devastating as you would imagine, it is not drawn out, it is not gratuitous, it is haunting, and it is considered but above all things, it is completely honest.

[Simplymegy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was one of 20 out of 1,200 who won an ARC of this book, and for that I’m truly grateful to Storygraph and Maureen Stanton.

I was a bit skeptical going into A Murmur of Everything Moving. In the beginning of her relationship with Steve, Maureen made some choices that was quite in contrast with my own personal beliefs. I thought it wouldn’t resonate with me. But honestly, I was able to move past that pretty quickly because wow, the writing is so good.

Maureen Stanton’s prose is absolutely stunning. She could write a grocery list and I would read it with rapture. I found myself rereading her words, marvelling at the clever wordplay.

”We see that often,” the therapist said, “a last surge of energy right before the person dies.” A cruel trick, I thought, the body mocks the hope of the loved ones. But maybe it’s a gift, this eleventh-hour reprieve, a chance to offer a benediction: God be with ye, which, softened by centuries of spoken language, is just good bye.

I truly marvelled at how raw and honest this memoir is. Steve had cancer, yes, but Maureen doesn’t romanticize him. He could be selfish, even toxic. They had broken up before the diagnosis. And yet—there was still love. What started off as shallow and juvenile love soon evolved into something deep and enduring.

This isn’t your typical love story, but it’s a powerful one. A true love story worth remembering.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt shuttered upon finishing this book, rather bereft and at loose ends. Love comes in many forms. It leaves an imprint on one’s soul. It shapes us into a different individual each time it envelops us. After witnessing the devastation cancer wreaks and also experiencing sudden, swift death, of both the aged and the young, I am no closer to a comprehension of death. One needs to fill their heart with love while on earth.

[Readers Choice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maureen worked as a bartender at the Hitching Post in Wappingers Falls, New York, where she met her husband, Steve. She took the job to save money, travel, and embark on new adventures.
When they first met, Steve told Maureen he was separated from his wife. At the time, he didn’t truly understand what love was.

Their first kiss altered the course of their lives. Steve never tried to impress Maureen, and that, in itself, impressed her. Instead of grand gestures, he simply asked her on a date to play Frisbee. Later, when Maureen became Steve’s caregiver, many nurses assumed they were already married.

Steve was diagnosed with Stage IV terminal cancer. This book offers a poignant look into the role of a caregiver and the emotional toll it takes. Will Steve survive? Through their story, we come to understand that adulthood often unfolds differently from the fantasies we once imagined.

The writing is engaging, the pacing well-balanced, and Maureen’s vivid descriptions kept me hooked until the very last page. I loved every moment of this book.

[Sue Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this author and pre-ordered this book on Amazon. This is the third book I've read of Maureen Stanton's and I can say that each time, I have not been able to pull myself away to put her books down for a few minutes. Her writing is flawless, seamless and poetic at times. She deals with difficult subject matter in both a serious and a humorous way; she can relay the funny and ironic in the most serious of scenarios. Having been a caretaker myself, I loved reading how as a young woman, Maureen gave everything she could muster in herself to help a loved one. I think many will understand how one can lose oneself in this process of caring for others. This is a beautiful story of the strength found in lasting love.

[Ann-Marie Stanton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be real, raw and relatable. The way Maureen weaved her memoir storytelling in a way that drew me in as an onlooker to her love story will forever be etched in my heart.

[Feathered Quill Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

In The Murmur of Everything Moving: A Memoir, Maureen Stanton offers a deeply intimate and harrowing memoir that explores the fragility of life, the fierce tenacity of love, and the moral complexities that arise when survival is on the line. Set against the backdrop of rural Michigan in the 1980s, Stanton recounts her relationship with Steve, a man she met in her twenties, as they built a life rooted in simplicity, self-reliance, and shared dreams – only to have it upended by a devastating cancer diagnosis.

What follows is an emotional and ethical odyssey. As Steve battles for his life, conventional medicine proves insufficient and prohibitively expensive. Enter Joey, Steve’s childhood friend and a struggling addict, who offers to help by selling Steve’s prescription painkillers on the street to fund experimental treatment. The decision sets in motion a chain of events that is both heartbreaking and haunting, culminating in a stark reminder that not all who fight survive – and not all who try to help walk away unscathed.

Stanton writes with unflinching honesty and lyrical clarity, weaving a narrative that’s as much about caregiving, loyalty, and moral ambiguity as it is about illness and grief. She captures the brutal grind of life within the medical-industrial complex, the quiet heroics of caretaking, and the gray zones where desperation and love intersect. This is not a story that offers easy answers – it offers something far more powerful: truth.

Themes of devotion, loss, working-class struggles, and spiritual reckoning pulse through every page, and Stanton’s gift lies in her ability to hold both tenderness and tragedy in the same breath. Her prose is immersive and unguarded, honoring not only Steve’s life but the entire web of relationships – romantic, platonic, and familial – that shaped their journey.

Quill says: Maureen Stanton’s The Murmur of Everything Moving: A Memoir is a breathtaking, morally complex memoir about love’s endurance in the face of impossible choices. It’s a poignant, painful, and ultimately redemptive story of two people trying to hold on to each other – and to hope – against overwhelming odds.

[_sassy_39 · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Murmur of Everything Moving: A Memoir" by Maureen Stanton takes readers on an emotional journey of love, resilience, and the unpredictability of life. The story begins in Wappingers Falls, New York, where Maureen, then working at the Hitching Post bar, first crosses paths with Steve. Determined to chase her dreams, she saved diligently and embarked on a backpacking adventure through Europe, where fate brought them together again.

Steve’s life was already complex when he met Maureen—he was navigating the aftermath of an eight-year marriage and fatherhood to three children. Having decided to finalize his divorce, meeting Maureen brought an unexpected spark. For Steve, their relationship became a revelation of what love could truly be. Together, they navigated the highs and lows of building a life, including making sacrifices for their bond over professional aspirations.

However, their journey took a devastating turn when Steve was diagnosed with Stage IV terminal cancer. Maureen’s memoir details the profound challenges they faced, her unwavering care for Steve, and the heartache of confronting mortality. Through her vivid storytelling, Maureen reflects on how her vision of adulthood transformed in ways she never anticipated.

This beautifully written book is deeply moving and relatable, offering readers insights into resilience, love, and the fragility of life. The pacing keeps you engaged from start to finish, and Maureen's reflections resonate long after the final page. It’s a heartfelt narrative that stays with you, reminding us that life often unfolds in unexpected ways.

[thebookaddict25 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maureen Stanton’s The Murmur of Everything Moving is a deeply affecting memoir about love tested by illness and time. When Stanton’s boyfriend, Steve, is diagnosed with terminal cancer at just 29, the two plunge into an urgent, all-consuming effort to fight for his life. What begins as a story of love quickly becomes a meditation on endurance, devotion, and the quiet unraveling that illness brings.

Stanton brings readers into the intimate, often overwhelming world of caregiving. Her writing is clear-eyed and unsentimental, capturing both the tenderness and the emotional exhaustion that accompany such a journey. She doesn't shy away from the difficult parts—conflicted emotions, personal doubts, and the moments when love strains under the weight of reality.

One of the memoir’s most striking elements is the role of Joey, Steve’s childhood friend battling addiction. In a move that’s as heartbreaking as it is complicated, Joey sells Steve’s pain meds on the black market to help fund his experimental cancer treatments. The act, born from desperation, raises thorny questions about loyalty, survival, and moral compromise.

The Murmur of Everything Moving is more than a memoir of loss; it’s a story about the unexpected forms love can take, the gray areas of compassion, and the lasting impact of shared struggle. Stanton’s voice is honest, reflective, and ultimately redemptive—a quiet tribute to the beauty and pain of loving deeply.

[Motivationaldailythoughts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maureen had never experienced being deeply adored or the center of someone's world until she met Steve. Likewise, though Steve had been married before, he never truly understood love until Maureen came into his life. With her, he felt love for the first time.

Throughout the book, Maureen shares different stages of their relationship—the joys, the sacrifices, and the difficult choices between love and career. When Steve was diagnosed with terminal cancer, their world was turned upside down. The future of their relationship became uncertain, yet Maureen never wavered in her commitment to caring for him. What fate had in store for them remains to be discovered within these pages.

This memoir is a blend of love, heartache, and resilience. The author’s storytelling captures raw emotions, from joy to sorrow and fear. I especially appreciated the thoughtful title choice. If you enjoy memoirs, this is a must-read—it offers a profound look at the complexities of real life.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is beautiful from cover to cover. Maureen Stanton writes generously and with candor about the experience of her fiance's death. Stanton's memoir surprises with its ability to combine untimely death and tenderness; the book reckons with loss while illuminating a beautiful past. The memoir shifts seamlessly between the present of the story (Steve's impending death) and the past (the narrator's history of knowing Steve in better times—but sometimes not). This is honest, tender work that reads like a tribute to Steve—but perhaps unintentionally reveals, also, Stanton's character as a wise and devoted person, one who articulates with beauty all the shortcomings of our own love and mortality.

[G.P. Gottlieb · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Murmur of Everything Moving by Maureen Stanton is a love story, a memoir about joy, sorrow, pain, the heartache of finding the right person, moving 1000 miles to be with him, learning that he has terminal cancer, and fighting at his side to defy the odds of his survival. Stanton details the highs and lows of her relationship, and this memoir is a love song to a beautiful man with whom she once shared her heart and soul.

I was honored to interview Maureen for the New Books Networ https://newbooksnetwork.com/the-murmu...

[Ronit Plank · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's not often I read such an immersive falling-in-love story in memoir. A treat to spend time with Maureen Stanton's The Murmur of Everything Moving. Stanton's deft and searching voice took me to the early days and weeks of a new relationship and how she found herself as this relationship irrevocably changed and her descriptions, self-interrogation, and raw honesty kept me there.

[E.J. Levy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is simply one of the best memoirs I've ever read. The story of a passionate young couple who must face mortality too soon, this is a rare love story that will leave you changed by its moving story and by the author's insight into the nature of love itself and the many ways we love those we love. Highly recommended.