Kannst du nachts die Sterne sehen?

by Mary E. Mitchell

Seit Kates Ehemann Kyle vor zwei Jahren plötzlich an einem Herzinfarkt starb, ist ihre Welt und die ihrer beiden Kinder völlig aus den Fugen geraten: Aus der unkomplizierten, 14jährigen Charlotte wurde eine schwierige, Schule schwänzende Jugendliche, die ihrer Mutter die Schuld an allem gibt einschließlich dem Tod des Vaters. Und der vierjährige Hunter entwickelt eine außergewöhnliche Zuneigung zu Ketchupflaschen, die er wie andere Kinder Teddybären ständig mit sich herumträgt. Kate glaubt, dass es für die Familie am besten ist, ihrem Leben für eine längere Auszeit den Rücken zu kehren. Also machen sie sich auf zu Kyles Eltern, die 20 Autostunden entfernt wohnen. Doch dann kommt alles anders als erwartet

Genres: Family, Fiction, Grief, Death

383 pages, Paperback

First published October 13, 2009

Reviews

[John Seyfarth · Rating 2 out of 5]

About a woman who is raising two kids, an adolescent girl and a younger boy, after her husband dies. The girl is unpredictable and often rude. The mother, a school counselor, is unable to cope with the girl and seeks the help of a neighbor-friend whose relationship to the late husband is not quite clear.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly, highly recommend Mary E. Mitchell’s new novel, Americans in Space. The main character, mother and high school guidance counselor Kate Cavanaugh, is a beautifully rendered Every Woman who feels less like a character on a page and more like an old friend to whom you’re lending your ear as she uncovers her bruised heart. The combination of humor and pathos Kate embodies as she attempts to make sense of her young widowhood has you rooting for her even in moments when her missteps in managing everything from her teenage daughter’s behavior to conversation on a dinner date make you cringe and groan.

At no point does Mitchell opt for the easy answers for this family, whose struggle to reconfigure itself around their missing father and husband would be an easy stock tear jerker-turned-triumph story for a lesser writer. Their aches are real, but so are their joys, and this is what makes the novel such a compelling read. You love this family even when it’s at its worst because Mitchell gives you convincing glimpses of what it could be at its best. She also gives you some of the most thoughtful sentences you’ll read in new fiction, with language so vivid and straightforward that her characters transcend the page and become people you will positively miss when you turn the last page.

[Marcella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one and it would likely be ranked towards the top of the list of books I've read this year. The story of a mother and her two children dealing with grief and learning to now be a family of three. I thought the characters were well written, interesting and pretty believable. Told from the mothers perspective, I really liked her voice and wanted to read more.

[Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Sleeper is Slowly Being Discovered


Kirkus Reviews writes that Americans in Space “arrestingly depicts a family consumed by grief,” suggesting that its readers “[g:]et out the tissues, but plan on reading this impressive, stirring novel straight through.”

Library Journal, in a starred review, renders its verdict that “Mitchell pitches life’s hardball themes of death, grief, and redemption with piercing clarity and magically interlaces romance and humor into her family saga. Highly recommended for contemporary fiction readers.”

Booklist says “Mitchell captures the mother-daughter angst to perfection, and Kate’s struggle to get on with her life with a frank and empathetic lens.”

And, in choosing it as an Indie Next selection for this month, the ABA reviewer writes that “Americans in Space will speak to all readers, especially to parents of teens.”

The book is a sleeper, but is available everywhere. The first chapter can be read for free online at www.maryemitchell.com.

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

With 115 pages left, I just couldn't finish this book. The main character, who is the narrator, was incredibly annoying. I didn't agree with her actions at the point in the story where I decided to put the book down. Just couldn't sympathize with her and her constant negativity. On top of that, the first person narration jumped to third person in several different places and that drove me bonkers.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story about love, loss, family and how to pick up the pieces and go on. Very believable characters.

[Monica Caldicott · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish.
I started to hate Kate as much as her high school freshman daughter did.
Every bad decision in the world.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5 stars) Kate is a guidance counselor at a high school and is still struggling from the unexpected death of her husband two years prior. Her teen-aged daughter is rebelling and her son, Hunter, at four, clings to empty ketchup bottles as a form of security blanket. Kate makes attempts to move on, but becomes frustrated with her own perceived ineptitude at all things involving love. When a tragedy occurs with one of the members of her at-risk support group, Kate begins her own spiral, trying to find a way out for her and her family. This is a look at grief and forgiveness with no simple answers.

[Annie Robb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid writing in a book about family, work, loss, and finding one's way. After an ok beginning, it picked up in the 2nd half. The protagonist was somewhat overdone, and the book was dated with it's references to MySpace, etc. But overall a very readable, relateable, engaging story.

[Lydia Presley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have had Americans in Space on my TBR pile for over two years now. When culling through some of my selections from that time I decided, on a whim, to keep this one because the title fascinated me. No other reason- I just liked the title. So, when picking books for a TBR yearly challenge for the blog I put this one on the list - again, because I liked the name.

I've read quite a few books on loss and grief and recovery. I consider myself to be a fairly good judge of when a book is getting it right, because I get this feeling in my gut - you know, the one that feels like you've just been kicked? Well.. my gut is bruised from reading this book.

I don't know which characters story affected me more, but I'm telling you right now: mother-daughter tension - check; mother-son confusion - check. This book has just about everything, from dependencies to rebellion to recovery and learning to live life again.

So what kept me from making it one of my all-time favorite books? My issue isn't with the characters, the writing, or the story - it's that the book was released with several glaring issues in editing. There are words that... well aren't words, and phrases that don't end correctly. I found one sentence that looked like it stopped mid-sentence and another latter half of a different sentence was pieced on to its end. That made me feel discouraged - that these things could crop up and mar my enjoyment. And frankly, for a professional book (Editor and all) they should not have been there.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main character, and both her kids, and all humans, are learning as the story is told about a woman, and her family learning to live in "today's" society. Is the daughter the consequence of what her husband did before he died, with the tattoos, and tongue piercing, at age 14? The son, four years old, wanting to keep a ketchup bottle as enjoyment for the rest of his life. The question the mother needs to answer, and the question for every woman...what is woman's rights, and freedom of speech? Did society learn anything? We'll see as the world evolves after this tale of life, and understanding after a teenager's suicide, that had come after the main character's husaband's death. The answer though, is being a guidance counsler too, isn't always the answer. The answer if her husband had had his way, would be suicide if she had sex again...but maybe that's why he's dead, and we should remember that.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading a review of this book on the Indie List (book reviews put out by independent book store owners), I was really looking forward to reading American Space. In addition, as a teacher who deals with teenage angst on a regular basis at work, this story of a high school counselor was intriguing to me. The book was good, not quite great. The Cavanaugh family is still reeling, two years later, from the death of Kyle, patriarch of the family. As Kate, Kyle's wife, deals with her own mourning, her teenage daughter, Charlotte acts out in an attempt to seek closure and find hope for the future. It's an interesting depiction of one family coming to terms with death and anger, eventually finding a renewed hope for what lies ahead.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book about a disfunctional family grieving the death of the father. The children are messed up, the son has attached himself to ketchup bottles and won't let go, the daughter, skips school, gets both a tatoo and a tongue stud. The mom a high school counselor, grieves for her husband and shuts herself off from friends, family and the outside world. A tragedy at the Allen B. Shepard High School, when a young teen committs suicide finally gets the family to accept what has happened and starts them on the path to wellness. A few bumps along the way are very interesting to the plot.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel about a family still reeling from the sudden, untimely death of its husband and father two years ago has a great narrator: Kate Cavanaugh, the wife and mother. Her confessional voice drew me in right away, and she (or Mitchell) tells her story with poignancy and humor (I'm stealing these adjectives from the book jacket, because they're perfect!). The portrayal of Charlotte, the 14-year-old, as a troubled teenager is a little extreme, however, at least in the context of this story. There are memorable characters and you'll find yourself rooting for this family to make it.

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not like this book, it was very angry. The characters had no depth. A high school counselor lost her husband two years ago, just as her daughter is heading into adolescence, and her 4 yr old son is having attachment issues. Major problems for any family, but I just didn't see any redeeming qualities of this book. So many issues crammed into one- rebelling teenager, widowhood, high school suicide, running away from home, not being able to cope. It dealt with a lot, but was just shallow. Has received very high ratings elsewhere, I just don't get what the hype is about.

[Lorri Steinbacher · Rating 2 out of 5]

In some ways painful to read. Item A: I cannot abide authors who allow their characters to look in mirrors and describe themselves. Feels lazy to me. Item B: Using brand names as short cuts for describing character personalities (Mitchell seems focused on shoes). Item C: the grieving widow having no fewer than three decent men hanging on her every breakdown. Puh-lease.

I felt sorry for Marge, having to live next to these people, I really did.

[Renee · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was mentioned by author Chris Bojalian at a speach of his I attended on his book the Double Bind as one of his recent reads. It's about a family trying to move forward after the father dies young and unexpectantly. I didn't like the characters of the book and therefore found the book difficult. The daughter was just a jerk and the mother doesn't seem to have a clue.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and the characters. I've read several books on this same theme -- a woman dealing with the loss of a spouse. The woman in this book is a high school counselor, and it's interesting to read how she deals with her own children. You get involved with this book and care about the characters.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost quit reading this book at the half way point. I am really weary of reading about people rolling around in their own melancholy after two years. I thought the daughter should not have been acting out after two years and the mother who was a school counselor, was clueless as to how to help her. It did get better but what a lot of drama!!!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I plodded through the first half of the book, rather disappointed as it was quite simply, boring. I'm glad I did because the second half was much better. I ended up liking the book overall despite its meager beginning. The premise is nothing new but the story sucked me in because I wanted to know what became of the characters.

[Angelina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found the writing in this book to be quite addictive. Didn't really like the love interest or find it believable, but was able to look past that. The book got a bit crazy in the second half, but overall was an easy enjoyable contemporary read. Liked the cheese name and ketchup bottle anecdotes sprinkled throughout the novel.

[Kym]

Uneven reading -- really good in spots, terrible in others. Supporting characters fell flat as being "too good to be true." Occasional dialogue distractions and multiple copyediting errors. Mitchell has promise.

[Marjanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A less conventional look at death and grief. The characters were interesting. There is some language, but it seems somewhat realistic and didn't seem over used. I think most readers could relate to one character or another. Overall I enjoyed the story and how it was told.

[Leticia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book a little annoying, mostly because of the characters. They were portrayed in an extreme sort and the author jumped around from one random idea to the next. It was slightly entertaining, but not a great book.

[Amanda]

I tried to read this, but I only got about 3 chapters into this--too much is going on in my life right now, and the sadness in this book, coupled with everything in my life was too much--I couldn't even try to finish the book.

[Annalise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad read, though a bit too much to swallow at times. I'd recommend it for a commuter or someone else who just wants to read a different voice before diving back in to something else with more substance

[Ellen · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book had an interesting plot which at times I could relate to being widowed myself, but I found it drawn out and I did not find the characters engaging. The book was missing a punch!
I think it did best at describing the angst between and troubled teen and her mom.

[Maryanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young woman suddenly loses her husband and is left to raise a teenage daughter and four-year old son. It's sad, funny, true-to-life. The author is really in touch with today's teenagers which added realism to the story.

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would! A story about a woman coming to terms with the death of her husband and taking charge of her own life again. This realization, however, appears masked by the acting out of her two children.

[Tj · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the style of the writing, it was easy to read and very relatable. I didn't like the f-word though.