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Starry, Starry Night
'We'll always be together, won't we?'
Childhood friends and cousins Leo and Alice had imagined their whole lives playing out on their beloved Devon beach. But one night when they are teens, sitting on the sand beneath the stars, Alice tells Leo a secret that must never be shared with anybody else . . . then packs her bag and flees.
Leo is left to build his own life - without Alice. He surrounds himself with other family and friends and on the whole is content and fulfilled. But he is left with a sense of what - or who - is missing. So decades later, when he receives a note from Alice asking if she can come home, he doesn't hesitate to agree.
But as the stars align and their reunion draws near, Leo is left to consider their separation and what so many years apart means for a relationship solidified in youth and a secret which could affect the whole family.
Praise for Marcia
'A warm and engaging read.' Trisha Ashley
'A beautifully woven tale of families and their secrets...' Liz Fenwick, bestselling author of The Cornish House
'Riveting, moving and utterly feel-good.' Daily Mail
'Sweeping powers of description transport her readers to another time and place.' Rosanna Ley
Childhood friends and cousins Leo and Alice had imagined their whole lives playing out on their beloved Devon beach. But one night when they are teens, sitting on the sand beneath the stars, Alice tells Leo a secret that must never be shared with anybody else . . . then packs her bag and flees.
Leo is left to build his own life - without Alice. He surrounds himself with other family and friends and on the whole is content and fulfilled. But he is left with a sense of what - or who - is missing. So decades later, when he receives a note from Alice asking if she can come home, he doesn't hesitate to agree.
But as the stars align and their reunion draws near, Leo is left to consider their separation and what so many years apart means for a relationship solidified in youth and a secret which could affect the whole family.
Praise for Marcia
'A warm and engaging read.' Trisha Ashley
'A beautifully woven tale of families and their secrets...' Liz Fenwick, bestselling author of The Cornish House
'Riveting, moving and utterly feel-good.' Daily Mail
'Sweeping powers of description transport her readers to another time and place.' Rosanna Ley
224 pages, Hardcover
Published April 29, 2021
95 people are currently reading
177 people want to read
About the author
Marcia Willett
66 books355 followersMarcia Willett began her career as a novelist when she was fifty years old. Since that first novel Marcia has written twenty more under her own name as well as a number of short stories. She has also written four books under the pseudonym "Willa Marsh", and is published in more than sixteen countries.
Marcia Willett's early life was devoted to the ballet, but her dreams of becoming a ballerina ended when she grew out of the classical proportions required. She had always loved books, and a family crisis made her take up a new career as a novelist - a decision she had never regretted.
Marcia Willett's early life was devoted to the ballet, but her dreams of becoming a ballerina ended when she grew out of the classical proportions required. She had always loved books, and a family crisis made her take up a new career as a novelist - a decision she had never regretted.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
February 10, 2022
I am loath to give any book one star, but this one deserves it. This book was bad. It should be called "Everyone Under The Sun Falls For A Quiet 64-year-old, Including A 20-year-old, A 40-year-old, And A Lesbian". Why can't they shut up about how attractive this old geezer is? Also, it's like every person in the novel is blessed with the gift of telepathy. The book was full of comments like "he looked at her and instantly knew she was feeling guilt, shame, a mix of hope and joy, that she had to take a dump, and that she was hiding the fact that she was getting back with her ex". How can you tell all that from someone's face!? Furthermore, the book was written in an oddly simple style, as if the author is very inexperienced. For example, instead of using a different word, the author just puts "really" in front of it. "She was really sad", "He was really annoyed", etc. I couldn't take the aggressively present tense and that only contributed to my unenjoyment of the novel. The only good thing about the book is that it is only around 215 pages so I didn't have to suffer longer than two days. What a terrible book.
July 8, 2021
Did not like this nearly as much as all her others…too bad…
June 9, 2022
'We'll always be together, won't we?'
Childhood friends and cousins Leo and Alice had imagined their whole lives playing out on their beloved Devon beach. But one night when they are teens, sitting on the sand beneath the stars, Alice tells Leo a secret that must never be shared with anybody else . . . then packs her bag and flees.
Leo is left to build his own life - without Alice. He surrounds himself with other family and friends and on the whole is content and fulfilled. But he is left with a sense of what - or who - is missing. So decades later, when he receives a note from Alice asking if she can come home, he doesn't hesitate to agree.
But as the stars align and their reunion draws near, Leo is left to consider their separation and what so many years apart means for a relationship solidified in youth and a secret which could affect the whole family.
One of the most toxic problems confronting many families is the existence of secrets that prevent open communication and ultimately lead to serious health problems for family members. In the end, some families are unable to maintain their cohesiveness because of family secrets.Maintaining family secrets provides an opportunity for some family members to form a bond between one another. However, the involvement in maintaining a secret means that other family members are excluded.
Shame is a powerful motive for keeping secrets.
Learning and education are made possible by human curiosity. However, there is plentiful evidence that maintaining family secrets deeply affects children's ability to learn. The nature of secrets is that no one knows about their existence. However, children are intuitive and are quick to sense changes in tone of voice, facial expressions, and other non verbal communications indicating that there is a secret. There are few secrets that are so dangerous that they cannot stand being brought out into the open, where they suddenly lose the evil and dark air that once surrounded them.However,it is sometimes better to not reveal a secret - if it will cause undue and unnecessary damage with no benefit.
Childhood friends and cousins Leo and Alice had imagined their whole lives playing out on their beloved Devon beach. But one night when they are teens, sitting on the sand beneath the stars, Alice tells Leo a secret that must never be shared with anybody else . . . then packs her bag and flees.
Leo is left to build his own life - without Alice. He surrounds himself with other family and friends and on the whole is content and fulfilled. But he is left with a sense of what - or who - is missing. So decades later, when he receives a note from Alice asking if she can come home, he doesn't hesitate to agree.
But as the stars align and their reunion draws near, Leo is left to consider their separation and what so many years apart means for a relationship solidified in youth and a secret which could affect the whole family.
One of the most toxic problems confronting many families is the existence of secrets that prevent open communication and ultimately lead to serious health problems for family members. In the end, some families are unable to maintain their cohesiveness because of family secrets.Maintaining family secrets provides an opportunity for some family members to form a bond between one another. However, the involvement in maintaining a secret means that other family members are excluded.
Shame is a powerful motive for keeping secrets.
Learning and education are made possible by human curiosity. However, there is plentiful evidence that maintaining family secrets deeply affects children's ability to learn. The nature of secrets is that no one knows about their existence. However, children are intuitive and are quick to sense changes in tone of voice, facial expressions, and other non verbal communications indicating that there is a secret. There are few secrets that are so dangerous that they cannot stand being brought out into the open, where they suddenly lose the evil and dark air that once surrounded them.However,it is sometimes better to not reveal a secret - if it will cause undue and unnecessary damage with no benefit.
May 15, 2022
I read most of this on my phone while sitting in a hospital waiting room waiting for the birth of my grandchild. It was fine for that kind of setting - mildly diverting, pleasant, and something to pass the time besides the news or social media. It was rather light romantic gossipy soap opera, with extended multi-generational family and close friends and their relationships. Leo, the central character, is a likable sixty-four year-old, whose equilibrium is upset when a cousin he remembered fondly, but who had dropped out of their lives when he was twenty-one, asks if she can come home. Home being the family home he is now living in. He had kept her secret all these years, and had always felt that he had failed her somehow. It was a bit of a strange set-up, but I went along with it. I had a harder time going along with the plot line where a twenty year-old falls for Leo. There's another blast from the past with another character, Tessa, happily wed and now an empty nester, when her former fiance turns up. Some of the other characters are well-intentioned busy bodies poking their noses in, or either controlling bossy types, or both. In contrast, Leo's long lost cousin is flighty, gentle, and sensitive. More than one character lost either her mother or parents at a young age, which I thought rather unusual for a limited cast. It seems that in Marcia Willett's books characters often die young or are widowed young, and cousins have very close relationships, even romantic ones. The first seems to be too convenient for plots, and the second just seems odd, but I've come to expect both in her novels. Another thing she does consistently, and rather annoyingly, is having the characters always reading and interpreting others' emotions from the slightest behaviors. Willett is good at evoking the beautiful settings, here on the English coast, and I do enjoy her descriptions. All-in-all, this is an okay book for passing the time in a pinch.
December 29, 2022
Character-based, shorter than this author's usual novels but no less readable. Possibly more so, as there are fewer descriptive passages in this book. Several people who live in - or visit - a small village in Devon interact, share secrets, and worry about their loved ones.
While the book stands alone there's quite a cast of people, both on stage, so to speak, and in the background. Some of them appeared in earlier books, so it's all the better (in my opinion) to have read most of them beforehand. Not necessary, though.
Beautifully written, poignant and ultimately quite uplifting. I'd hoped there might be more about these characters, but sadly the author died in June 2022.
Longer review here: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/...
Four and a half stars, really.
While the book stands alone there's quite a cast of people, both on stage, so to speak, and in the background. Some of them appeared in earlier books, so it's all the better (in my opinion) to have read most of them beforehand. Not necessary, though.
Beautifully written, poignant and ultimately quite uplifting. I'd hoped there might be more about these characters, but sadly the author died in June 2022.
Longer review here: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/...
Four and a half stars, really.
October 12, 2021
I love everything Marcia Willett writes. There is a sense of old world in her English novels and characters. Protagonists end up with satisfying endings and antagonists do not. Lessons are learned and the thread of surprising secrets unveiled. Given that, Starry Starry Night required more of my attention than most of her novels. It had quite a few characters, enough so that I had to go back and refresh my memory as to who they were. Still, I enjoyed it very much and highly recommend the book if you are a fan of appealing characters and the wonderful English settings of Cornwall and Devon.
July 3, 2023
Hea kerge suvine ajaviitelugemine. "Naistekas", aga ei ole magus. On mitmeid suhte- ja tegevusliine, pöörad huviga lehte, et teada saada, kuhu lugu välja jõuab. Elutarkusi on ka, näiteks:" "Aga millega sa kavatsed tegelema hakata?" küsis George. "Ma pean silmas mingit tõsisemat ametit." "Miks mul peab mingi tõsine amet olema?" naeris Alice. "Miks ma ei võiks olla lihtsalt õnnelik?"".
June 21, 2021
I love her books and this was another example of how she writes really engaging characters.
It was lovely to meet more of her big family.
I always miss them when I've finished one of her novels.
The sign of a good read.
It was lovely to meet more of her big family.
I always miss them when I've finished one of her novels.
The sign of a good read.
April 10, 2022
Another favorite of Marcia Willett’s books. This sweet story was just what I needed. I like that many of the characters seem so comfortable with each other even though at times some feel inadequate. Those insecurities make them real and their successes more enjoyable.
March 20, 2023
An easy, enjoyable read. It's a stand alone novel but does bring back characters from an earlier book (Second Time Around), I can't remember the back story for Bea, Will, Tessa and Giles so it took me a little while to get to know them in this novel.
September 29, 2023
Minu esimene kokkupuude selle autoriga väga sujuvalt küll ei läinud. Püüdsin lõpuni välja sellele raamatule võimaluse anda, kuid ega ma midagi kaasahaaravat ei leidnud.
Pikemalt kirjutan blogis: https://midaheliluges.blogspot.com/20...
Pikemalt kirjutan blogis: https://midaheliluges.blogspot.com/20...
May 16, 2021
Her books are always such a delight to read.
July 11, 2021
My go-to nice light relaxing read...always hit the spot.
July 13, 2021
A heart warming story. Especially enjoyed as it was dedicated to one of my friends.
August 2, 2021
Review to follow
June 2, 2022
Brilliant marcia willett
What a super book, I couldn't put it down. The characters were wonderful. Oh, but I'm sad it ended. Love ms willett, got to be in my top 3 authors. ❤️
What a super book, I couldn't put it down. The characters were wonderful. Oh, but I'm sad it ended. Love ms willett, got to be in my top 3 authors. ❤️
July 23, 2022
family entanglements
Cousins raised as close as siblings make for lots of family memories and joy. Alice and Leo are as close as can be since Alice lost her mother at a young age.
Cousins raised as close as siblings make for lots of family memories and joy. Alice and Leo are as close as can be since Alice lost her mother at a young age.
November 8, 2022
This isn't the best of Marcia Willets books but it is a sweet story that engages you after a bit of a slow start.
August 28, 2023
Yes. Another.
January 26, 2024
Beautiful, emotional story. Loved it! ❤️
August 25, 2022
Oplæser: Tammi Øst. Ok oplæsning.
Willett kan noget med fortællinger om familier og den svære kærlighed. Generationer der oplever glæder og sorger. Og som forsøger at sno sig gennem livets veje. Af og til går vejen den forkerte vej eller op af bakke, men som oftest finder den tilbage til livets landevej. Og regnbuen er måske henne for enden af vejen.
Ja, ja - man bliver jo helt poetisk af at læse de hyggelige bøger.
Willett kan noget med fortællinger om familier og den svære kærlighed. Generationer der oplever glæder og sorger. Og som forsøger at sno sig gennem livets veje. Af og til går vejen den forkerte vej eller op af bakke, men som oftest finder den tilbage til livets landevej. Og regnbuen er måske henne for enden af vejen.
Ja, ja - man bliver jo helt poetisk af at læse de hyggelige bøger.
July 12, 2024
I love the way Marcia Willett describes places so you can see them exactly and I was back in Torcross reading this. All the classic elements of Marcia Willett that I love were here, I just wish it had lasted longer!
April 27, 2022
Absolutely wonderful - l would give it 10 stars if l could. Escapism in a book!
April 23, 2022
Nothing seemed to happen in this book.
April 6, 2025
This was a revisit to characters we met some years ago, it was quite nice but I felt something was lacking.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews