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Hometown Memories #3
Till the Stars Fall
In a small Minnesota mining town, young Krissa is sheltered from her violent father by Danny, the brother she idolizes. Danny, a budding musician, is determined to escape with his sister in tow.
When the pair finally succeed, they meet Quinn, a privileged and wealthy college student. Drawn together by a passion for music, Danny and Quinn set up a successful pop group. As their stars begin to rise, Danny falls in love with fame, and Quinn and Krissa fall in love with each other. But the higher Danny, Quinn and Krissa climb, the faster their worlds crumble, until they part.
Sixteen years later, their paths cross once again, three fallen stars. Danny is gravely ill. Quinn and Krissa are still in love. But to hear the music again, the three must face their joined pasts and use the lessons to create a better future.
REVIEWS:
"...beautiful, lyrical writing, fascinating characters, and a touching renewed romance..." ~ All About Romance
"An extraordinary novel! ...full of beauty, love, compassion, and truth..." ~Susan Elizabeth Phillips
HOMETOWN MEMORIES, in order
After All These Years
Don't Forget to Smile
Till the Stars Fall
Again
MEET KATHLEEN GILLES SEIDEL
Award-winning author Kathleen Gilles Seidel still longs for the small Kansas hometown of her birth. To fill that longing, she builds her own small towns, filling their imaginary borders with strong robust characters seeking their own happily-ever-afters. Kathy lives outside of Washington, D.C. She and her late husband have two grown daughters.
When the pair finally succeed, they meet Quinn, a privileged and wealthy college student. Drawn together by a passion for music, Danny and Quinn set up a successful pop group. As their stars begin to rise, Danny falls in love with fame, and Quinn and Krissa fall in love with each other. But the higher Danny, Quinn and Krissa climb, the faster their worlds crumble, until they part.
Sixteen years later, their paths cross once again, three fallen stars. Danny is gravely ill. Quinn and Krissa are still in love. But to hear the music again, the three must face their joined pasts and use the lessons to create a better future.
REVIEWS:
"...beautiful, lyrical writing, fascinating characters, and a touching renewed romance..." ~ All About Romance
"An extraordinary novel! ...full of beauty, love, compassion, and truth..." ~Susan Elizabeth Phillips
HOMETOWN MEMORIES, in order
After All These Years
Don't Forget to Smile
Till the Stars Fall
Again
MEET KATHLEEN GILLES SEIDEL
Award-winning author Kathleen Gilles Seidel still longs for the small Kansas hometown of her birth. To fill that longing, she builds her own small towns, filling their imaginary borders with strong robust characters seeking their own happily-ever-afters. Kathy lives outside of Washington, D.C. She and her late husband have two grown daughters.
416 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
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202 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
November 28, 2009
Krissa and Danny French are siblings who live in a small mining town in Minnesota. Danny is an intense young man with a keen mind and beautiful voice. More than anything, he longs leave the small town he despises and his stifling family life with his morose failure of a father and his enabling mouse of a mother. However brilliant he is, he has too much bitterness to really apply himself in school to make it out. Krissa is the perfect daughter with the perfect grades who has the aptitude but not the ambition to leave the Iron Ridge.
But one pivotal night, Krissa and Danny come to a revelation about themselves and their family. Danny begins a year-long makeover with Krissa's help to become the perfect college applicant. Their diligence pays off and Danny is accepted into Princeton.
While there, Danny meets Quinn Hunter, a child of wealth and privilege, who becomes Danny's best friend and partner as they form the rock band Dodd Hall.
The story follows the rise (and fall) of Dodd Hall and the love story of Krissa and Quinn.
My little summary does absolutely no justice to the scope and depth of this book. This is my favorite of the KGS books I've read. It is a great story of the relationship of these three people: Krissa and Danny's as brother and sister; Danny and Quinn's as best friends and partners in a wildly successful rock band; and Quinn's and Krissa's as passionate, wildly in love lovers.
The story starts after the band has broken up and all three -- Danny, Krissa and Quinn are leading different and completely separate lives. Krissa is divorced with three kids. Danny is on a hunger strike for the homeless and Quinn has embarked on a completely different career. The book is told for the most part in flashbacks -- almost like a VH1 Behind the Music special. Each chapter also boasts snippets of interviews & excerpts from biographies and memories from people outside the main three (session musicians, groupies etc).
The effect of this story structure is quite cool. On the one hand you get the nostalgic look at the rise, glory and fall of a great band. But there is also the suspense of learning how these people broke up and what led them to where they are when the story opens. How is it that Krissa was married to someone who isn't Quinn and had three kids? Why are Quinn and Danny not speaking to each other? In one enigmatic interview with Rolling Stone, Quinn simply says they broke up because Danny smiled at the wrong time. I was wild to find out what happened! As you're reading the book, the love between Quinn and Krissa is so strong, the friendship between Quinn and Danny is so deep you can't begin to imagine what goes wrong. Until you do. And when we get to the present time, KGS brings the three back into each other's orbit in just the right way. The ending was perfection.
This was great storytelling. My only quibble with this book is the treatment of Krissa's ex-husband. I wish there had been a better resolution with him.
Otherwise, excellent book. I highly recommend and would also recommend Public Secrets by Nora Roberts as a great companion piece.
But one pivotal night, Krissa and Danny come to a revelation about themselves and their family. Danny begins a year-long makeover with Krissa's help to become the perfect college applicant. Their diligence pays off and Danny is accepted into Princeton.
While there, Danny meets Quinn Hunter, a child of wealth and privilege, who becomes Danny's best friend and partner as they form the rock band Dodd Hall.
The story follows the rise (and fall) of Dodd Hall and the love story of Krissa and Quinn.
My little summary does absolutely no justice to the scope and depth of this book. This is my favorite of the KGS books I've read. It is a great story of the relationship of these three people: Krissa and Danny's as brother and sister; Danny and Quinn's as best friends and partners in a wildly successful rock band; and Quinn's and Krissa's as passionate, wildly in love lovers.
The story starts after the band has broken up and all three -- Danny, Krissa and Quinn are leading different and completely separate lives. Krissa is divorced with three kids. Danny is on a hunger strike for the homeless and Quinn has embarked on a completely different career. The book is told for the most part in flashbacks -- almost like a VH1 Behind the Music special. Each chapter also boasts snippets of interviews & excerpts from biographies and memories from people outside the main three (session musicians, groupies etc).
The effect of this story structure is quite cool. On the one hand you get the nostalgic look at the rise, glory and fall of a great band. But there is also the suspense of learning how these people broke up and what led them to where they are when the story opens. How is it that Krissa was married to someone who isn't Quinn and had three kids? Why are Quinn and Danny not speaking to each other? In one enigmatic interview with Rolling Stone, Quinn simply says they broke up because Danny smiled at the wrong time. I was wild to find out what happened! As you're reading the book, the love between Quinn and Krissa is so strong, the friendship between Quinn and Danny is so deep you can't begin to imagine what goes wrong. Until you do. And when we get to the present time, KGS brings the three back into each other's orbit in just the right way. The ending was perfection.
This was great storytelling. My only quibble with this book is the treatment of Krissa's ex-husband. I wish there had been a better resolution with him.
Otherwise, excellent book. I highly recommend and would also recommend Public Secrets by Nora Roberts as a great companion piece.
August 12, 2016
A month or so ago, Dear Author published their Top 100 romances list (as chosen by their review staff). I've always waited with baited breath for All About Romance's Top 100 (which is chosen by their readers), so I read Dear Author's list with interest. The thing that struck me was how many romances I'd never heard of. So, I resolved to read a few of them. I promptly ordered two of the books that were on the list: To Have and To Hold by Patricia Gaffney, which I've been hearing about for years, and Till the Stars Fall Down by Kathleen Gilles Seidel.
I decided to read Till the Stars Fall Down first. The book was published in 1994, and while it has a slightly dated feel, the writing is still fresh and compelling. The book tells the story of Krissa and Danny French, brother and sister who live in Mesabi Iron Range in Minnesota. They come from a mining community, and they live in a very tense household. Their father has been injured in a mining accident and has been relegated to a light work position within the mine. This has made their father, always a difficult man, even surlier. Danny and Krissa are very different kids. Danny is a loner, a musician and someone who is very independent. Krissa is a people pleaser. A straight A student and a girl who just wants to get through school and fulfill her future, which is probably getting married to a miner and having a bunch of kids. But Danny dreams of getting off the Range and making a future for himself that is bigger and better than anything he can achieve at home. He resolves to improve his studies and go to an Ivy League college. Krissa helps him improve his study habits and do what he needs to so he can fulfill his dream. Soon Danny is accepted at Princeton, and it is there that his story really begins.
Danny meets Quinn Hunter, the golden child of a wealthy family, Quinn is pretty much just coasting through life, loved but neglected by his parents, until he meets Danny at an audition for Princeton's elite singing group. He and Danny have perfectly matched voices, and they begin to realize that their gifts complement each other. Soon the only thing they want to do is sing. Quinn writes the lyrics, Danny writes the music. And together, they form a band, Dodd Hall. In no time, Dodd Hall is touring up and down the east coast and increasing in popularity.
In the Spring, Krissa comes to visit Danny at Princeton and meets Quinn for the first time. Quinn is spellbound. He wants nothing more than to be alone with Krissa. Of course, she's his best friend and partner's little sister, so she's completely out of bounds. But the more time he spends with her, the more he wants her. Krissa is not immune to Quinn, but she's determined to have her own life. But she's accepted into Bryn Mawr and is soon put to work for Dodd Hall keeping their books and helping keep things organized for the guys. Soon Dodd Hall is signed to a record contract and the band begins to take off. Krissa stays in school and but flies each weekend to meet the guys wherever they are. At this point, she and Quinn have begun a relationship and she's becoming more and more integral to the operation of Dodd Hall. Quinn wants her to drop out of school and marry him. But she refuses knowing that she needs to keep some part of herself separate from the band. The more Dodd Hall's popularity grows, the more difficult it becomes for the guys to live a regular life. They're recognized everywhere, and they become more limited in what they can do, even as their wealth rises and they rely more and more on Krissa to keep it real for them. Krissa begins to feel her life is being consumed by Dodd Hall. And she informs the guys that she will be taking the last semester of college off from the band. She will not be traveling with them, and she will not be meeting them. They must operate without her.
It quickly becomes evident that Krissa is imperative to Dodd Hall's operation. She keeps peace between Danny and Quinn and she mediates disagreements. Both Danny and Quinn are calling her daily, airing grievances and expecting her to fix their issues. Krissa begs their manager to tell them that she doesn't want to hear from either of them. She decides to escape both of them by going home for Spring Break. While there, she rekindles a friendship with Jerry Aarensson, a guy she knew in high school. Jerry is everything Quinn is not. He's calm, and confident, and kind. He puts Krissa first, and is a much simpler guy. Their relationship becomes more serious after they sleep together on the last night of Spring Break.
Danny receives a phone call from Krissa telling him that she's married Jerry. Of course, this is a shock to Quinn who thought that he and Krissa were still together. It sets off a series of events that leads the band to its downfall.
Seidel is a remarkably strong story teller. Till the Stars Fall alternates between scenes throughout the 70s and the 90s, when Quinn and Krissa reacquaint themselves. The story unfolds slowly building from Krissa and Danny's childhood, to the formation of Dodd Hall, to the band's downfall, to Krissa and Quinn reconnecting. It's gorgeously written, offering beautiful inner monologues for each character. We immediately see Krissa's desperation at being consumed by Quinn and Danny, and her heartache at being pulled between the two of them. We understand Quinn's all consuming love for Krissa, and his need to have her near him always. We never really understand Danny, who is selfish, and difficult and slow to trust. The story has the feel of a saga, one that reminds me a bit of the books that Katherine Stone used to write. Except, much better. The writing is strong and deft and Seidel does a wonderful job infusing scenes with emotion and creating immensely likable characters. This book was a delight, start to finish and one that will immediately take its place on my keeper shelves.
Final Grade: A
I decided to read Till the Stars Fall Down first. The book was published in 1994, and while it has a slightly dated feel, the writing is still fresh and compelling. The book tells the story of Krissa and Danny French, brother and sister who live in Mesabi Iron Range in Minnesota. They come from a mining community, and they live in a very tense household. Their father has been injured in a mining accident and has been relegated to a light work position within the mine. This has made their father, always a difficult man, even surlier. Danny and Krissa are very different kids. Danny is a loner, a musician and someone who is very independent. Krissa is a people pleaser. A straight A student and a girl who just wants to get through school and fulfill her future, which is probably getting married to a miner and having a bunch of kids. But Danny dreams of getting off the Range and making a future for himself that is bigger and better than anything he can achieve at home. He resolves to improve his studies and go to an Ivy League college. Krissa helps him improve his study habits and do what he needs to so he can fulfill his dream. Soon Danny is accepted at Princeton, and it is there that his story really begins.
Danny meets Quinn Hunter, the golden child of a wealthy family, Quinn is pretty much just coasting through life, loved but neglected by his parents, until he meets Danny at an audition for Princeton's elite singing group. He and Danny have perfectly matched voices, and they begin to realize that their gifts complement each other. Soon the only thing they want to do is sing. Quinn writes the lyrics, Danny writes the music. And together, they form a band, Dodd Hall. In no time, Dodd Hall is touring up and down the east coast and increasing in popularity.
In the Spring, Krissa comes to visit Danny at Princeton and meets Quinn for the first time. Quinn is spellbound. He wants nothing more than to be alone with Krissa. Of course, she's his best friend and partner's little sister, so she's completely out of bounds. But the more time he spends with her, the more he wants her. Krissa is not immune to Quinn, but she's determined to have her own life. But she's accepted into Bryn Mawr and is soon put to work for Dodd Hall keeping their books and helping keep things organized for the guys. Soon Dodd Hall is signed to a record contract and the band begins to take off. Krissa stays in school and but flies each weekend to meet the guys wherever they are. At this point, she and Quinn have begun a relationship and she's becoming more and more integral to the operation of Dodd Hall. Quinn wants her to drop out of school and marry him. But she refuses knowing that she needs to keep some part of herself separate from the band. The more Dodd Hall's popularity grows, the more difficult it becomes for the guys to live a regular life. They're recognized everywhere, and they become more limited in what they can do, even as their wealth rises and they rely more and more on Krissa to keep it real for them. Krissa begins to feel her life is being consumed by Dodd Hall. And she informs the guys that she will be taking the last semester of college off from the band. She will not be traveling with them, and she will not be meeting them. They must operate without her.
It quickly becomes evident that Krissa is imperative to Dodd Hall's operation. She keeps peace between Danny and Quinn and she mediates disagreements. Both Danny and Quinn are calling her daily, airing grievances and expecting her to fix their issues. Krissa begs their manager to tell them that she doesn't want to hear from either of them. She decides to escape both of them by going home for Spring Break. While there, she rekindles a friendship with Jerry Aarensson, a guy she knew in high school. Jerry is everything Quinn is not. He's calm, and confident, and kind. He puts Krissa first, and is a much simpler guy. Their relationship becomes more serious after they sleep together on the last night of Spring Break.
Danny receives a phone call from Krissa telling him that she's married Jerry. Of course, this is a shock to Quinn who thought that he and Krissa were still together. It sets off a series of events that leads the band to its downfall.
Seidel is a remarkably strong story teller. Till the Stars Fall alternates between scenes throughout the 70s and the 90s, when Quinn and Krissa reacquaint themselves. The story unfolds slowly building from Krissa and Danny's childhood, to the formation of Dodd Hall, to the band's downfall, to Krissa and Quinn reconnecting. It's gorgeously written, offering beautiful inner monologues for each character. We immediately see Krissa's desperation at being consumed by Quinn and Danny, and her heartache at being pulled between the two of them. We understand Quinn's all consuming love for Krissa, and his need to have her near him always. We never really understand Danny, who is selfish, and difficult and slow to trust. The story has the feel of a saga, one that reminds me a bit of the books that Katherine Stone used to write. Except, much better. The writing is strong and deft and Seidel does a wonderful job infusing scenes with emotion and creating immensely likable characters. This book was a delight, start to finish and one that will immediately take its place on my keeper shelves.
Final Grade: A
November 4, 2013
I was going to give this book three stars. It was all right, nothing spectacular . . . until literally the very last page. All of it is worth reading . . . for the very last page. Everything comes together with such perfection, it took my breath away. I'm not sure I have ever read a more perfect and profound ending to a novel. And that is all I'm going to say.
May 21, 2013
My fifth romance! I could get into these... Always a happy ending? What's not to love?
The only aspect of this novel I didn't like was Danny's altruistic side. To me it seemed like it came out of no where, and frankly his arguments were too liberal for my taste. "Why should I have better healthcare then them?" Oh please. Because you have the money, money.
Other than that, I really enjoyed this read. I thought the characters were likable and the conflicts believable.
The only aspect of this novel I didn't like was Danny's altruistic side. To me it seemed like it came out of no where, and frankly his arguments were too liberal for my taste. "Why should I have better healthcare then them?" Oh please. Because you have the money, money.
Other than that, I really enjoyed this read. I thought the characters were likable and the conflicts believable.
January 23, 2008
Kathleen is one of my three favorite living authors. I have never lent one to anyone who didn't like Kathleen, men and women alike. Some of her books are date because she wrote them years ago, but all are still very worth reading - even the Harlequins!
October 4, 2022
Just Wow....this is such a serious story filled with so much love and so much pain. Kathleen does an amazing job of setting the background for each of the main characters...so be patient and take it all in. It is filled with so many mental health issues...and childhood abuse both physical and psychological. It is one of those in depth stories that makes you fill like you have walked in the shoes of these characters. Also, the audiobook is so well done, too!
July 30, 2020
A very enjoyable read, about a 1970s rock duo and the sister of one band member/girlfriend of the other, seesawing in time between 1977 and 1992, exploring the choices that the characters make that lead them to where they are. Great attention to detail for each setting (the Mesabi Iron Range in Minnesota; tony Baltimore; backstage at concerts...)
March 29, 2021
I pick this up years ago, probably from Dear Author. I’m trying to whittle down my TBR pile. I started, and almost stopped… But I gave it a few days and went back to it. I’m glad I did. It was a really long saga of a book, but I really enjoyed the thoughtful details in it. Really great writing. A very slow interesting jog through the various peoples lives.
April 28, 2020
Excellent five star!
This is my third book by Kathleen Gilles Seidel and each one is more enjoyable than the last. This book is well written and very good reading and I recommend it to your enjoyment.
This is my third book by Kathleen Gilles Seidel and each one is more enjoyable than the last. This book is well written and very good reading and I recommend it to your enjoyment.
July 24, 2021
Very nice emotionally complex story
This is second book of this author that I really liked. She writes rich emotionally complex stories that stay with you and more memorable than the usually fluff stories out there.
This is second book of this author that I really liked. She writes rich emotionally complex stories that stay with you and more memorable than the usually fluff stories out there.
January 31, 2021
Story was okay, not much body.
Dragging some place going to fast others.
I struggled with the narration, I won't listen to any books with this narrator again.
Dragging some place going to fast others.
I struggled with the narration, I won't listen to any books with this narrator again.
November 22, 2021
I love her books!
August 24, 2022
Wow. Incredible. The back-and-forth timeline was unexpected but well laid out. The story: incredible. One of the best books I've read this year.
June 29, 2023
My cup of tea.. I appreciated how the author expressed some scene 🤩
There is some 18+ parts
There is some 18+ parts
August 19, 2018
Very solid second chances romance.
June 25, 2011
My grade: C+. I ordered a couple of backlist books by Seidel. I've read a few, liked them, and wanted to try more. This one had garnered high praise, but I was disappointed. It was released in 1994 and was just too long. I read about 3/4 of the book, then skipped through to the end. I didn't love or always understand the characters and especially took issue with the complicated Quinn (the hero) and Danny, too. It wasn't bad, but I think the main problem was not going deep enough into the POV characters to really understand them. I thought I might have liked it better in 1994, but in 2011 it seemed too slow and too long.
September 25, 2013
I had to force myself to finish this. Not because it was horrible, I've read much worse, but because I really didn't like any of the main characters -Krissa, Quinn or Danny and so it made wanting to read through the end hard. I didn't like them in their early twenties, and I didn't like them sixteen years later. They were all self absorbed, Krissa especially and I just didn't like it. Also why I understand why Krissa did the thing she did back in college regarding her relationship with Quinn, but I felt it wasn't really resolved sixteen years later when they met up again. I couldn't believe their relationship and that was the biggest disappointment of this book.
March 9, 2017
A wonderful, heart-tugging story of families, both good and bad, friendship, love, and second chances. The characters are intriguing and richly detailed, and the settings are wonderfully described. The story unfolds slowly, in well-detailed layers, and the ending is romantic and weaves all the plot threads together beautifully, in an uplifting and emotionally satisfying conclusion. Bravado, Ms. Seidel!
January 18, 2010
Some of her very best, which makes it excellent indeed!
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July 13, 2011 A wonderful love story about youth, wonder, first love and forever love. Sigh. A keeper. Hard to find.
May 17, 2019
Out of all of the books in this series, this one is probably my favorite and I have re-read it many times.
July 7, 2014
Fluffy palate cleanser after Constellation.
December 13, 2014
Complex story of love and music and family.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews