The Silent Stars Go By - Sally Nicholls

Genre: Historical Fiction | Young Adult

Release Date: 4th November 2021

Publisher: Andersen Press

Three years ago, Margot’s life was turned upside down when her fiancé, Harry, went missing in action on the Western Front. Worse, she was left with a devastating secret which threatened to ruin her life and destroy the reputation of her family. As a respectable vicar’s daughter, Margot has had to guard that secret with great care ever since, no matter how much pain it causes her.

Now it’s Christmas 1919, and Margot’s family is gathering back home in the vicarage for the first time since the end of the Great War. And miraculously Harry has returned, hoping to see Margot and rekindle their romance. Can Margot ever reveal the shocking truth to the only man she has ever loved?

“Maybe this was just what happened when things like war got in the way. Maybe this was what being nearly-married to someone was like. Or maybe everything was over and they’d never really been in love at all.”

The Silent Stars Go By is a bittersweet, moving story which despite being set over a century ago still brings relevant and important issues to the surface with thoughtful feminist themes and commentary on war. This short novel captures such a variety of emotions and raises so many questions that really let the reader put themselves in the characters shoes while they navigate impossible situations.

Even with period language, this was masterfully written with short, easy to read chapters and a flow that makes this book run out of pages far too quickly.

The characters were beautiful - Margot was disillusioned, flawed and argumentative - but strong and caring, she was impossible not to love. She was not perfect, she had lied and pretended and made awful decisions - but with the time she lived in and the limitations she faced simply for being born a girl it's easy to see just how she came to make these impossible choices in impossible situations.

This wintery, beautiful story holds a poignant and emotive tale of love and loss that will leave you speechless.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was gifted a reviewers copy of this title as part of a readalong with @tandemcollective. All opinions are my own.

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