Under the Wide and Starry Sky

by Nancy Horan

'FABULOUS' The Times
'FASCINATING' New York Times

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

At the age of thirty-five, Fanny van de Grift Osbourne leaves her philandering husband in San Francisco and sets sail for Belgium to study art, with her three children and nanny in tow. Not long after her arrival, however, tragedy strikes, and Fanny and her brood repair to a quiet artists' colony in France where she can recuperate. There she meets Robert Louis Stevenson, ten years her junior, who is instantly smitten with the earthy, independent, and opinionated belle Americaine.

A woman ahead of her time, Fanny does not immediately take to the young lawyer who longs to devote his life to literature rather than the law - and who would eventually write such classics as Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In time, though, she succumbs to Stevenson's charms, and the two begin a fierce love affair-marked by intense joy and harrowing darkness that spans decades as they travel the world, following their art and their dreams.

• ISBN10: 1306220769
• ISBN13: 9781306220767
• Publish Date: 1 January 2014
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 14 April 2015
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Ballantine Books
• Format: eBook
• Language: English

Reviews

[Whitney @ First Impressions Reviews]

Nancy Horan once again brings life to a woman behind a famous man. In Under the Wide and Starry Sky Fanny Osbourne is drawn vividly with a tapestry of a story to tell.

What I liked about Robert Louis Stevenson and Fanny's courtship was that not only did they value each other as equals (for the most part) but that it did not immediately start after her son's death, but instead had a "Ten Things I Hate About You" beginning. You knew they would come together but the chase and understanding of one's feelings are what makes it interesting.

I absolutely enjoyed reading of the life they made together and the struggles regarding Louis's health as well as his successes. Although I did feel sorry for Fanny as I felt she never rose to her full potential, a woman lost in the shadow of their significant other is always tragic with Nancy Horan expertly showcasing Fanny's acceptance and disappointment, echoing the reader's own.

Under the Wide and Starry Sky did not have a house fire fast-paced ending but rather went at its own speed with an enjoyable stroll to the novel's conclusion. Like Loving Frank, Nancy Horan spins a beautiful story commanding the reader's attention to the very end.

[Linda]

*I received a free ARC of Under the Wide and Starry Sky from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review*

Very interesting and detailed story about Louis and Fanny, how they travel around Europe, to America, and later to the South Seas and Australia to help Louis stay in good health.

This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews