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Under the Wide and Starry Sky
Under the Wide and Starry Sky
Author: Nancy Horan
At the age of thirty-five, Fanny van de Grift Osbourne has left her philandering husband in San Francisco to set sail for Belgium - with her three children and nanny in tow - to study art. It is a change for this adventurous woman to start over, and to pursue her own desires. Not long after her arrival, however, tragedy strikes, and Fanny a...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780345516534
ISBN-10: 0345516532
Publication Date: 1/21/2014
Pages: 474
Rating:
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 16

3.7 stars, based on 16 ratings
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

joeysweeps avatar reviewed Under the Wide and Starry Sky on + 15 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
I love biographical historical fiction, especially when I feel the author has tried to stay as close to truth and reality as possible. I feel Nancy Horan, the author, did this through an incredible amount of research into the lives of Fanny Van de Grift Osbourne and Robert Louis Stevenson. Fanny and Robert each were quirky, artistic, moody, adventurous people so this account of their relationship is magnified at least times two. Of course, along with those qualities comes some "medicinal drug use," complicated relationships, and mental breakdowns. As individuals and as a couple, they thought out of the box. defied societal norms, and embarked on amazing adventures without the security of things such as a stable income. I was mesmerized by the last part of the book when Fanny and Robert decided to sail the South Seas and move their extended family to Samoa, not knowing anything or anyone in the region. Remember, this all took place in the late 1800s!
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reviewed Under the Wide and Starry Sky on + 81 more book reviews
After reading this and Loving Frank, i've become a Nancy Horan fan. She thoroughly does her research, then proceeds to make her characters exceedingly human. Famous people are multi-faceted and not so one dimensional as they are often portrayed. The women in her books are as strong (and flawed) as the men they loved. Sometimes I felt both books got a little bogged down in the details, but certainly not enough to deter me from reading every word. An interesting, informative, and enjoyable book.


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