I received an ARC of this book from Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.
It took me a while to really getting into this novel. The language and narration was beautiful throughout, but it wasn't until about halfway through that the story actually got me engaged. The ending isn't necessarily satisfying, but it coincides well with Goldschmidt's desire to portray "the beauty and the uncertainty" in astronomy as well as in life.
I also really enjoyed the three-dimensional look at Jeanette's life. It wasn't just a story about her career or her childhood or her family or her romantic relationships. It was about her whole life. I loved that Jeanette's sexuality isn't treated as a plot point, but is really seen as one aspect of her life and who she is as a person. Her sexuality is a part of her identity but it isn't the only part. Jeanette faces difficulties due to others' perception of her sexuality, but is not struggling to define her sexuality itself. I like this way of looking at one's sexuality and think it helped make Jeanette a very strong character in the novel.
Overall, I think this was a wonderful novel, but it did take some effort to get through.