Review of 'The Woman and Her Stars' by Penny Haw
Release date: March 3rd, 2026
Publisher: SourceBooks Landmark
Description
The awe-inspiring true story of Caroline Herschel, an 18th century astronomer who lived in the shadow of her brother, but learned to pave her own path among the stars.
1772. Caroline Herschel is beholden to her wildly popular musician brother, William, who rescued her from servitude and brought her to live a comfortable life in Bath. Caroline vows that, because William saved her, she must always remain by his side. When William becomes obsessed with the science of astronomy, Caroline follows suit, and soon, the duo are moving to Windsor to be close to court, so they can advise the king about the stars and become members of the Royal Astronomical Society. Overshadowed by her brother, Caroline quietly studies the stars, attributing her success to the men in her life. But when it becomes clear that Caroline is just as much the astronomer as the men in society, she will have to break free from the life she's lived, and find her own place amongst the stars.
Based on the true story of Caroline Lucretia Herschel (1750-1848), The Woman and Her Stars shines a light on a woman who was raised to believe she was worth nothing more than to serve others, but whose genius and resolve made her one of the world’s leading astronomers. An inspiring story set within the societal boundaries of the Regency era, it is a journey of self-belief, friendship, and triumph.
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REVIEW
‘The skies are full of surprises. That’s what excites me.’
What a powerful historical novel! First, the cover is stunning. It is atmospheric, dreamy and full of promise and reminds me of all the nights as a child lying on the grass and gazing up at the stars. My imagination was limitless and the night sky sparked many poems, songs and stories. So it was easy for me to fall in love with a story about astronomy. And being written by Penny Haw, made it in more inviting.
I have read some amazing historical fiction novels of late but Penny Haw’s The Woman and Her Stars gripped and captivated me in a way that is hard to express. I felt incredible emotions while reading this book. Sadness, annoyance, disbelief, compassion and so much more. I was pulled into Caroline’s world so quickly and completely I forgot my own environment. I could not put this book down. Penny Haw is an incredible artist of words. I have loved each one of her novels for they are always literary, imaginative and well written. She offers unique perspectives on real historical women. She combines her investigative skills as a journalist and creative writing skills as a novelist and produces the perfect union of fact and fiction. Her research is thorough and her imagination fills in the missing pieces divinely.
A usual topic for Penny is historical women of significance who struggled for recognition. She has the gift of delivering a descriptive setting, common speech and cultural norms of the day to create believable characters that we can visualise, have emphathy for and cheer on. We get to see their challenges and what they must overcome to succeed and be happy. In The Woman and Her Stars, we slip inside Caroline’s skin where all her emotions become ours.
As mentioned, I have always been fascinated by the stars as most dreamers are! But to see how Caroline’s passion for astronomy develops is interesting and even more how it goes beyond even her love of music and singing. Caroline is on a detour that will change her life. This new direction, though, was spurred on by a need to escape control from her mother. If she lives with her brother William, becomes useful to him, she won’t be sent back to nursing her difficult mother. The motive may have initially been a negative one but in the end, it forces her to move in a different direction to achieve a positive result. The trials make her stronger, wiser and lead her to reach beyond herself to new areas such as the stars and to discovering unknown heavenly bodies. This in turn gives her the recognition and independence she desires and deserves. Something unheard of in those days for women!
The author takes us on an in-depth study of Caroline’s character. Her journey of self discovery and confidence is a rough one. With so many cultural habits and views to overcome, it is hard for her to accept she is worthy of the fame she receives. She also misses out on love, even though she is briefly tempted. But her life, perceptions and successes are so tangled up with her brother William’s, that it becomes a snare for her feet as she tries to walk her path. During one of her blind moments, her brother Alex makes a comment that is perceptive and true. He notes that even though she has fled Hanover to escape being her mother’s servant, she has now become her brother’s keeper and his assistant. So what has she gained? Has she traded one yoke for another? In her words ‘It is not the same…William has given me an education. I am not his servant. But I must remain useful to him if I’m to stay in England. I don’t want to go back to Hanover.’ This belief causes her to miss out on many things. But there is a moment of revelation at the end where she realises she does have a choice—even though women in those days had very little freedom and were governed by a male hierarchy. So many times I wanted Caroline to rebuke that system and fight for her rights but in the end I realised she was her own worst enemy or prisoner. Thankfully experience and time show her another path is possible.
Sadly, for a better part of her life she becomes so entwined with her brothers’ existence, dreams and accomplishment, when change comes, she does not know how to handle it. Or to sail on her own merit. This makes her angry, resentful and bitter. Until the one person in her life she loves the most has a terrible tragedy which forces her to mend her fences, look at her actions and attitudes and see what is really important. I don’t want to give away the plot so I won’t say what happens but it is easy to see why the drastic change that comes from an unexpected event could make her feel threatened and as though her whole world is falling apart.
I need to mention a canine character. Comet stole the scenes many times and added so much to Caroline’s life. He helped eased her loneliness and pain when she left Bath and her singing— to work with her brother in Datchet. She learned some hard lessons about the need for companionship—while coming to grips with Comet and his needs. Then another bigger challenge happens that exposes her low self-esteem. These issues possibly stem from the culture’s viewpoints of women at the time. Archaic society certainly fuelled her weakness but also scars she received as a child from an illness hindered her self image, too. There was so much stacked against her, even though she was a talented and smart woman. Her excellent stage singing helped her face people in the public. But she took a back step when she had to give it up to live with her older brother in a rural town. Where he went, she followed. He was her lifeline.
There are a number of engaging likeable characters who supported Caroline and her brothers Alex and William. There’s Mr Corden with his sincere friendship and constant rescue and assistance. And Dr. Watson’s with his life-saving knowledge and trustworthiness. Then the two women Margaret and Mary who enter the brother’s lives and prove to be supporters of Caroline and care about her even when she doubts them. Caroline’s insecurities become clear and why she resists these women’s friendship initially before change happens. On the flip side, there is the antagonist Miss Hudson who is self-serving, manipulative and a major opposition at times. She adds stress, frustration and worry to Caroline and William’s lives (and tension to the plot). I was often aligned with Caroline in her desire to put Miss Hudson in her place!
Love is a topic Caroline struggles with and not just romance or marital but also friendship. When Mary is pleading with Caroline to see reason she makes an excellent comparison. ‘Affection doesn’t come in limited quantities. It’s not like a bag of flour from the miller that gets used up. It’s, it’s…like the night sky. There’s no obvious end to it, no matter how powerful your instrument is. There is no limit to love.’ Caroline, at times, is harsh in her response to others. But this stems from her own lack of self-worth—and how she thinks everyone sees her. Using first names for Caroline is a no no… in her mind, you have to earn it.. to be considered a friend. And Mary tries hard to accomplish this. It takes a tragedy for Caroline to come to her senses and to see what is in front of her—not the dim, loveless world her mind believes.
Often references to astronomy, planets, etc are used by the characters to describe relationships. In a discussion Mary has with Caroline, she explains how William believes his sister is his equal. As Mary relates, when William and Caroline practice astronomy together—‘it is not always self-evident who of the two of you is the planet and who the moon.’ ‘…it isn’t always evident who orbits who.’ This stuns Caroline and is a turning point for her when she hears this.
Yes, the astronomy journey starts with Caroline’s brother. After he discovers planet Georgian Sidus, his name goes ‘to the top of the list of the world’s notable astronomers’ and he is awarded the Royal Society Copley Medal for discovery. But when Caroline also discovers new celestial bodies, her name becomes just as important. It is hard at first for her to believe she is more than her brother’s assistant. She may have learned from him but she has excelled and is an astronomer in her own right. And this new found victory made her known to a world that did not originally acknowledge women in this field (or any others).
This story, beautifully told by Penny Haw, made my heart sing and dream and appreciate even more the beauty of the stars and the ones who discovered them—particularly Caroline Herschel who came out of the shadows into the light. 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks to SourceBooks Landmark and Netgalley for the ARC.
