Title: A Bend in the Stars     

Author: Rachel Barenbaum   

Genre: Historical Fiction    

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing  

Format: Hardcover 

Pages: 464

Rating: 5/5 stars 

Synopsis (Goodreads):

For fans of All the Light We Cannot See and The Women in the Castlecomes a riveting literary novel that is at once an epic love story and a heart-pounding journey across WWI-era Russia, about an ambitious young doctor and her scientist brother in a race against Einstein to solve one of the greatest mysteries of the universe.

In Russia, in the summer of 1914, as war with Germany looms and the Czar’s army tightens its grip on the local Jewish community, Miri Abramov and her brilliant physicist brother, Vanya, are facing an impossible decision. Since their parents drowned fleeing to America, Miri and Vanya have been raised by their babushka, a famous matchmaker who has taught them to protect themselves at all costs: to fight, to kill if necessary, and always to have an escape plan. But now, with fierce, headstrong Miri on the verge of becoming one of Russia’s only female surgeons, and Vanya hoping to solve the final puzzles of Einstein’s elusive theory of relativity, can they bear to leave the homeland that has given them so much?

Before they have time to make their choice, war is declared and Vanya goes missing, along with Miri’s fiancé. Miri braves the firing squad to go looking for them both. As the eclipse that will change history darkens skies across Russia, not only the safety of Miri’s own family but the future of science itself hangs in the balance. 

Grounded in real history — and inspired by the solar eclipse of 1914 — A Bend in the Stars offers a heartstopping account of modern science’s greatest race amidst the chaos of World War I, and a love story as epic as the railways crossing Russia.

Review:

Thank you to @grandcentralpub for sending me a copy of this book!

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Wow this book was so amazing! It had all the components of a historical fiction book that I definitely loved: strong female characters, World War One, the Russian Empire (I will always be interested in reading more about Russian history), and a great love story!

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The book follows Mira, a female Jewish surgeon in Russia right before the start of the First World War. With war looming, her brother and fiancé are destined to be conscripted, but her brother is a brilliant physicist who is trying to beat Einstein and his theory of relativity! The characters embark on a journey to not only save their families, but save science as well!

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I loved Mira in this book! She is so smart and so strong and is willing to do whatever it takes to protect her family! She loves her brother immensely and I loved reading about their sibling relationship. I think the only thing that kinda bugged me was Vanya, her brother, was kinda annoying because he was willing to risk his family to go after an eclipse to prove his theories, but he ultimately thought this would save his family and secure them passage to America, so you can’t fault the guy too much, even though he came across as selfish to me! Overall, I loved this book, and definitely recommend it for those who love historical fiction!

Happy reading!