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Under the Wide and Starry Sky
The passionate and turbulent story of Robert Louis Stevenson and his tempestuous American wife, Fanny.
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 a 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, 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. The two begin a fierce love affair, marked by intense joy and harrowing darkness, which spans decades as they travel the world for the sake of his health. Eventually they settled in Samoa, where Robert Louis Stevenson is buried underneath the epitaph:
Under the wide and starry sky,
Dig the grave and let me lie.
Glad did I live and gladly die,
And I laid me down with a will.
This be the verse you grave for me:
Here he lies where he longed to be;
Home is the sailor, home from sea,
And the hunter home from the hill.
(Requiem, Robert Louis Stevenson)
474 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2014
About the author
Nancy Horan
4 books469 followersNancy Horan is a writer and a journalist whose work has appeared in numerous publications. She lives on an island in Puget Sound with her husband and two sons. Loving Frank is her first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,996 reviews
August 26, 2014
The historical fiction sub-genre featuring characters who actually lived has become a favorite of mine (e.g. The Paris Wife, The Aviator's Wife, Loving Frank, Z, etc...) This fictionalized account of the relationship of Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson and his spunky, older American wife Fanny is my favorite so far. Beautifully written and meticulously researched, this novel met all of my criteria for good historical fiction:
1) Atmospheric - Time, place, and emotion are wonderfully recreated. As the Stevensons journey to Paris, Scotland, the American West, Hawaii, and Samoa, readers are offered a glimpse of everyday life in each locale in the late 1800's.
2)The Wikipedia Test - I feel that good historic fiction should leave a reader wanting to know more about the people, places, and events they read about. I looked up a good deal as I read, and I found a factual basis for events and facts I thought were too spectacular to be believed! RLS and Fanny were both prolific writers, so Horan had a wealth of information on which to draw for her research.
3)Believable characters - Likable, but not perfect, characters are neither too good or too bad to be believable. Horan has captured the complexity of this fascinating family and its strengths and weaknesses.
I highly recommend Under the Wide and Starry Sky for fans of historical fiction and English literature.
1) Atmospheric - Time, place, and emotion are wonderfully recreated. As the Stevensons journey to Paris, Scotland, the American West, Hawaii, and Samoa, readers are offered a glimpse of everyday life in each locale in the late 1800's.
2)The Wikipedia Test - I feel that good historic fiction should leave a reader wanting to know more about the people, places, and events they read about. I looked up a good deal as I read, and I found a factual basis for events and facts I thought were too spectacular to be believed! RLS and Fanny were both prolific writers, so Horan had a wealth of information on which to draw for her research.
3)Believable characters - Likable, but not perfect, characters are neither too good or too bad to be believable. Horan has captured the complexity of this fascinating family and its strengths and weaknesses.
I highly recommend Under the Wide and Starry Sky for fans of historical fiction and English literature.
January 26, 2014
You know those books you just can't put down? The ones you are so into that everything else just goes by the waste side? This isn't one of them.
January 2, 2014
As soon as I heard about this book, I grabbed hold of it and read it. There were two reasons for this. One: I really enjoyed Nancy Horan’s earlier book ‘Loving Frank’, about the passionate love affair between Mamah Borthwick Cheney and Frank Lloyd Wright. Two: the novel tells the story of Robert Louis Stevenson and his wild, strong-willed American wife, Fanny. I have had a soft spot for Robert Louis Stevenson since I was given his poetry to read as a little girl. In particular, his poem ‘The Land of Counterpane’ (about being a sick boy made to stay in bed) resonated with me strongly as I was a sick girl who spent far too much time in hospital. Consequently, I have read nearly every book he has ever written, including obscure ones like ‘Catriona’, plus have read many biographies of his life and collections of his letters. I was always intrigued by his relationship with his wife, and was eager indeed to read Nancy Horan’s imaginative recreation of their turbulent romance. I was not disappointed. This is a brilliant book, that brings the lives and times of RLS and his circle vividly to life. Read it!
September 8, 2013
Find this and other reviews at: http://flashlightcommentary.blogspot....
I began Nancy Horan's Under The Wide Starry Sky with high hopes, but ultimately liked the idea that behind the piece more than the reality. Though I found the narrative offered interesting perspective on Stevenson's personal life, the structure of the novel left much to be desired. Be warned, possible spoilers ahead.
For one thing, I found the pacing of the novel particularly troublesome. I lost interest in the first few chapters, stopped, read two other books, then came back to it. It isn't that the story isn't intriguing, it was just so slow to progress that I had problems staying engaged with the narrative.
Another aspect that made this piece something of a challenge was that I felt the telling unbalanced. Most of the book is told from Fanny's point of view, but there are a handful of episodes in which Horan pulls a one-eighty and writes from Stevenson's perspective. I found the inequality confusing and would have been much happier if the couple had enjoyed equal face time with the reader or if the author had limited herself to one or the other of her leads.
Horan's treatment of Belle was similarly perplexing. The character is introduced to the reader early in the novel, but a personal rift between the girl and her mother removes her from the story for a large portion of the book. If Fanny or Stevenson had reflected on her at all during this separation, I might have felt the the emotional poignancy of their reunion, but they don't and the feelings Horan attempted to throw in at that last moment seemed to come entirely out of left field. I'm sorry, but was I supposed to care?
There was enough material here for me recognize the story within these pages, but I think Horan might have taken on more than she could handle in her attempt to give that story life. I couldn't empathize with her cast or get lost in their experiences and at the end of the day, I needed to feel that connection to take more than a passing interest in this piece.
I began Nancy Horan's Under The Wide Starry Sky with high hopes, but ultimately liked the idea that behind the piece more than the reality. Though I found the narrative offered interesting perspective on Stevenson's personal life, the structure of the novel left much to be desired. Be warned, possible spoilers ahead.
For one thing, I found the pacing of the novel particularly troublesome. I lost interest in the first few chapters, stopped, read two other books, then came back to it. It isn't that the story isn't intriguing, it was just so slow to progress that I had problems staying engaged with the narrative.
Another aspect that made this piece something of a challenge was that I felt the telling unbalanced. Most of the book is told from Fanny's point of view, but there are a handful of episodes in which Horan pulls a one-eighty and writes from Stevenson's perspective. I found the inequality confusing and would have been much happier if the couple had enjoyed equal face time with the reader or if the author had limited herself to one or the other of her leads.
Horan's treatment of Belle was similarly perplexing. The character is introduced to the reader early in the novel, but a personal rift between the girl and her mother removes her from the story for a large portion of the book. If Fanny or Stevenson had reflected on her at all during this separation, I might have felt the the emotional poignancy of their reunion, but they don't and the feelings Horan attempted to throw in at that last moment seemed to come entirely out of left field. I'm sorry, but was I supposed to care?
There was enough material here for me recognize the story within these pages, but I think Horan might have taken on more than she could handle in her attempt to give that story life. I couldn't empathize with her cast or get lost in their experiences and at the end of the day, I needed to feel that connection to take more than a passing interest in this piece.
February 25, 2014
I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley. Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine books.
I have to confess that I am not fully on board with the recent trend of books narrated by the spouses of historical figures. It makes me cringe a little bit to think of these women, long gone and unable to defend themselves, having words put in their mouths and motives ascribed to them that may not be remotely accurate. And invariably, it seems that these stories take on a "chick lit" flavor that further devalues their story.
"Under the Wide and Starry Sky" is the story of Fanny Van de Grift Osbourne, an American expatriate living in France with her children. Fanny has moved to France to separate herself from her philandering husband while she pursues life as an artist. While in France, Fanny meets Robert Louis Stevenson and a long affair leads eventually to marriage and a nomadic lifestyle as they move from country to country in an attempt to find a climate conducive to Stevenson's serious health issues. Stevenson struggles for recognition as an important author and Fanny chafes at being marginalized as her artistic dreams become secondary to Stevenson's.
Horan has done her homework and their story is certainly well-researched. Where this book stands out for me is in the details of their travels and their bohemian lifestyle in 19th century Europe, America and the South Pacific. That said, I felt the writing and the characters were a bit stiff. I wasn't very engaged in their story and to be honest, I found it all a bit dull. It took me weeks to get through the book because I just wasn't compelled to pick it up again after I put it down. At 496 pages, it is WAY TOO LONG and could have benefited from some serious trimming.
If you are a Stevenson fan, enjoy travel adventures and historical fiction mixed with romance, this may be your treasure. For me, it was a bit of an ordeal.
I have to confess that I am not fully on board with the recent trend of books narrated by the spouses of historical figures. It makes me cringe a little bit to think of these women, long gone and unable to defend themselves, having words put in their mouths and motives ascribed to them that may not be remotely accurate. And invariably, it seems that these stories take on a "chick lit" flavor that further devalues their story.
"Under the Wide and Starry Sky" is the story of Fanny Van de Grift Osbourne, an American expatriate living in France with her children. Fanny has moved to France to separate herself from her philandering husband while she pursues life as an artist. While in France, Fanny meets Robert Louis Stevenson and a long affair leads eventually to marriage and a nomadic lifestyle as they move from country to country in an attempt to find a climate conducive to Stevenson's serious health issues. Stevenson struggles for recognition as an important author and Fanny chafes at being marginalized as her artistic dreams become secondary to Stevenson's.
Horan has done her homework and their story is certainly well-researched. Where this book stands out for me is in the details of their travels and their bohemian lifestyle in 19th century Europe, America and the South Pacific. That said, I felt the writing and the characters were a bit stiff. I wasn't very engaged in their story and to be honest, I found it all a bit dull. It took me weeks to get through the book because I just wasn't compelled to pick it up again after I put it down. At 496 pages, it is WAY TOO LONG and could have benefited from some serious trimming.
If you are a Stevenson fan, enjoy travel adventures and historical fiction mixed with romance, this may be your treasure. For me, it was a bit of an ordeal.
February 19, 2014
I'm so glad this book is over. I really didn't like Fanny Stevenson. She made me gnash my teeth and scream to myself, "Oh no. She can't be saying that or doing that." She was quite the narcissist and put herself above anyone else. She uprooted her children from Oakland to Belgium and then to Paris. She thought she was an artist but when her daughter proved to be a better artist, the lessons started. When her son falls desperately ill, she doesn't reach out to her husband for help until it's almost too late. She meets Robert Louis Stevenson called Louis and has only eyes for him. She sends her 17 year old daughter, Belle, back to Paris by herself. As the relationship deepens she sends her son willy nilly from schools to boarding schools without any input of what he wants.
Then she decides to return to Oakland and try to make another go with her husband. Louis is abruptly thrown to the curb. She gets ill in America and send for Louis. A quite sickly man, Luis makes the arduous trek from London to Monterrey to help her out. Once he arrives, she is better so she doesn't let him into recuperate but kicks him out. Worn out from the journey he collapses on the side of the road and strangers take him in and nurse him. Once healed Fanny decides she wants him. URGH.
This goes on and on. She tries to take credit for his work. She wants her name added as a co-author. She takes other people's story ideas, rewrites them and takes full credit. She does nothing on her own. I could find nothing that I liked about her and, frankly, I wouldn't have continued on with it except I was reviewing it.
Why did I give it two stars? The parts with Louis were quite interesting. I learned a great deal about him. The last third of the book about their lives in the South Seas was quite eye opening. Those two things saved the book. It could have easily been edited by 100 pages. I am once again bemoaning the lack of book editors. Please someone start editing these books and keep them to reasonable lengths. I hate just reading fillers. Would I recommend this book? NO.
Then she decides to return to Oakland and try to make another go with her husband. Louis is abruptly thrown to the curb. She gets ill in America and send for Louis. A quite sickly man, Luis makes the arduous trek from London to Monterrey to help her out. Once he arrives, she is better so she doesn't let him into recuperate but kicks him out. Worn out from the journey he collapses on the side of the road and strangers take him in and nurse him. Once healed Fanny decides she wants him. URGH.
This goes on and on. She tries to take credit for his work. She wants her name added as a co-author. She takes other people's story ideas, rewrites them and takes full credit. She does nothing on her own. I could find nothing that I liked about her and, frankly, I wouldn't have continued on with it except I was reviewing it.
Why did I give it two stars? The parts with Louis were quite interesting. I learned a great deal about him. The last third of the book about their lives in the South Seas was quite eye opening. Those two things saved the book. It could have easily been edited by 100 pages. I am once again bemoaning the lack of book editors. Please someone start editing these books and keep them to reasonable lengths. I hate just reading fillers. Would I recommend this book? NO.
April 29, 2019
This is a historical/biographical novel about two very lively and difficult personalities: the Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson and his tempestuous wife, Fanny deGrift Osbourne. It is a little slow at times but still a very interesting tale oft this well-known author and his colorful wife. I knew RLS wrote Treasure Island, Kidnapped, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and A Child's Garden of Verses, but I knew nothing about him as a person or about Fanny, and I found their individual lives and their life together fascinating. I also really enjoyed reading about the locations and the essence of the late artistic and literary 19th century times. Many times while reading this book I found myself going to google to learn more. I like when a book I'm reading leads me to the internet for further research and inspires me to read other books I've subconsciously avoided, both of which this account led me to do.
Reading a biographical novel about any author or real person is a win for me, but I would have enjoyed this even if the characters had been completely fictional. Nancy Horan's research is impeccable and she has brought it all together in an absorbing story about love, passion, personal struggle, creativity, and compassion. Robert Louis Stevenson had a frail constitution and like many of his contemporaries spent much of his life trying to run away from tuberculosis. He finally found peace in the Samoan Islands where he spent a few happy years, only to die from a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 44 . He wrote the following much loved and oft-quoted poem in Samoa and was buried in the very place where he had finally felt well.
Under the wide and starry sky,
Dig the grave and let me lie.
Glad did I live and gladly die,
And I laid me down with a will.
This be the verse you grave for me:
Here he lies where he longed to be;
Home is the sailor, home from sea,
And the hunter home from the hill.
--"Requiem" by Robert Louis Stevenson
Reading a biographical novel about any author or real person is a win for me, but I would have enjoyed this even if the characters had been completely fictional. Nancy Horan's research is impeccable and she has brought it all together in an absorbing story about love, passion, personal struggle, creativity, and compassion. Robert Louis Stevenson had a frail constitution and like many of his contemporaries spent much of his life trying to run away from tuberculosis. He finally found peace in the Samoan Islands where he spent a few happy years, only to die from a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 44 . He wrote the following much loved and oft-quoted poem in Samoa and was buried in the very place where he had finally felt well.
Under the wide and starry sky,
Dig the grave and let me lie.
Glad did I live and gladly die,
And I laid me down with a will.
This be the verse you grave for me:
Here he lies where he longed to be;
Home is the sailor, home from sea,
And the hunter home from the hill.
--"Requiem" by Robert Louis Stevenson
January 16, 2014
What I’ve learned is having faith is a truly rare gift, and that even if I’m filled with that much faith, or confidence, that I still have my doubts, those moments where it feels like it will all go to hell, but it won’t really matter because no one is paying attention anyway, and I can make whatever mistakes I need to make, and that ends up being another great gift: the opportunity to fail miserably without the whole world watching. Just when it seems like I’m at my lowest point, and there’s no way I can move up from the bottom of the glass, I realize that people really do care, that they are paying attention, and maybe I can’t measure it, or quantify it, or even extrapolate it and place it on a graph, but it’s there just the same. And while encouragement from others is a great and wonderful and beautiful thing, the best strength comes from within.
What I took away more than anything else from UNDER THE WIDE AND STARRY SKY is a sense of faith (not the religious kind): faith to stay in a relationship, faith to experiment with your writing, faith to scrap an entire story and burn it in the fiery embers of wood and ash, faith to realize that life will come to an end and there’s nothing we can do to stop it, faith to travel and live around the globe, faith to get married, and faith to stay married through the trials and tribulations of daily living.
Robert Louis Stevenson and Fanny Van de Grift Osbourne Stevenson may not have had what might be considered a normal relationship, but then normal is defined as it relates to you, and the creative process is about as far from normal as you can be. Having two writers in the same household practically puts you on another planet altogether, so they did have that going for them, even as Robert’s health faded.
Despite all this mojo working in its favor, I never really felt myself become one with this novel. The dialogue never really flowed like a river; the descriptive passages never really allowed me to become fully immersed in the tale; the characters resembled more ethereal creatures hovering in the distance; and the ending left me a bit unfulfilled.
I received this book for free through NetGalley.
Cross-posted at Robert's Reads
What I took away more than anything else from UNDER THE WIDE AND STARRY SKY is a sense of faith (not the religious kind): faith to stay in a relationship, faith to experiment with your writing, faith to scrap an entire story and burn it in the fiery embers of wood and ash, faith to realize that life will come to an end and there’s nothing we can do to stop it, faith to travel and live around the globe, faith to get married, and faith to stay married through the trials and tribulations of daily living.
Robert Louis Stevenson and Fanny Van de Grift Osbourne Stevenson may not have had what might be considered a normal relationship, but then normal is defined as it relates to you, and the creative process is about as far from normal as you can be. Having two writers in the same household practically puts you on another planet altogether, so they did have that going for them, even as Robert’s health faded.
Despite all this mojo working in its favor, I never really felt myself become one with this novel. The dialogue never really flowed like a river; the descriptive passages never really allowed me to become fully immersed in the tale; the characters resembled more ethereal creatures hovering in the distance; and the ending left me a bit unfulfilled.
I received this book for free through NetGalley.
Cross-posted at Robert's Reads
February 25, 2014
Phew - just finished this. It feels like I've been reading this book for months. There was nothing distinctly bad about it, just nothing all that notably good about it, either. It just felt like it went on and on and on, and nothing notable ever really happened.
Except that's not true at all. The two main characters led pretty extraordinary lives, particularly for their era. They were respected, famous people in their lifetimes, who lived very unconventional lives. And yet... something in the writing just caused one period of their lives to slowly meander into the next period of their lives (except for when there were unexplained gaps in time), and even the most dramatic events sort of cool off in the telling.
I don't think I've ever read anything by Robert Louis Stevenson nor did I know anything about his life, so perhaps if I were a fan, I'd be able to appreciate the story a little more.
Honestly, it's a little hard to put a finger on why this felt like it dragged on and on. Something in the writing just didn't come alive for me. I'll be curious to see if other people have different reactions.
Except that's not true at all. The two main characters led pretty extraordinary lives, particularly for their era. They were respected, famous people in their lifetimes, who lived very unconventional lives. And yet... something in the writing just caused one period of their lives to slowly meander into the next period of their lives (except for when there were unexplained gaps in time), and even the most dramatic events sort of cool off in the telling.
I don't think I've ever read anything by Robert Louis Stevenson nor did I know anything about his life, so perhaps if I were a fan, I'd be able to appreciate the story a little more.
Honestly, it's a little hard to put a finger on why this felt like it dragged on and on. Something in the writing just didn't come alive for me. I'll be curious to see if other people have different reactions.
August 12, 2016
Robert Louis Stevenson and Fanny van de Grift Osbourne had a marriage that was both supportive and stormy before they were finally laid to rest "under the wide and starry sky" in Samoa. They met in an artists' colony in France in 1876, and Louis fell hard for the exotic American woman. Fanny had come to Europe with her children to study art and leave her unfaithful husband. Louis, a decade younger, had finished a law degree but wanted a life as a writer. Louis had trouble with his lungs, but had an optimistic, adventurous personality. Fanny had a love of writing, art, and gardening. It was difficult for Fanny to manage financially since women had so few opportunities in that era, but she made the most of her limited resources.
During their years of marriage, Louis alternated between times of poor health and healthy periods of great productivity as a writer. When they found that the sea air helped Louis' lungs, they traveled to the South Seas. Fanny tolerated two years at sea even though she was constantly sea sick. She nursed him back from death's door multiple times. Louis did his part when Fanny descended into periods of madness in her older years.
I enjoyed reading about the Stevensons, and felt the book was well researched. I found the descriptions of Louis' creative process--often inspired by dreams--especially fascinating. My one quibble is that the book dragged in some parts and could have been edited down into a stronger story. 3.5 stars.
During their years of marriage, Louis alternated between times of poor health and healthy periods of great productivity as a writer. When they found that the sea air helped Louis' lungs, they traveled to the South Seas. Fanny tolerated two years at sea even though she was constantly sea sick. She nursed him back from death's door multiple times. Louis did his part when Fanny descended into periods of madness in her older years.
I enjoyed reading about the Stevensons, and felt the book was well researched. I found the descriptions of Louis' creative process--often inspired by dreams--especially fascinating. My one quibble is that the book dragged in some parts and could have been edited down into a stronger story. 3.5 stars.
January 21, 2014
BOOK REVIEW: 'Under the Wide and Starry Sky': Intriguing Novel/Biography of Robert Louis Stevenson and his Wife Fanny Van de Grift Osbourne Stevenson
REVIEWED BY DAVID M. KINCHEN
Stevenson had always wanted his 'Requiem' inscribed on his tomb:
Under the wide and starry sky,
Dig the grave and let me lie.
Glad did I live and gladly die,
And I laid me down with a will.
This be the verse you grave for me:
Here he lies where he longed to be;
Home is the sailor, home from sea,
And the hunter home from the hill.
--"Requiem" by Robert Louis Stevenson
* * *
First off, I have to ask the question: Can you accept the premise of a novelized biography, a literary genre popularized by Irving Stone (1903-1989) with his novel/biographies of Vincent van Gogh -- "Lust for Life" -- and Michelangelo --"The Agony and the Ecstasy" -- among others?
If you accept this premise, Nancy Horan's "Under the Wide and Starry Sky: A Novel" (Ballantine Books, 496 pages, $26.00) is a magnificent tour de force, following the literary path carved out in her 2007 bestselling novel "Loving Frank", the story of architect Frank Lloyd Wright and his illicit affair with Mamah Borthwick Cheney, the wife of his client Edward Cheney.
"Under the Wide and Starry Sky" deals with many of the same issues as the previous novel, including the role of women in the arts and the role of a wife as an influence on her husband, as Horan tells the story of the unlikely affair and later marriage of Fanny Van de Grift Osbourne and the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson.
Horan's novel may or may not change our view of the author of such classics as Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. To a large extent it depends on many things. I think from the evidence that Horan presents that Fanny's mood swings contributed to his creation of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in what I believe is his masterpiece.
An aside from an English major -- the reviewer -- who attended college in the late 1950s and early 1960s: Stevenson was pretty much off our radar. I don't recall any mention of him in our classes. He was considered a popular writer -- but so was Dickens -- unworthy of study because of his subject matter. He was considered a horror writer and a children's writer, too.
Stevenson was born in 1850, the son of a wealthy builder of lighthouses. He was sickly from an early age, with lung problems that led him to seek treatment in many places, including Davos, Switzerland, today more famous as the site of economic summits.
Stevenson meets and falls in love with Fanny when she's in Paris studying art. She has left her unfaithful husband Sam Osbourne in San Francisco and has traveled with her three young children to study art. She's still married to Sam at the time of their meeting. She was considered an exotic woman, with a dark complexion that contributed to her aura. She was born in 1840 in Indianapolis and lived until 1914, two decades after Stevenson's death on Samoa in 1894. After Stevenson's death and burial on a Samoan mountaintop, Fanny was the keeper of the author's flame.
"Under the Wide and Starry Sky" addresses:
> Why this unlikely pair were drawn to each other
> How Louis and Fanny shaped each others’ artistic lives and accomplishments
> The Stevensons’ literary and artistic circle, which included such luminaries as John Singer Sargent and Henry James
> The obstacles Fanny and Louis faced, and how they helped each other navigate them
> Their adventures as world travelers
> Gender expectations, and their impact on both Fanny and Louis’s lives and work
> Robert Louis Stevenson’s literary legacy and how it has changed over time
Horan is an outstanding writer and I didn't find the book to have any boring sections. It's worth reading, along with biographies of Stevenson that Horan recommends at the end of the book.
REVIEWED BY DAVID M. KINCHEN
Stevenson had always wanted his 'Requiem' inscribed on his tomb:
Under the wide and starry sky,
Dig the grave and let me lie.
Glad did I live and gladly die,
And I laid me down with a will.
This be the verse you grave for me:
Here he lies where he longed to be;
Home is the sailor, home from sea,
And the hunter home from the hill.
--"Requiem" by Robert Louis Stevenson
* * *
First off, I have to ask the question: Can you accept the premise of a novelized biography, a literary genre popularized by Irving Stone (1903-1989) with his novel/biographies of Vincent van Gogh -- "Lust for Life" -- and Michelangelo --"The Agony and the Ecstasy" -- among others?
If you accept this premise, Nancy Horan's "Under the Wide and Starry Sky: A Novel" (Ballantine Books, 496 pages, $26.00) is a magnificent tour de force, following the literary path carved out in her 2007 bestselling novel "Loving Frank", the story of architect Frank Lloyd Wright and his illicit affair with Mamah Borthwick Cheney, the wife of his client Edward Cheney.
"Under the Wide and Starry Sky" deals with many of the same issues as the previous novel, including the role of women in the arts and the role of a wife as an influence on her husband, as Horan tells the story of the unlikely affair and later marriage of Fanny Van de Grift Osbourne and the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson.
Horan's novel may or may not change our view of the author of such classics as Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. To a large extent it depends on many things. I think from the evidence that Horan presents that Fanny's mood swings contributed to his creation of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in what I believe is his masterpiece.
An aside from an English major -- the reviewer -- who attended college in the late 1950s and early 1960s: Stevenson was pretty much off our radar. I don't recall any mention of him in our classes. He was considered a popular writer -- but so was Dickens -- unworthy of study because of his subject matter. He was considered a horror writer and a children's writer, too.
Stevenson was born in 1850, the son of a wealthy builder of lighthouses. He was sickly from an early age, with lung problems that led him to seek treatment in many places, including Davos, Switzerland, today more famous as the site of economic summits.
Stevenson meets and falls in love with Fanny when she's in Paris studying art. She has left her unfaithful husband Sam Osbourne in San Francisco and has traveled with her three young children to study art. She's still married to Sam at the time of their meeting. She was considered an exotic woman, with a dark complexion that contributed to her aura. She was born in 1840 in Indianapolis and lived until 1914, two decades after Stevenson's death on Samoa in 1894. After Stevenson's death and burial on a Samoan mountaintop, Fanny was the keeper of the author's flame.
"Under the Wide and Starry Sky" addresses:
> Why this unlikely pair were drawn to each other
> How Louis and Fanny shaped each others’ artistic lives and accomplishments
> The Stevensons’ literary and artistic circle, which included such luminaries as John Singer Sargent and Henry James
> The obstacles Fanny and Louis faced, and how they helped each other navigate them
> Their adventures as world travelers
> Gender expectations, and their impact on both Fanny and Louis’s lives and work
> Robert Louis Stevenson’s literary legacy and how it has changed over time
Horan is an outstanding writer and I didn't find the book to have any boring sections. It's worth reading, along with biographies of Stevenson that Horan recommends at the end of the book.
September 24, 2014
Under the Wide and Starry Sky is an historical novel about Robert Louis Stevenson and his wife, Fanny. It’s divided into three Parts. I found Part One to be a bit cumbersome. It’s a book club read, so I soldiered on (which I wouldn’t have done otherwise). Part two was far more interesting, as was part three. However, I felt it was written “passively” so as a reader, I wasn’t really engaged or part of the book.
On the plus side, I did learn about Stevenson’s life. Prior to this novel, I knew he was sickly as a child because of his poems I’ve read. I didn’t know that his frail health was a life-term issue. There are some very interesting historical details that the author masterfully weaves into the novel, which I appreciate.
On the negative side, the book is promoted as a read about “a fierce love affair—marked by intense joy and harrowing darkness”. I got the harrowing darkness, but I didn’t feel that Horan made the reader understand the love affair. It is mentioned in the book that Stevenson was so fun and interesting, that friends were left gasping for air. Yet, there are no scenes in the book where Stevenson left anyone laughing hysterically. Everything we learn of Fanny and Louis is through word of mouth and second hand. We are told about personal characteristics, but we, as readers, don’t experience them.
That said, it’s an historically good read. The reader learns about some world evets and the artist world during the time period of 1875-1904. The Stevenson’s lead a very interesting life due to his health. They lived where his health would allow, and his health took them to some strange destinations. Plus, it was interesting reading about under what circumstances he wrote “Treasure Island” and “The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde”. Otherwise, for me, the book was too passive to be fully engaging.
On the plus side, I did learn about Stevenson’s life. Prior to this novel, I knew he was sickly as a child because of his poems I’ve read. I didn’t know that his frail health was a life-term issue. There are some very interesting historical details that the author masterfully weaves into the novel, which I appreciate.
On the negative side, the book is promoted as a read about “a fierce love affair—marked by intense joy and harrowing darkness”. I got the harrowing darkness, but I didn’t feel that Horan made the reader understand the love affair. It is mentioned in the book that Stevenson was so fun and interesting, that friends were left gasping for air. Yet, there are no scenes in the book where Stevenson left anyone laughing hysterically. Everything we learn of Fanny and Louis is through word of mouth and second hand. We are told about personal characteristics, but we, as readers, don’t experience them.
That said, it’s an historically good read. The reader learns about some world evets and the artist world during the time period of 1875-1904. The Stevenson’s lead a very interesting life due to his health. They lived where his health would allow, and his health took them to some strange destinations. Plus, it was interesting reading about under what circumstances he wrote “Treasure Island” and “The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde”. Otherwise, for me, the book was too passive to be fully engaging.
September 4, 2020
This novel is brought to us by the lovely woman that wrote Loving Frank. Although not quite as phenomenal as her debut, her sophomore piece, also a biographical fiction, again about the wife of a great, this time an author rather than an architect. Frances Van de Grift Osbourne, the determined, fierce, loving, vivacious wife of the renown Robert Louis Stevenson, is quite the woman behind the scenes. At almost five hundred pages, spanning several decades, and an impressive cast of characters, there was definitely much to be covered in this saga. However, unlike she successfully did in Loving Frank, the pacing here was unsatisfactory. Readers will find themselves wavering between suspenseful page-turning and dispassionate concern for the characters on the pages before them. Certain relationships needed further exploration; various scenes continued needlessly.
Osbourne carries most of the novel, although the novel is about both she and Louis. In the first several chapters,it is only her, with her three children, having bravely left her cheating husband, something rarely done during those times, to study art in Belgium. Unfortunately, she is only to discover that the University does not accept female students. having intended to enroll herself as well as her teenage daughter Belle, she is forced to change plans. Her youngest son Hervey falls ill, relocating them to Paris. He does eventually pass away, following which she has a nervous breakdown of sorts, leading to a recommended retreat in the nearby countryside, Grez-sur-Loing, a sort of artists' colony, where she first meets Bob Stevenson, then his cousin Robert Louis Stevenson.
I am not even going to try to re summarize this saga-like novel. Needless to say, it covers a lifetime of adventures. In fact, there were concerns at Stevenson's death that his real life adventures would overshadow his literary achievements, as, yes, this was all based on fact. He spent many years in the South Seas, The Samoan Islands. His health forced our heroine into caretaking of him, yes, but also for their family to take to the high seas for most of their lives(which for most of the years was three, with the oldest son, Sam, whom later changing his name to Lloyd after his father disappeared/died, and then Louis' mother after his father Thomas' death). They lived on cruises, in Hawaii, on islands, on ports, in ships, in the mountains (at first, before they discovered the miraculous alleviation sea air brought, high altitude was the best cure).
Relationships are forged. Familial, romantic, platonic, etcetera. They moved many times, sacrifices were made, Louis's greatest works were chronicled, from smaller hidden masterpieces, short stories, poetry, A Child's Garden of Verses to Kidnapped to Treasure Island to The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. His relationship to the editors at McClure, Sidney Colvin, William Henley, Charles Baxter, Henry James. So many of his works were based on travels he had because of Osbourne, like Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes & The Amateur Emigrant.
During their time in The South Seas (The Hawaiian Islands, The Gilbert Islands, Samoa, Marquesas, Tahiti, among others; he also met the infamous King Kalākaua & Princess Victoria Kaiulani.) The Stevensons were involved in the politics of the natives their. Louis published, against the opinion of his friends in Europe, whom wanted more "stories about whites", several works including The Master of Ballantrae & A Footnote To History.
Sadly, after all the caretaking Frances did, Robert Louis Stevenson died of what seems to be a cerebral hemorrhage. As he requested, his last resting place was on the islands in Samoa.
As for the title of our novel? It is actually what, apparently, Louis wanted as his remembrance.
Under the wide and starry sky,
Dig the grave and let me lie.
Glad did I live and gladly die,
And I laid me down with a will.
This be the verse you grave for me:
Here he lies where he longed to be;
Home is the sailor, home from the sea,
And the hunter home from the hill.
January 23, 2014
Not as good as “Loving Frank”
I wanted to read “Under the Wide and Starry Sky” because I liked “Loving Frank” so much. While I liked “Under” I didn’t feel it was as compelling as “Frank”. It’s about the author Robert Louis Stevenson’s writing and his relationship with his wife Fanny. Because of Stevenson’s health (he suffered from tuberculosis) they traveled to many exotic locales in hopes his health would improve. Besides his native Scotland they lived in Paris and Switzerland and most notably in Samoa where the weather helped his lungs considerably. Because of their journeys they spent a lot of time on the ocean and while the sea air seemed to give Stevenson invigorating health Fanny spent most of the voyage sea sick. Her marriage to Stevenson was Fanny’s second and began as an affair while she was still married to her estranged philandering first husband.
Stevenson was a driven writer and wrote at a feverish pace between bouts of illness. Fanny also had dreams of being an artist of some type and initially went to Paris with her children to learn to paint only to find out that the salons would not accept women as students. She then turned to writing but had little success with that either in part because she was so caught up in helping Stevenson stay healthy and being one of his chief readers and critics, as you might suppose that created tension between them. Fanny also had her three children to bring up and very little money to do that with also adding to her distress.
“Under the Wide and Starry Sky” does an excellent job at portraying what it was like for an ambitious woman trying to make her way in a man’s world in the late 19th century while at the same time trying to be a supportive wife. There were parts of the book I found very interesting and large parts that lacked excitement. It’s a book that’s well worth reading as long as you’re reconciled to it not being as extraordinary as Horan’s “Loving Frank”.
An e-copy was provided by the publisher.
(Disclaimer given as required by the FTC.)
I wanted to read “Under the Wide and Starry Sky” because I liked “Loving Frank” so much. While I liked “Under” I didn’t feel it was as compelling as “Frank”. It’s about the author Robert Louis Stevenson’s writing and his relationship with his wife Fanny. Because of Stevenson’s health (he suffered from tuberculosis) they traveled to many exotic locales in hopes his health would improve. Besides his native Scotland they lived in Paris and Switzerland and most notably in Samoa where the weather helped his lungs considerably. Because of their journeys they spent a lot of time on the ocean and while the sea air seemed to give Stevenson invigorating health Fanny spent most of the voyage sea sick. Her marriage to Stevenson was Fanny’s second and began as an affair while she was still married to her estranged philandering first husband.
Stevenson was a driven writer and wrote at a feverish pace between bouts of illness. Fanny also had dreams of being an artist of some type and initially went to Paris with her children to learn to paint only to find out that the salons would not accept women as students. She then turned to writing but had little success with that either in part because she was so caught up in helping Stevenson stay healthy and being one of his chief readers and critics, as you might suppose that created tension between them. Fanny also had her three children to bring up and very little money to do that with also adding to her distress.
“Under the Wide and Starry Sky” does an excellent job at portraying what it was like for an ambitious woman trying to make her way in a man’s world in the late 19th century while at the same time trying to be a supportive wife. There were parts of the book I found very interesting and large parts that lacked excitement. It’s a book that’s well worth reading as long as you’re reconciled to it not being as extraordinary as Horan’s “Loving Frank”.
An e-copy was provided by the publisher.
(Disclaimer given as required by the FTC.)
October 8, 2017
I never really got invested in this book, and it was WAY too long.
July 6, 2016
BEFORE READING Under the Wide and Starry Sky:
Will this be as good as Fanny Stevenson: A Romance of Destiny? I definitely recommend Alexandra Lapierre's book.
********************
AFTER READING Under the Wide and Starry Sky:
This and Lapierre's book complement each other. I recommend reading both. I recommend reading Lapierre's non-fiction first so you know the truth of the events. Lapierre's book has more historical details covering political and cultural events occurring in the many different places the Stevensons lived. Lapierre's book IS non-fiction even if it does in parts read as a novel. It also covers a wider period of Fanny Stevenson’s life. What Horan's book does well is put you there, in Robert Louis Stevenson's and Fanny Stevenson's life, their life together. The focus is on both their relationship and their individual needs. However, large swatches of Fanny's life both before meeting Stevenson and after his death are only briefly referred to in Horan’s book. They are spoken of, but not lived. Horan’s book is historical fiction based on fact. The advantage of a good book of historical fiction is that through imagined dialogs and descriptive details a reader intimately lives through the events. For me the Samoan civil war felt much more palpable through Horan's words. Also Fanny's mental collapse, Stevenson's consumption attacks, as well as their marital disputes and reconciliations.
A word of warning. This is a long book. Almost the whole first half d-r-a-g-g-e-d! It took that long for the two to get married, and the book did not pull me in until that point. It felt flat. I wanted to dump it. I knew what lay ahead and I was drumming my fingers with impatience. In the first section Fanny struggles . There is plenty here that should have moved me emotionally, but it just didn't happen.
The latter half of the book is very much better. The story comes to life. Here is the story the author seemed to want to tell. Finally I came to care for both Louis and Fanny. Finally I was drawn in. Yet.....I never felt for any of Louis' friends or Fanny's three children or the Samoans . This is why I want to emphasize that the book is first and foremost about the couple and nobody else. It is also about Stevenson's writing. How the books came out of his life experiences. Even the fantastical The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde! Stevenson's poems, and poetry usually does not speak to me, were wonderful when cited here. The book makes me want to reread Stevenson's books. All of them.
I very much enjoyed the audiobook narration by Kirsten Potter. The speed is perfect. The dialects too, as well as pronunciation of French words.
So, the two books complement each other. They each give you something missing from the other. There is more information in Lapierre's. Horan's lets you feel the emotional ties between Fanny and Louis. I definitely recommend these books. Why? Because both Fanny Stevenson's and Robert Louis Stevenson's lives are fascinating. She’s a courageous, determined, at times explosive American, an artist and an author in her own right. He, well you know the famed author of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Treasure Island and A Child's Garden of Verses. A Scot who never forgot his Scotland as he traveled the globe searching for a climate, a place where he could survive consumption. This man was cheerful. He was chirpy, Fanny nicknamed him her canary. If you fight for life you appreciate it. There is an important lesson to be drawn from Robert Louis Stevenson's life. Without Fanny his books would never have been written. She kept him alive. Both are very interesting individuals.
Here is my review of Lapierre's book: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Will this be as good as Fanny Stevenson: A Romance of Destiny? I definitely recommend Alexandra Lapierre's book.
********************
AFTER READING Under the Wide and Starry Sky:
This and Lapierre's book complement each other. I recommend reading both. I recommend reading Lapierre's non-fiction first so you know the truth of the events. Lapierre's book has more historical details covering political and cultural events occurring in the many different places the Stevensons lived. Lapierre's book IS non-fiction even if it does in parts read as a novel. It also covers a wider period of Fanny Stevenson’s life. What Horan's book does well is put you there, in Robert Louis Stevenson's and Fanny Stevenson's life, their life together. The focus is on both their relationship and their individual needs. However, large swatches of Fanny's life both before meeting Stevenson and after his death are only briefly referred to in Horan’s book. They are spoken of, but not lived. Horan’s book is historical fiction based on fact. The advantage of a good book of historical fiction is that through imagined dialogs and descriptive details a reader intimately lives through the events. For me the Samoan civil war felt much more palpable through Horan's words. Also Fanny's mental collapse, Stevenson's consumption attacks, as well as their marital disputes and reconciliations.
A word of warning. This is a long book. Almost the whole first half d-r-a-g-g-e-d! It took that long for the two to get married, and the book did not pull me in until that point. It felt flat. I wanted to dump it. I knew what lay ahead and I was drumming my fingers with impatience. In the first section Fanny struggles . There is plenty here that should have moved me emotionally, but it just didn't happen.
The latter half of the book is very much better. The story comes to life. Here is the story the author seemed to want to tell. Finally I came to care for both Louis and Fanny. Finally I was drawn in. Yet.....I never felt for any of Louis' friends or Fanny's three children or the Samoans . This is why I want to emphasize that the book is first and foremost about the couple and nobody else. It is also about Stevenson's writing. How the books came out of his life experiences. Even the fantastical The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde! Stevenson's poems, and poetry usually does not speak to me, were wonderful when cited here. The book makes me want to reread Stevenson's books. All of them.
I very much enjoyed the audiobook narration by Kirsten Potter. The speed is perfect. The dialects too, as well as pronunciation of French words.
So, the two books complement each other. They each give you something missing from the other. There is more information in Lapierre's. Horan's lets you feel the emotional ties between Fanny and Louis. I definitely recommend these books. Why? Because both Fanny Stevenson's and Robert Louis Stevenson's lives are fascinating. She’s a courageous, determined, at times explosive American, an artist and an author in her own right. He, well you know the famed author of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Treasure Island and A Child's Garden of Verses. A Scot who never forgot his Scotland as he traveled the globe searching for a climate, a place where he could survive consumption. This man was cheerful. He was chirpy, Fanny nicknamed him her canary. If you fight for life you appreciate it. There is an important lesson to be drawn from Robert Louis Stevenson's life. Without Fanny his books would never have been written. She kept him alive. Both are very interesting individuals.
Here is my review of Lapierre's book: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
January 28, 2014
"And so begins a turbulent love affair that will last two decades and span the world..."
That's the concluding line for the blurb about Under the Wide and Starry Sky by Nancy Horan. So provocative and alluring, right?
It's a somewhat-fictional take on the romance between Fanny Osbourne and the prolific writer, Robert Louis Stevenson. Admittedly, despite being a Literature major, I didn't know much about RLS, particularly something as appealing as a romance that dashed through the world. It all sounded so intriguing and mysterious and glamorous.
And that's the extent of it.
The novel itself is, for the most part, rather dreary. Fanny Osbourne is a woman on the run from an awful marriage to a philandering man, taking flight to Paris with her children under the guise of studying art. She immediately loses her youngest son, Hervey, to tuberculosis and becomes near penniless. Fanny holes up in a lakeside artists' colony, where she meets Bob Stevenson, one of the few to befriend the dreaded American that has invaded their peaceful haven. One thing leads to another and she meets his cousin, Robert Louis Stevenson, who is instantly smitten with the temperamental, outspoken woman.
From there, they bounce from home to home, plagued by Stevenson's poor health. Their travels are not inspired by a wanderlust or romantic intent to see the world together; really, it's a whirlwind search to find an ideal location for Stevenson's weak lungs.
It's hard to really love any of the characters. The condensed time frame makes for a stilted cast of characters; Fanny's daughter Bella becomes estranged but then resurfaces with little sense of emotion. Fanny's son Sammy is at boarding school for most of his childhood but winds up traveling with them.
What's really lacking in all of this is that grand sense of romance that makes your heart flutter as you cheer the characters on and get swept into their love story. An emotional connection was nearly impossible and, after awhile, the book became tedious; I didn't really feel a pulse of anything until towards the end. And can I just say that Fanny's sudden bout of madness comes out of nowhere? It's ultimately blamed on the fact that she never got over losing Hervey but, honestly, it's never really mentioned in the book after Hervey dies.
I really wanted to like this book but it just lacked that magical spark that sets your imagination roaring.
** Copy provided by Netgalley **
http://amazingplainjane.blogspot.com/...
That's the concluding line for the blurb about Under the Wide and Starry Sky by Nancy Horan. So provocative and alluring, right?
It's a somewhat-fictional take on the romance between Fanny Osbourne and the prolific writer, Robert Louis Stevenson. Admittedly, despite being a Literature major, I didn't know much about RLS, particularly something as appealing as a romance that dashed through the world. It all sounded so intriguing and mysterious and glamorous.
And that's the extent of it.
The novel itself is, for the most part, rather dreary. Fanny Osbourne is a woman on the run from an awful marriage to a philandering man, taking flight to Paris with her children under the guise of studying art. She immediately loses her youngest son, Hervey, to tuberculosis and becomes near penniless. Fanny holes up in a lakeside artists' colony, where she meets Bob Stevenson, one of the few to befriend the dreaded American that has invaded their peaceful haven. One thing leads to another and she meets his cousin, Robert Louis Stevenson, who is instantly smitten with the temperamental, outspoken woman.
From there, they bounce from home to home, plagued by Stevenson's poor health. Their travels are not inspired by a wanderlust or romantic intent to see the world together; really, it's a whirlwind search to find an ideal location for Stevenson's weak lungs.
It's hard to really love any of the characters. The condensed time frame makes for a stilted cast of characters; Fanny's daughter Bella becomes estranged but then resurfaces with little sense of emotion. Fanny's son Sammy is at boarding school for most of his childhood but winds up traveling with them.
What's really lacking in all of this is that grand sense of romance that makes your heart flutter as you cheer the characters on and get swept into their love story. An emotional connection was nearly impossible and, after awhile, the book became tedious; I didn't really feel a pulse of anything until towards the end. And can I just say that Fanny's sudden bout of madness comes out of nowhere? It's ultimately blamed on the fact that she never got over losing Hervey but, honestly, it's never really mentioned in the book after Hervey dies.
I really wanted to like this book but it just lacked that magical spark that sets your imagination roaring.
** Copy provided by Netgalley **
http://amazingplainjane.blogspot.com/...
January 28, 2024
UNDER the wide and starry sky
Dig the grave and let me lie:
Glad did I live and gladly die,
And I laid me down with a will.
This be the verse you 'grave for me:
Here he lies where he long'd to be;
Home is the sailor, home from the sea,
And the hunter home from the hill.
- “Requiem,” Robert Louis Stevenson
Under the Wide and Starry Sky tells the story of Robert Louis Stevenson and Fanny Osbourne and the life they built together as husband and wife. Their love story had been a whirlwind romance, which was made more unpredictable by bouts of illness, depression, loss, and separation. They shared countless thoughts, argued and loved passionately, and traveled to different places together—some serving as retreat places to Louis’s convalescence and others as a writing haven for some of his works that would eventually turn out to be classic pieces of our time (and that, shamefully, I have yet to read).
It is so easy to fall in love with Robert Louis Stevenson who in this book is a true romantic—almost always to a fault—and overly jovial despite the gravity of his illness. Louis is a natural storyteller deeply admired for his ingenuity; he is kind, popular among friends, and often well-regarded for his opinion. He is an affectionate husband, too—always treating his stepchildren as his own. Plus, he is Scottish. I just don’t understand my fixation on Scottish brogue or anything Scottish, but yes, his being a Scot counts as one of his endearing qualities for me.
Then, there is Fanny Osbourne. Somehow I have developed a love-hate sentiment for her person. In the first few chapters, she seems to have taken Louie for granted . There has always been a lot of pressure on Fanny’s side, being a wife to a famous writer and wanting to carve her niche in the literary world at the same time. She also experiences bouts of self-doubt and madness—primarily caused by the loss of her son—but all things considered, Fanny has remained Louis’s dependable ally and partner.
I do not have an expert opinion on this book. I can’t tell if the writing style is great or if Louis’s history has been tackled appropriately or not. I am not a literary critic; just a mundane reader who sometimes takes in the shallowest reason for picking a particular book (i.e. blurbs, book covers, etc.), or reads about whatever holds her interest at the time. When I saw on Goodreads that there is a novel about Robert Louis Stevenson—who fascinated me after learning that one of his poems was used as a soundtrack for a TV series—it made me decide to dig deeper into his life story. I only knew a few things about him from Wikipedia; I’ve heard of his books Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde when I was younger but never had the chance to read them in school as it has always been Beowulf for English Lit. Nevertheless, this novel offers an entertaining value for me because it gives us a glimpse of the Robert Louis Stevenson that could flirt, love, converse, or show varying degrees of emotion; the Robert Louis Stevenson that is made whole and alive again with words.
And I truly enjoy seeing historical icons come back to life through books.
April 30, 2021
I enjoyed listening to the love story of Lewis Stevenson and his wife Fannie. I liked how descriptive the details were and the different places they traveled. Seeing him writing Treasure Island and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was a cool aspect. I did think it was longer than it needed to be and was a bit slow, especially in the beginning. Overall, it was enjoyable!
April 21, 2014
This book was interesting in the beginning but was way too long to hold my interests for the duration of the novel. Can't recommend this book. As I told someone else look on Wikipedia for a few facts about the lives of the husband and wife but then take the time to read one of his works. I think that would be time well spent.
December 11, 2013
This novel covers nearly thirty years in the lives of Fanny and Robert Louis Stevenson and their family. I don't think I've read a single one of Stevenson's books but I found Nancy Horan's tribute to his life compelling. While the Stevenson's travel adventures were interesting what I enjoyed most was reading about the couple's relationship and Louis's relationship with his parents. Thomas Stevenson was not very supportive of his son's career choice, he wanted him to build lighthouses or study law, neither occupation called to Louis and he went through periods of poverty without his parents support. RLS's health was seriously compromised for much of his life. He struggled to survive one debilitating illness after another. Fanny's efforts to nurse him back to health at such a great cost to herself was a testament to her devotion to Louis.
The Stevensons travelled all over the world, they were poor, they were rich, they were well connected, they were completely disconnected. They lived an amazing life together with a wide cast of interesting characters as friends, acquaintances and employees. I loved learning about RLS process for writing, the way he wrote what he dreamt, the way he could find his way back into a dream over multiple nights. He was a fascinating person and Fanny was an amazingly strong woman.
Horan covers a lot of ground with this book and does a very thorough job, her research is obvious. Though there were a few events that I wished had some further explanation. For example, I wondered where Fanny's children, Belle and Sammy, were when she went with Louis and had surgery in London. I also wondered what the surgeons did for her. At an earlier point in the story Louis is traveling to California, he arrives in Manhattan after sailing from England and finds a boarding house run by a friendly Irish family where he decides to stay. In the morning he goes to collect waiting mail and finds a telegram from Fanny's sister. I was completely confused as to how Louis could be collecting his mail when he'd only just arrived in Manhattan. Perhaps there was a plan in place ahead of time for where Fanny's sister should send communication, it's not really important but it puzzled me when I read it. And finally there was one important conflict that never had a resolution and I wondered why Horan left it hanging the way she did.
Horan brings to life the multitude of setting RLS encounters in his travels. She shows us changes in the character’s physical traits as they grow older, their struggles both internal and with close friends and family members. She’s able to create realistic relationships between Fanny and Louis as lovers as well as realistic relationships with them and their children and Louis’s parents. The many varied and quirky characters that make brief or longer lasting appearance along the way are individual and distinct. After reading this I feel as if I have some sense of RLS the writer, the husband, the man. And though Fanny was a fiercely devoted wife, she never comes across as anything but an independent woman who has chosen to live her life supporting, encouraging and nursing her husband back to life, to good health and success.
The Stevensons travelled all over the world, they were poor, they were rich, they were well connected, they were completely disconnected. They lived an amazing life together with a wide cast of interesting characters as friends, acquaintances and employees. I loved learning about RLS process for writing, the way he wrote what he dreamt, the way he could find his way back into a dream over multiple nights. He was a fascinating person and Fanny was an amazingly strong woman.
Horan covers a lot of ground with this book and does a very thorough job, her research is obvious. Though there were a few events that I wished had some further explanation. For example, I wondered where Fanny's children, Belle and Sammy, were when she went with Louis and had surgery in London. I also wondered what the surgeons did for her. At an earlier point in the story Louis is traveling to California, he arrives in Manhattan after sailing from England and finds a boarding house run by a friendly Irish family where he decides to stay. In the morning he goes to collect waiting mail and finds a telegram from Fanny's sister. I was completely confused as to how Louis could be collecting his mail when he'd only just arrived in Manhattan. Perhaps there was a plan in place ahead of time for where Fanny's sister should send communication, it's not really important but it puzzled me when I read it. And finally there was one important conflict that never had a resolution and I wondered why Horan left it hanging the way she did.
Horan brings to life the multitude of setting RLS encounters in his travels. She shows us changes in the character’s physical traits as they grow older, their struggles both internal and with close friends and family members. She’s able to create realistic relationships between Fanny and Louis as lovers as well as realistic relationships with them and their children and Louis’s parents. The many varied and quirky characters that make brief or longer lasting appearance along the way are individual and distinct. After reading this I feel as if I have some sense of RLS the writer, the husband, the man. And though Fanny was a fiercely devoted wife, she never comes across as anything but an independent woman who has chosen to live her life supporting, encouraging and nursing her husband back to life, to good health and success.
August 24, 2019
At times this feels too much like a biography; it’s as if Horan couldn’t bear to leave out a single detail about the relationship between Robert Louis Stevenson and his American wife, Fanny Vandegrift Osbourne, so she threw it all in: every journey, every house, every book – and there were lots of each. I occasionally wondered if a first-person voice might have made Fanny a more sympathetic character, but the omniscient narration allows us access to Stevenson’s thoughts and was probably necessitated by Fanny’s mental breakdown towards the end of the book.
There is a lot in here about creativity versus drudge work for money; Fanny’s own writing ambitions are never realized because she has to sacrifice herself to caring for an ill husband. I particularly enjoyed reading about Stevenson’s friendship with Henry James and their years in the South Pacific (Stevenson died and is buried in Samoa).
This was a plodding read for me, started on a trip to Edinburgh and not completed until nearly three months later, but ultimately I was glad to have read it. However, it doesn’t live up to Loving Frank, which is enjoyable whether or not you have any interest in its subjects.
Some favorite lines:
“He leaned back and studied the stacks of magazines. What did they really amount to? An honorable start. It wasn’t coin, though. The money he’d earned for the whole pile amounted to almost nothing.” – this rang true for me!
“Louis realized he was far better equipped to survive solitude than Fanny. He could retreat for hours while buccaneers or truant sons played about the hills and furrows in his brain, even if they never made it onto the page. Louis had been escaping the stupefying lassitude of sickness in just this way for as long as he could remember.”
“She realized their happiest times had been just like this, when the two of them were alone with the rest of the world at bay”
RLS in 1893: “Fanny may look like a timid little woman, but she has an intense personality. She’s a violent friend and a brimstone enemy—people tend to hate her or worship her.”
“Fanny’s mind was like her room, a cabinet of curiosities. He had fallen in love with the treasures he found in that exotic interior.”
“Had Fanny gone mad from being uprooted so often? Time and again, the sweet nests she made had been pulled out from under her as she endured one more leavetaking. She was an earthbound person, seasick from the moment she set foot on a boat. Was it any wonder she had cracked after two years of cruising the Pacific?”
There is a lot in here about creativity versus drudge work for money; Fanny’s own writing ambitions are never realized because she has to sacrifice herself to caring for an ill husband. I particularly enjoyed reading about Stevenson’s friendship with Henry James and their years in the South Pacific (Stevenson died and is buried in Samoa).
This was a plodding read for me, started on a trip to Edinburgh and not completed until nearly three months later, but ultimately I was glad to have read it. However, it doesn’t live up to Loving Frank, which is enjoyable whether or not you have any interest in its subjects.
Some favorite lines:
“He leaned back and studied the stacks of magazines. What did they really amount to? An honorable start. It wasn’t coin, though. The money he’d earned for the whole pile amounted to almost nothing.” – this rang true for me!
“Louis realized he was far better equipped to survive solitude than Fanny. He could retreat for hours while buccaneers or truant sons played about the hills and furrows in his brain, even if they never made it onto the page. Louis had been escaping the stupefying lassitude of sickness in just this way for as long as he could remember.”
“She realized their happiest times had been just like this, when the two of them were alone with the rest of the world at bay”
RLS in 1893: “Fanny may look like a timid little woman, but she has an intense personality. She’s a violent friend and a brimstone enemy—people tend to hate her or worship her.”
“Fanny’s mind was like her room, a cabinet of curiosities. He had fallen in love with the treasures he found in that exotic interior.”
“Had Fanny gone mad from being uprooted so often? Time and again, the sweet nests she made had been pulled out from under her as she endured one more leavetaking. She was an earthbound person, seasick from the moment she set foot on a boat. Was it any wonder she had cracked after two years of cruising the Pacific?”
February 28, 2014
The first book I remember owning as a child was A Child's Garden of Verses- given to me by my kindergarten teacher. It was a prized possession and one of the few mementos I have from childhood. It is surprising that I never went on to read any more of his books but that is going to change. Nancy Horan is making a living off of the phrase " behind every great man stands a woman." The author of Loving Frank tells us the story of Robert Louis Stevenson and his great love Fanny Osbourne. Fans of The Paris Wife will enjoy this behind the scenes look at the life of RLS and the woman who loved him. It is astonishing to me what total devotion it takes to love a genius. At the expense of everyone and everything - all attention must be paid to them.
While I found the idea behind this book very interesting the story was just so-so. I was never very captivated by either of them. The most interesting part was when he was writing The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde...and I wanted that part fleshed out more. Having said that, I now want to go back and read the works of Robert Louis Stevenson. 2.5 stars from me but I will round up to 3 stars because of this quote I enjoyed: "my mother is my father's wife. And the children of lovers are orphans."
While I found the idea behind this book very interesting the story was just so-so. I was never very captivated by either of them. The most interesting part was when he was writing The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde...and I wanted that part fleshed out more. Having said that, I now want to go back and read the works of Robert Louis Stevenson. 2.5 stars from me but I will round up to 3 stars because of this quote I enjoyed: "my mother is my father's wife. And the children of lovers are orphans."
August 7, 2016
I decided to stop reading this book at 46%.
This book had so much potential. I was excited to read about a whirlwind love affair between a famous writer and a bull-headed divorcée...but that wasn't what I got. I dragged myself through the first half of this book for days and days, not wanting to pick it up, but knowing that I needed to at least try to get through this. I gave it a really good shot, but this book and I just didn't click. Maybe it was just me, but it was so hard to get through.
The writing was dense and very textbook-like. I didn't feel like I was reading a story; the writing didn't come alive. The characters were dynamic, but they almost felt forced. It seemed like Horan was having trouble taking these people out of history and making them into more than just words. I didn't relate to these characters, I didn't empathize with them, and I didn't understand the choices that they were making. There wasn't even really development from Fanny and Louis meeting each other and then falling "madly" in love. It just sort of...happened. We didn't get to watch. And I couldn't feel the connection between the two of them. Why did they care so much about each other? What made them follow each other across the world? Most of the time, they were just two annoying people in a room together. There wasn't life in their relationship...it wasn't real.
And I just couldn't force myself to keep reading this novel when it never seemed to get any better. It's unfortunate, because I really thought I was going to like this one, and it was well-written in that the words flowed nicely and the dialogue was believable, but I just didn't find myself captivated by Under the Wide and Starry Sky, so I had to stop reading.
*An ARC was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
This book had so much potential. I was excited to read about a whirlwind love affair between a famous writer and a bull-headed divorcée...but that wasn't what I got. I dragged myself through the first half of this book for days and days, not wanting to pick it up, but knowing that I needed to at least try to get through this. I gave it a really good shot, but this book and I just didn't click. Maybe it was just me, but it was so hard to get through.
The writing was dense and very textbook-like. I didn't feel like I was reading a story; the writing didn't come alive. The characters were dynamic, but they almost felt forced. It seemed like Horan was having trouble taking these people out of history and making them into more than just words. I didn't relate to these characters, I didn't empathize with them, and I didn't understand the choices that they were making. There wasn't even really development from Fanny and Louis meeting each other and then falling "madly" in love. It just sort of...happened. We didn't get to watch. And I couldn't feel the connection between the two of them. Why did they care so much about each other? What made them follow each other across the world? Most of the time, they were just two annoying people in a room together. There wasn't life in their relationship...it wasn't real.
And I just couldn't force myself to keep reading this novel when it never seemed to get any better. It's unfortunate, because I really thought I was going to like this one, and it was well-written in that the words flowed nicely and the dialogue was believable, but I just didn't find myself captivated by Under the Wide and Starry Sky, so I had to stop reading.
*An ARC was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
August 28, 2013
The love story between Robert Louis Stevenson and Fanny Osbourne is one of those it would be hard to make up. They met in the French countryside when Fanny was recovering from the death of her son and Louis was visiting his cousin. She was American, older than him, and married to a philanderer in San Francisco. She also had two young children. He was already ill with tuberculosis but nonetheless striving to become a writer, not the doctor his family expected.
Their courtship was certainly not easy. Fanny was torn between him and her commitment to her marriage—divorce was unacceptable in the 1870s—and returned to San Francisco. But Louis followed her in a journey that nearly killed him. She divorced her husband, they married, and began a peripatetic life in search of a healthy climate for Stevenson took them to the most astonishing places. Fanny realized that when they were on the sea his health improved dramatically, so they rented vessels and sailed the South Seas; Louis cheerfully coughing and writing away while Fanny managed things. Often they traveled with his mother, sometimes with her adult daughter and her husband. Wherever they went Stevenson was adored, not just for his storytelling but for possessing that charisma that made people love to be around him.
Fanny, mercurial, funny, capable of rolling her own cigarettes, a writer herself who often felt that her talent was slighted, is a remarkable character. Her companion of her later years, a journalist several decades her junior, described her as “the only woman in the world worth dying for.” So with these two people and such extraordinary lives, why does “Under the Wide and Starry Sky” feel rather flat?
I felt that distancing from Nancy Horan’s first novel, “Loving Frank,” but Frank himself was a somewhat distant man despite his ability to attract women. Here, we have the exact opposite, big-hearted people who are full of life, busting with excitement, traveling to exotic places and embracing it all. Who could capture all that?
Nancy Horan does her best and the book is a good read, but it fails to capture the love, adventure, and joy of the couple, all experienced under the death sentence of an incurable disease. There’s almost the sense of “then they did THAT” as if she wished they’d just settle down and stop.
Any reader unfamiliar with the story of Fanny and Louis should give “Starry Sky” a try. If nothing else it will encourage them to explore the mystery of their extraordinary love.
Their courtship was certainly not easy. Fanny was torn between him and her commitment to her marriage—divorce was unacceptable in the 1870s—and returned to San Francisco. But Louis followed her in a journey that nearly killed him. She divorced her husband, they married, and began a peripatetic life in search of a healthy climate for Stevenson took them to the most astonishing places. Fanny realized that when they were on the sea his health improved dramatically, so they rented vessels and sailed the South Seas; Louis cheerfully coughing and writing away while Fanny managed things. Often they traveled with his mother, sometimes with her adult daughter and her husband. Wherever they went Stevenson was adored, not just for his storytelling but for possessing that charisma that made people love to be around him.
Fanny, mercurial, funny, capable of rolling her own cigarettes, a writer herself who often felt that her talent was slighted, is a remarkable character. Her companion of her later years, a journalist several decades her junior, described her as “the only woman in the world worth dying for.” So with these two people and such extraordinary lives, why does “Under the Wide and Starry Sky” feel rather flat?
I felt that distancing from Nancy Horan’s first novel, “Loving Frank,” but Frank himself was a somewhat distant man despite his ability to attract women. Here, we have the exact opposite, big-hearted people who are full of life, busting with excitement, traveling to exotic places and embracing it all. Who could capture all that?
Nancy Horan does her best and the book is a good read, but it fails to capture the love, adventure, and joy of the couple, all experienced under the death sentence of an incurable disease. There’s almost the sense of “then they did THAT” as if she wished they’d just settle down and stop.
Any reader unfamiliar with the story of Fanny and Louis should give “Starry Sky” a try. If nothing else it will encourage them to explore the mystery of their extraordinary love.
July 31, 2014
UNDER THE WIDE AND STARRY SKY
Nancy Horan
UNDER THE WIDE AND STARRY SKIES is the fascinating life and love story of Scottish writer, Robert Louis Stevenson and his unconventional wife Fanny. Fanny runs away from America with her three children to escape her philandering husband. She and her three children go to Belgium where Fanny and her daughter plan to study art.
After a personal tragedy Fanny needs the respite of a quiet artists’ colony In France. While recovering the lively Robert Louis Stevenson arrives and immediately falls in love with the earthy independent American who is ten years older. Initially Fanny is unimpressed but his love, charm and personality win her over and their fierce love affair commences. Theirs is a romantic partnership of intense joy and chilling brushes with death that spans decades and the globe.
This is a novel that has been carefully researched, and brings an exciting look into an author’s history to life with Ms. Horan’s novelist’s art. Fanny finally gets recognized for her fiery, tempestuous nature and talents which include fighting and nursing for her husband’s life and contributing to his art.
This is a tour de force for Ms. Horan. She has captured the time, the place and the characters exceptionally. I knew very little about Mr. Stevenson and was enchanted with his and Fanny story
Nancy Horan
UNDER THE WIDE AND STARRY SKIES is the fascinating life and love story of Scottish writer, Robert Louis Stevenson and his unconventional wife Fanny. Fanny runs away from America with her three children to escape her philandering husband. She and her three children go to Belgium where Fanny and her daughter plan to study art.
After a personal tragedy Fanny needs the respite of a quiet artists’ colony In France. While recovering the lively Robert Louis Stevenson arrives and immediately falls in love with the earthy independent American who is ten years older. Initially Fanny is unimpressed but his love, charm and personality win her over and their fierce love affair commences. Theirs is a romantic partnership of intense joy and chilling brushes with death that spans decades and the globe.
This is a novel that has been carefully researched, and brings an exciting look into an author’s history to life with Ms. Horan’s novelist’s art. Fanny finally gets recognized for her fiery, tempestuous nature and talents which include fighting and nursing for her husband’s life and contributing to his art.
This is a tour de force for Ms. Horan. She has captured the time, the place and the characters exceptionally. I knew very little about Mr. Stevenson and was enchanted with his and Fanny story
February 7, 2017
This was a book club read and I probably would not have picked it up on my own.... it was a fictional account of author Robert Louis Stevenson and his relationship with his spunky American wife fanny.... I have never read a book by RLS, Probably never will, but he sure did live in interesting life: not to mention he had a very interesting personality.... this book took you all over the world America, France, England, Scotland, Samoa, Hawaii when it wasn't part of America.... something that really struck me with all these travels is all the time spent on a boat, and really a lot of times especially in the beginning not in very good conditions.... I really liked Fannie and felt for her as a woman and as a mother, not really sure how I felt about RLS, clearly he has talent... I will be interested to see how everyone else in my book club felt about the book tomorrow, sometimes after the discussion you change your mind a little bit about the book, and sometimes you don't... One thing I do have to say is it could have been a little shorter, but on a positive I listened on audio and the narrator did a fabulous job especially with the Scottish accent....
October 12, 2015
''Under the Wide and Starry Sky,' by Nancy Horan is considered historical fiction, but Horan has taken the time to do in depth research on the lives of Robert Louis Stevevson and his wife, Fanny. Both Louis and Fanny were avid letter writers and Fanny kept diaries and journals of their travels while Louis spent many hours writing from his sickbed. Having many documents from which to draw her studies of the two Stevenson's, Horan evokes lives that were lived on the edge, sometimes of money, and sometimes of adventure. There were fascinating things to learn about both characters. How much did Robert Louis Stevenson's illness play a part in his writing and relationships? Well, it played a part in both. How could it not? And for Fanny, how much a part did losing her youngest child, Hervey, play a part in her relationships, and in her sanity. Horan's conclusions are credible. The book bogged a little in the pacing, but the characters carried the day.
February 3, 2014
Robert Louis Stevenson
This book was oversold and under delivered...although one can hardly lay blame on the author. Robert Louis Stevenson wrote several great works however his life the relationship with his wife Fanny, was difficult to turn into a piece of historical fiction. RLS was very ill throughout most of his life and the book spent a great deal of time recounting his illnesses or the quest to find the perfect climate to encourage Stevenson's health. If you are a RLS fan you may find this interesting, however I found it quite tedious.
January 24, 2016
This is a bit hard for me because I loved the author's first book called Loving Frank. I wanted to love this book just as much even more so since it's actually longer. However, I found that that is exactly what actually caused me to not like it as much as I wanted to - the length. Not that I'm afraid of long books or don't enjoy them, but this one in particular could have been written with less detail. I feel that not only would this have saved time, but it also would have made the story so much better and interesting. I also felt that the author had a limited audience to begin with - either ones who had read and enjoyed Loving Frank or perhaps fans of Robert Louis Stevenson. With such a limited audience (in my opinion) the book should have been written in half of the amount of pages. I am no expert, but there were times when I was just bogged down in details and found myseld praying for the story to pick up again and just move along. Aside from having so many details where the characters in the novel characters move around so much it was also hard to keep track of the story and realize what year the characters were in and where they were going next. It was hard to keep track because again there was just too much detail Yes, the traveling part was important because they spend most of their lives doing it, however, we don't need a full description of each day of a 30-day sea voyage. Having said that if you have the time you will enjoy the author's prose. I will still look forward to her next book. My apologies if my review is clear as mud, but again I wanted to love it and it just didn't quite pan out. I'm sure it would have helped if I had been a Robert Louis Stevenson fan to begin with, but I haven't even read Treasure Island. I am a Nancy Horan fan and that's why I decided to give it a whirl. Good luck!
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