The Light of the Falling Stars [Hardcover]

J. Robert Lennon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 4, 1997

The story of a small town rocked by the tragedy of a plane crash, the arrival of a stranger who claims to be the lone survivor of the crash, and a marriage about to crumble offers a richly textured portrait of change, compassion, and tenuous connections. A first novel."

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The effects of a plane crash on the friends and family of the victims, and especially on the lives of the young couple who witness the crash, is the subject of this sporadically interesting but ultimately weak first novel. As the book opens, Paul and Anita Beveridge are sitting outdoors opening Paul's birthday presents when an airplane goes down in flames, destroying part of their house in the Montana woods. Then the scene shifts to people waiting for the plane's arrival, including Lars Cowgill, whose girlfriend Megan was on the plane, and Trixie, whose long-time ex-husband, Hamish has shocked her with the news that he is coming to Montana to see her. The crash also gives Bernardo, the sole survivor, a chance to rebuild his life after fleeing Italy in disgrace. Lennon occasionally shows flashes of real talent?the book's first chapter is particularly good?but he has included too many characters and failed to adequately develop them, using successively fewer interesting subplots. Skip this and wait for Lennon's next.?Nancy Pearl, Washington Ctr. for the Book, Seattle
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From The New Yorker

Lennon's impressive first novel--psychologically nuanced, richly detailed, unexpectedly comic--offers us an unsentimental examination of the ways in which we find and lose those we love, both before and after death.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 307 pages
• Publisher: Riverhead Hardcover; 1ST edition (August 4, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573220663
• ISBN-13: 978-1573220668
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,989,742 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A First - A Must - A Gotta Read, August 11, 2001

By 

Haley Parnham (NJ) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Light of Falling Stars (Mass Market Paperback)

There are some books that beg to be read. You're standing in the bookstore or the library, scanning titles and one catches your eye. You pick it up, hold it in your hands and flip open the front cover to scan the synopsis. You think, "Well, maybe." You open it up, check out the font, the spaces between the lines, the way the pages look and think, "Possibly." You turn to the first page and begin to read, "A plane crashed. It was August, a hot, dry day." And you continue reading as you head to the check out counter (or click your mouse to add it to your shopping cart). THE LIGHT OF FALLING STARS is one of those books for me. A first novel for J. Robert Lennon, I first read it three years ago, just before my first trip to Montana where this book just happens to take place.

The book carries you through the aftermath of the plane crash and its effects on the people in Marshall, Montana. You come to know them on a level that is both intimate and real through Lennon's descriptive and easy-flowing prose and dialogue.

This is a book you'll be glad you found.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Exactly what I'd hoped to read., July 2, 2006

By 

Just_Karen (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Light of Falling Stars (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is almost without plot, and overabundant with character. Still, with characters like this, I can't complain.

The story starts with a plane crash. This is a grand, dramatic event, so overwhelming that it's surreal. But the heartbreak lies in the details; a discarded barrette, the litter of lettuce falling around a man while he eats a storebought sandwich because he doesn't want his wife's cooking, a badly done sketch, a lock where none was before. The author's writing style is measured and plain, but he sneaks bits of poetry into his prose. Even the ghosts in this book are so plainly painted that they seem absolutely real.

Certainly this book is not for everyone. A reader searching for a hero would be disappointed in the very commonplace individuals who populate this small town. Their inertia and denial, though beautifully rendered, can be frustrating. But there is quiet heroism in the way they absorb the blows of their individual tragedies, gather up their dignity and move on with their lives.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Haunted Lives, August 25, 2002

By 

JessH - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Light of the Falling Stars (Hardcover)

"The Light of Falling Stars" is a debut novel by J. Robert Lennon. In light of events of September 2001, I found this book to be haunting and insightful. It follows several residents of the small town of Marshall, Montana after a plane crashes in some woods on the outskirts of town. Of the over 50 passengers kiled in the crash, 31 of them are from Marshall. But the book doesn't tell the tale of those who were killed, it instead focuses on those that they left behind.

Paul and Anita Beveridge live in a renovated fishing cabin on the edge of a National Wilderness area. They are a young married couple whose relationship is faltering. They are out in their backyard arguing on a hot August evening when the plane's engine clips the corner of the roof of their cabin and they witness the plane crashing in the nearby forest. Lars Gowgill is a young man who goes with his friend to pick his girlfriend, Megan, up at the airport after she spent the summer in Seattle with her family. Trixie Bogen is a lonely, old women who lives by herself in Marshall and she is awaiting the arrival of her ex-husband.

The novel explores the story of these characters in the aftermath of the crash. It shows how they handle the loss, how it effects each of them, and how they learn to continue with their lives after the tragedy. The story delves into love, loss, mourning, and relationships.

The writing in "The Light of Falling Stars" is simple and beautiful. The writing captured my attention immediately and kept me turning the pages. The novel offers an excellent exploration of human emotions in the aftermath of tragedy.