Star Light, Star Bright [Hardcover]

Katherine Stone (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2002

Star Light, Star Bright . . .
First star he sees tonight . . .

Who will he choose?

Will it be Lily of the light step and glad heart? Pale Lily, whose mother died so long ago? Lily, who's suffered a long and mysterious illness . . .

Or will it be fatherless Brooke, with her bright copper hair and clever mind? Brooke, always protective of Lily. Brooke, the adventurer . . .

Twelve years ago Rafe McClure came to FoxHaven in Virginia, ancestral home of the Forsythes. Descended from ancient enemies, Rafe knows tragedy -- and he recognizes it here in this haven, this place of sanctuary and secrets, where foxes are safe but children may not be . . .

Now Rafe is a man who is loved by two women -- Lily Forsythe Rutledge, who has never left FoxHaven, and Brooke Blair, who has just returned. Though Rafe loves both of these sisters who are not sisters, he loves only one of them as a wife. But there can be no marriage until all the secrets are unearthed and all the truths are told. Star Light, Star Bright . . . Which star will he see tonight?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At the start of Stone's rhapsodic, over-elaborate romance, a young Mexican immigrant named Rafe is hired as trainer of the show horses kept at FoxHaven Farm in Virginia. FoxHaven is the home of two young women, 17-year-old Brooke and 15-year-old Lily, raised as sisters and the "stars" of the novel's title, so dubbed by Lily's adoring father. Rafe and college-bound Brooke, a horse lover, become instant friends. Lily, a longtime sufferer from illnesses that have mystified doctors, returns home from a stay in a Swiss clinic, apparently cured at last. She is as pretty and ethereal as Brooke is handsome and strong, and the reader knows Rafe will be attractive to and attracted by both. But tragedy strikes: one gun and two deaths make both girls orphans. Brooke, traumatized, flees to the West Coast; Lily, sole heir to FoxHaven, remains, with Rafe as special friend. Twelve years later, Brooke has acquired a doctorate and is now a brilliant archeologist. During a brief return to the farm en route to a dig in Cairo, she discovers suspicious evidence regarding Lily's childhood illnesses. The unraveling of all the mysteries surrounding the lives of the two girls begins and Rafe is destined to face his dilemma. Unfortunately, the convoluted plot, the dialogue sprinkled with italicized introspection ("When I'm with you I feel like a ballerina. She couldn't tell him that...") and lengthy medical analyses (Stone, author of 17 novels, is also a physician) make a confusing read out of what might have been an engrossing story.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Rafe McClure comes to Virginia by way of an isolated mountain village in Mexico, which survived untouched for five centuries until it's destroyed by a mudslide. The only survivor, Rafe heads north, learns English, and spends his days at a horse ranch in Texas. When events convince him to continue his journey, he ends up at FoxHaven Farm, where he becomes close to Brooke, also an animal lover. When her friend and the daughter of the house, Lily, returns after recovering from a long illness in Switzerland, a shocking murder and suicide occur, and Brooke leaves. Years later, Brooke returns to find that although feelings haven't lessened, there are still obstacles to overcome before she and Rafe can be together. Even though Stone's fast-paced tale is told in an odd mix of lyrical language and medical terminology straight from the Physician's Desk Reference and leaves most characters underdeveloped, it will still please the author's many fans. Maria Hatton
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Mira; 1ST edition (January 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1551668750
• ISBN-13: 978-1551668758
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,445,896 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bestselling Seattle-born author Katherine Stone set about plotting her life's journey at a very young age. At age five she knew she hoped to become a doctor. Then, after writing her first short story at age 11, she realized that she'd love to be a writer, too.

In pursuit of that youthful dream, Katherine attended Stanford University, where she completed her premed requirements while majoring in English. She received her M.D. from the University of Washington. Following her internal medicine residency in San Francisco, she accepted a fellowship in infectious diseases in Los Angeles.

What remains one of the world's largest outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease coincided with her fellowship, which gave her the opportunity to write and lecture on this mysterious new disease. But it was not all work and no play. There was also romance in L.A. It was there (during a spinal tap!) that she met her future husband, physician and novelist Jack Chase.

While she had accomplished the first half of her young-life goals, Katherine never really got around to the second part--being a writer--until Jack bought her a word processor and urged her to "Just do it." The result? Bestselling books in the distinctive Katherine Stone style: a marriage of lyrical prose, evocative emotion and, above all, romance.

"There's nothing wrong with incurable romanticism," the physician asserts. "I love writing about nice people, who are giving life their best shot despite the sometimes monumental obstacles I place in their paths and who discover, despite those obstacles, the splendor and power of love."

Although Katherine has hung up her stethoscope for the moment and is writing full-time at her home near Seattle, her medical background is often evident in her books. "I very much enjoy sharing my passion for medicine--its drama, its emotion and yes, its science--with my readers."

The author of 21 novels, including Twins, Bel Air, Love Songs, and Pearl Moon, Katherine's books have been translated into 20 languages and sold worldwide. She is in the midst of converting all her novels into e-book formats (and thinking about her next book!)

Please visit her website at www.katherinestone.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Star Light, Star Bright it is Not!, July 23, 2007

By 

faeriemyst (La-La Land) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Star Light, Star Bright (Mira S.) (Mass Market Paperback)

First off, things I liked about the book: (1) the title, it's a nice touch of whimsy, (2) the cover colors, and (3) the little shooting star above the chapter numbers (hey, it's cute!). I'm sorry to say that's about it.

This book was just a disaster; there was an excessive amount crammed into 360 pages, and all of it was predictable, over-the-top, and unbelievable. All the characters are supposed to be flawed but they were one-dimensional and boring. Lily and Peter were an exception; I think they had possibilities, most likely better suited to a completely different book. Brooke was an absolutely horrible character; she's boring, whiney, and did many things that I don't think her character would do (such as leave her horses without a by-your-leave), not to mention when her mother tells Brooke about her father and she's not affected by it in the least. What?! Then she spends the whole rest of the book a whole mess of a person who really needs to be sent to a psychiatric clinic, it's just too bad no one else sees this. Ugh, why would anyone like this person, let alone love her?

I don't think the author knew quite what to do with the book. First, the prologue, I'm sorry but it really didn't make sense to the rest of the book, not that the rest made much sense either. Secondly, the author was always changing direction; from the back of the book, I thought it was a love triangle, not exactly. Ms. Stone shifted to and from that but never really settled on a solution to have the triangle. Next, the conversations were a joke; everybody just opens up to a stranger and tells them a whole story? Every conversation was so melodramatic too.

Now for the relationships... No love triangle, that's why I read the book, I thought it sounded interesting. Rafe and Brooke: he's 26, she's 17 when they meet, they spend 9 days together...they're in love? Ha! Not to mention it's very creepy. I can pretend that Brooke is a mature 17 but I don't think a relationship for 9 days would reckon they love each other, they don't even know each other well. I'm sorry but 9 years in between, especially when the younger is 17 is huge; it's not like when someone is 30 and the other is 39, it's a big difference. I also find it hard to believe that 12 years later, everyone is the same and feels the same, no one has really changed. Then from here, the rest of the book is played out in a week, and the last bit totals a month. Way too much for the time period.

I know I had many, many more problems with this story but I think I'll stop here because I gave the main ones. If I continued on I might give spoilers and I don't want to do that in case someone actually wants to read this book. I don't know if this story was supposed to be like a fable, but if it was, it was a dismal failure.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but disjointed, January 21, 2002

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Star Light, Star Bright (Hardcover)

When his Mexican village and four neighboring hamlets high in the clouds are destroyed as Rafael defeats the Rain God, he leaves in exile for America using the name Rafe McClure. He accepts a job as a stable hand in the Forsythe's FoxHaven estate in Virginia. Rafe's natural talent and his love for horses come to the attention of Brooke Blair, whose mother Marla is an informal member of the Forsythe family through her relationship with her best friend Carolyn. Brooke and Carolyn's daughter Lily are not only best friends, but raised as sisters.

After receiving medical treatment in Europe, Lily returns home to an apparent suicide murder as Brooke's mother and her father are dead. Unable to cope, Brooke flees FoxHaven leaving Lily to cope with the aftermath. Now years later Brooke has returned to FoxHaven only to see the intimacy between her "sister" and the man she loves, but left behind.

Best-selling author Katherine Stone usually provides her fans with a pearl of a novel, but her latest tale seems disjointed as if the wonderful writer could not decide between a contemporary triangle and a fantasy romance. The story line of STAR LIGHT, STAR BRIGHT contains several intriguing subplots, but the two prime themes never merge in spite of three strong and delightful charcaters. The contemporary aspects with its mystery and relationship drama is a powerhouse, but the fantasy elements remain out of place and never fully integrate. Though not one of her brighter lights, the audience will still enjoy Ms. Stone's latest tale.

Harriet Klausner

1.0 out of 5 stars Very disappointed in KS, August 21, 2007

By 

C. Andrick (Decatur, IL, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Star Light, Star Bright (Mira S.) (Mass Market Paperback)

I am halfway through this book and not enjoying it as I have all of her others I have read. I decided to look on Amazon to see what any other comments were about this book. I looked, and have decided to give up on this one and continue on to another one of hers. I just found this one very hard to follow and I don't like having to work that hard trying to keep up with a story line. My sister-in-law, who is also an avid reader, once told me that if you're not "into" a book by page 100, it may not be worth the effort to continue.