What We Thought: The Movement of Stars by Amy Brill

The Movement of Stars

by Amy Brill

“By my reckoning, she who waits for love’s return is shackled enough by her longing without a beacon with which to chart it.” -- The Movement of Stars

The Afternoon Readers book group met on Tuesday afternoon, September 15, to discuss The Movement of Stars, a novel based on the life of Maria Mitchell born on Nantucket, Massachusetts who was the first professional female astronomer in America. The author was inspired by Quaker values and how they fit into the island life of Hannah Price in the 1840s. Strong themes drive the story; a woman’s place in society’s expectations of marriage and family versus the wish for the independent life of a scholar and astronomer. The challenge of an inter-racial romance complicates her life as well. Hannah finds her own way despite the pressures of religion, family and suitors.

Hannah spends her time gazing at the night sky, learning the locations of  stars and constellations. She was very familiar with the Nantucket sky and felt that this would lead to her discovery of a comet and the prize of a gold medal from the King of Denmark. The discovery of the comet opens new horizons for her professionally and ultimately offers a chance to leave the island for a position as a professor of astronomy at a college on the mainland.

The author has written a story about an intelligent and determined young woman whose life loosely parallels that of the real Maria Mitchell. The author has taken liberties with the story line of a romantic relationship with Isaac, a black whaler from the Azores. Her version of family and friends’ relationships, although based on actual people, are invented. This book is a work of fiction, but the timeline of Nantucket’s history is accurate, as is the self-confidence and strong wills of both young women.

Maria Mitchell retired from Vassar College as the founding professor of astronomy in 1881. After her death in1889, the Maria Mitchell Observatory in Nantucket was named in her honor. In addition to Comet Mitchell, the lunar crater, Mitchell, and asteroid #1455, Mitchella, are named for her.

“We especially need imagination in science. It is not all mathematics, nor all logic, but is somewhat beauty and poetry.” -- Maria Mitchell