I was fortunate to have the chance to read an ARC of "A Bend in the Stars" and as soon as I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. The story is set in early 20th century Russia and is so well-researched, the reader practically feels like you are there in Kiev. The beautifully vivid writing draws the reader in - you can almost smell the strawberry jam as Babushka scoops it into her tea. Then there is the race for scientific discovery, with the alluring character of Einstein lurking ever in the background. And the unfolding love story that twists and turns. A Bend in the Stars has it all -- five stars!

I hate dropping comparisons in the introduction of a review, but I genuinely feel Rachel Barenbaum’s A Bend in the Stars shelves neatly alongside Chad Thumann’s The Undesirables and Marie Benedict’s The Other Einstein.

The novel is brilliantly atmospheric and affords a unique and refreshing portrait of WWI era Russia both politically and culturally. In a market that favors Germany, France, and England, I found this perspective refreshing and enjoyed losing myself in this chapter of less-fictionalized world history.

I loved the scientific scope of this story and how the course of the narrative acknowledged the realities of competition in the field. I also liked how the story showcased commonly held superstitions and how traditional understandings prevented common people from accepting new understandings. That said, my favorite storyline was Vanya’s as it created a necessary bridge for modern readers to empathize and relate through prejudices that still exist more than a century after this story takes place.

I appreciated the time I spent with this piece and would have no trouble recommending it forward, but admit I did struggle a bit with the pacing and encourage anyone reading this to understand the impact of that reality on my rating.

I was completely swept away by this novel, transported into pre-World War I Russia and the struggles and hopes of the charismatic siblings, Miri and Vanya Abramov, as they attempted to make scientific history and escape the anti-semitism and violence of pre-revolutionary Russia. With impressive but never heavy-handed research, Barenbaum builds a world of intellectualism, scientific discovery, feminism, beauty, romance, violence and hatred and illuminates the complexities of Russian-Jewish life beyond Fiddler on the Roof stereotypes of shtetl life. Even more impressive than her depiction of the drama of impending war is the suspense she brings to the pursuit of physics as Vanya Abramov races to perfect Einstein's initial theories of relativity by completing the mathematical equations and confirming them through photographs of the solar eclipse that was visible in Russia in 1914.

In 1914 Russia, Miri Abramov is definitely an anomaly, a young woman poised to become a female surgeon, something unheard of at the time. Her brother Vanya is a gifted physicist intent of solving Einstein’s most famous theory, but war with Germany looms, and the siblings must decide if they should stay and fight for their home, or flee for their own safety. Before they can decide, war breaks out and Vanya and Miri’s fiancee both disappear. Risking everything to find the two men she loves most in the world, Miri sets out to find them. This book was fascinating, based on real people and events I knew nothing about, it sent me on a search for the real story and makes me wonder why such an amazing part of history is so unknown