I loved reading this book, in no small part because I could identify with the time period in which its set. The characters were fully developed and I loved the plot.
The book had me reading, and not wanting to put it down until I'd finished it.
There were a lot of life lessons in this book, and I'm happy that I had the opportunity to read it.
I'd never heard of the author, Barbara Linn Probst, but I'll seek her other books out now.

#RollTheSunAcrossTheSky #NetGalley #BarbaraLinnProbst

ROLL THE SUN ACROSS THE SKY by Barbara Linn Probst

So complex and haunting, with tragedies real and imagined, and so much guilt. Are we to be judged, or to judge ourselves, by our worst actions? Anyone who has lain awake remembering past errors can relate to Arden’s spiral of regrets. It’s hard to describe this fascinating book without spoiling secrets, but I’ll try.
Arden wants to be good, tries to be good, feels every failure, and being human, she does have failures. Her worst fears are that her weaknesses will cause harm to her daughter and granddaughter, for whom she’s done what she’s had to do to protect and nurture them.
Her focused efforts parallel the scarab or dung beetle’s labors to nurture life by rolling balls of dung containing its eggs, which is in sacred parallel to Khepri rolling the sun across the sky. I’ve not been to Egypt, but the descriptions almost make me feel I have, I have visited the Orient Express station in Istanbul, and I’ve felt the traveler’s disconnect from real life, as if anything can happen.
There are engaging secrets, conflicts, emotions, suspense, and characters to love and care for and worry about. I gladly turned off the TV, lost sleep, ate quick, simple meals, to just keep reading. One lingering lesson, when all seems too much, write poetry.

Arden is a sixty year old woman who has a huge tragedy happen in her, which leads her to reflect and review the way she has lived her life.
This book was very well written but I could not, in good conscience, give it more than three stars. The character of Arden was such a selfish, unpleasant person. If I had not received an advanced copy of this book to review, I would not have finished it. Not my cup of tea.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

I could not finish this book. I continued to read a few more chapters thinking I might enjoy it more but I had a hard time trying to finish it. I just never could really get involved with the characters and it just seemed to go no where. It was not a bad book just not my type of book. Thank you for allowing me to have the opportunity to read it. ~GM

I have had the pleasure of reading all four of Barbara Probst's books, and while I've loved them all, this one is my favorite. Her books are always imbued with impeccable research, making the settings and the characters' professions and pursuits sparkle with authenticity, yet never overwhelming the story.

The multiple timelines in this book, toggling between the past (1977 and going forward) and the present (2013) work very well, as events and decisions from the past reverberate in the present and force the main character, Arden, to reevaluate and come to terms with her behavior. She certainly made a lot of regrettable and often hurtful and damaging decisions, but she is nevertheless surprisingly likable as her introspection is very skillfully portrayed.

Many thanks to NetGalley, She Writes Press, and the author for an e-ARC of this wonderful book. I highly recommend it and think this would be an excellent book club choice; I'll definitely be talking it up and recommending it at my next book club meeting!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Roll the Sun Across the Sky. The story is about Arden, a woman who is complicated and has much to regret/be sorry for. She has done some morally bad things in her life and lied about so many things. The book goes from current time, when Arden is in her 60's to the past when Arden was in her 20's and 30's. The story is also about her daughter, Leigh. As we learn about Arden's life, we also find out about Leigh's life, much of which Arden did not know. Arden has so much regret and tried to right some of her wrongs. In her defense, many of her mistakes were made in her 20's and as she aged, she also matured and her relationships were healthy.

I like books that go from current to past time. This one was a bit different with the past chapters being in Arden's first person point of view, while the current chapters are in third person, which I liked. I also liked the author's writing style. I plan to read more of her books.

There is one error I need to point out. In the chapter titled "Angle Fish" it had the date 1980 but it should be 2013. It is in the current time and written in third person unlike the past chapters that are written in first person.

A profoundly wise, sweeping novel of a mature woman's reckoning with her life, including her complex relationship with various men and her conflicts with her daughter. Ranging over a lifetime with fascinating settings from Egypt to Manhattan, Probst brings her signature style and impeccable wordsmithing to another great novel that will grab you by the collar and transport you into a fascinating life. I couldn't put it down and can't recommend it highly enough if you're a fan of literary women's fiction that closely examines the human psyche.

When a book makes me shed years, then it's definitely done it's job.

The book is described as being similar to Paper Palace & Tom Lake, both of which I find tedious, slow moving and not enjoyable. In my opinion. this wonderful book is more along the lines of The 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo which is a huge compliment.

I enjoyed reading about Arden & Leigh's lives because I was born in the 1970s so ever6is relevant to my own life and experiences.

This book is so beautifully written. I jotted down so many quotes, including:

"There were times when your life changed because of something you did. And there were times when you did nothing, but it still changed."

"I am 24 years old and think my story is the only one that matters."

"You were never prepared for what life throws at you. Even if you threw the baseball at your own window."

I appreciate how the book came around full circle. It deals with love.iss, money, cheating, selfishness. Trust, lust and so many other aspects of life.

Arden is not necessarily likeable but she is REAL. With flaws. Faults and some goodness.

5 stars. Will probably be 1 of my fav books of 2025. Must read! I need to read the authors other books now.