We Are All Made of Stars: A Novel

Written by Rowan Coleman

Narrated by Ben Allen and Avita Jay

We Are All Made of Stars is an unforgettable story about second chances, the power of words, and the resilience of the heart.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Highbridge Company
• Release date: Jul 26, 2016
• ISBN: 9781681682280

Rowan Coleman

Rowan Coleman, a self-proclaimed soap-opera addict, desperately wanted to attend stage school while growing up and to be-come an actress. Although she decided to pursue a glamorous career in writing instead, she did have the chance to visit the set of a soap opera when researching this book. While she has written five novels for adults, this is her first novel for teens. Rowan Coleman lives in Hert-fordshire, England, with her husband, Erol, and their daughter, Lily.

Reviews for We Are All Made of Stars

[shazjhb · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

So much to this book. CF, hospice, PTSD, death, letters and amazing people. Lots of crying.

[Eevebooks · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a book that I liked a lot, although I felt it fell short in its final stretch due to the way everything rushed.

I find the plot very original and necessary, seeing how people who are about to die narrate their emotions to the ones they want to say goodbye to, and which the nurses at the hospital write down to deliver once that person is gone, seems very painful yet emotional to me. I like that it captured the sadness in the letters that mark a definitive farewell, one of those that won't allow the other person to embrace their loved one one last time.

The characters seemed very realistic to me, although it's true that I perhaps expected a bit more final evolution. I felt that the climax was resolved too quickly, and that prevented me from empathizing with them and the progression of their story. Aside from that, I believe all of them have growth filled with reflections that touched my heart, and it’s one of those stories that must be read knowing it's very emotional and full of deep and sad messages.

The author's writing style appealed to me greatly, although sometimes I felt it was too direct in some reflections, making it hard for me to connect entirely. However, in the dialogues, it allowed me to see the characters as more realistic, with more common and genuine conversations, something more typical of real life.

In summary, "We are all made of stars" is a very beautiful and meaningful book, even though I felt it let me down in several aspects in the final stretch. The plot is lovely, and the theme of the letters is what I liked the most about the book; I think it’s a very good concept that is rarely seen in stories, and it allowed me to connect better with them and what was happening to them. The characters also resonated with me a lot, even though their final evolution left me indifferent due to how rushed everything was. Perhaps if they had taken more time, the growth of these characters and all the conflicts faced towards the end might have resonated more with me. The author's writing style seemed beautiful, concise, but also very direct, and during some moments of reflection, I found it a bit challenging to connect with what was being explained. Despite that, it was a very enjoyable read, with many reflections and a beautiful and significant concept. (Translated from Spanish)

[Aris190 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A great moving book, and in the letters, there is each story and each different feeling; very entertaining. ?♥️ (Translated from Spanish)

[bunnbooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My opinion:
The book is simply beautiful, there are no words to describe it.

✨Stella is the clear representation of overcoming, despite the problems she has to deal with day by day, she strives to give her best to her patients, in writing those farewell letters. Speaking of letters, they seem to me the most beautiful thing that could have been added to a book; in each of them, you can get to know a little more about those people and the way they leave a memory for their loved ones.

✨Hope has a clear development throughout the story; we knew her as an insecure girl determined to spend the rest of her short life within the four walls of her room. In the end, she learns that life is not just about that, that we must live it to the fullest for it to be worthwhile.

✨And Hugh, I fell in love with this character from the very first moment I read about him. For all the things he had to endure, the bad times and years of disappointment. Even so, he is determined to fight until the last breath of his life; he teaches us that second chances are worth it and that starting over is okay, that we should give ourselves this opportunity.

Would I recommend this book? Of course, it's worth reading at least once in a lifetime.

Rating:
5/5⭐️ (Translated from Spanish)

[Corfila · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

At first, the way it all starts threw me off a bit; I didn’t understand anything, which was a bit frustrating and took me out of the story. Well, not that it took me out; it was just that I didn’t connect with it. It’s a story narrated from three voices, three protagonists interconnected with each other, which doesn’t make much sense until you adapt and understand everything that’s happening. Of the three stories told, I really connected with two of them, the one with Stella, which I suffered a little with, and the one with Hugh, with which I connected more and at times I laughed. The story of Hope didn’t appeal to me much; I think it was missing something to really hook me. In this story, we find hope and second chances. The best part… the cat and the last letter; that one made my heart soft. (Translated from Spanish)

[Yoselinacostab · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It's a very beautiful and moving book, it undoubtedly stirs you and leaves that feeling of fulfillment that every good book should leave! I loved it. (Translated from Spanish)

[nyiper · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What an appealing bunch of characters Coleman created! I wanted to know more about each one of them and Coleman did not disappoint. Now I have to go back and read her earlier books.

[cwhisenant11 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

We Are All Made of Stars
By Rowan Coleman
Narrated By Ben Allen and Avita Jay
Published 2016 by HighBridge, a Division of Recorded Books
11 hours and 33 minutes

I received a free audio copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The structure of the book made the listening a challenge. The story opens with a letter written by a dying wife, Dorothy, to her husband Len. Then the prologue introduces Stella and Vincent. Next, the first chapter introduces Hope and Ben and a few chapters later we meet Hugh. It was all too much information from too many points of view and no point of reference. Once I caught on to the structure and got to know the characters, however, a beautiful and poignant story unfolded.

Stella is the main character and the link to all of the other characters. She is married to a wounded veteran and works night shift as a hospice nurse. Through her nursing, she forms relationships with her patients and begins writing “final” letters for some of them to be sent to recipients after passing. One particular letter troubles her and Stella decides to break her promise to the patient and deliver the letter before the patient’s death. It was interesting to see how all of the subplots began to fit together but most of the letters mingled throughout the story were random and not related to any of the main characters.

The female points of view were narrated by Avita Jay and the male points of view were narrated by Ben Allen. I thought both narrators did a decent job performing but I had a little trouble understanding their British accents at times. I typically love listening to narrators with British accents but neither of these narrators gave standout performances.

I would definitely recommend this book to my chick lit friends but I would opt for the print version instead of the audio.

[countrylife_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Uplifting vignettes as a hospice nurse writes letters for patients at the end of their lives, intertwined with the stories of the major characters: the nurse, Stella, whose husband has returned wounded from Afghanistan; Hope, temporarily receiving respite care at the hospice, and Hugh, who lives in the neighborhood. With a little bit of young love, a little bit of working through marriage issues, a lot of forbearance and working on understanding, this was a sweet book.

[wagner5sarah35 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book reminded me of European movies, the ones like Love Actually with multiple intertwining stories around a central theme. In this case, the stories are centered around a hospital ward filled with patients seriously ill or near death. For several patients, the nurse Stella writes letters to their loved ones to be posted after death. Ultimately, a very hopeful novel.

[nbmars · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This lovely story is centered around a nurse, Stella, working in a London area hospice for mostly terminal patients, and the emotional ups and downs in her own life as well as the lives of her patients and their families. Interspersed throughout the book are letters that hospice patients have asked Stella to write for them and deliver to their loved ones after they die. The letters are touching and funny and help illustrate the theme that “[y]ou fight till your last breath for the people that you love, and your dreams, the future that you want. And you can fight for your past too, because it’s not too late to know how much it mattered . . . "

In addition to the focus on Stella and her husband Vincent, who is suffering from severe PTSD after having served in Afghanistan, we also get to know two other couples: Hope, who has Cystic Fibrosis, and her upbeat, loyal BFF Ben; and Hugh, a historian who curates a Victorian collection of mementos mori (artistic or symbolic reminders of the dead), and his new next-door neighbor, single-mom Sarah and her very funny and endearing ten-year-old son.

Through the letters and the characters, we hear different takes on mortality and on making sense of your life. All of these people have been through both good and bad times, but as Sarah says to Hugh:

“I’ve been through crap too, you know. I’ve cried my guts up, more than once. It’s not easy, being in this world. Picking yourself up, getting yourself together, time after time, only for some bastard to whack you back down. But what else can you do, right? If you keep getting up, sooner or later something or someone is going to show the reason why it’s worth keeping on trying.”

The story keeps coming back to the importance of relationships in keeping people going. “We are all made of stars,” one patient writes:

“You and I and all of life, we were all born out of the death of a star, millions of billions of years ago. A star that lived long and then, before its death, burnt at its brightest, its fiercest, an enflaming supernova. But when it died, it did not cease to exist. Instead, everything it is made of becomes part of the universe once again, and everything that is part of the universe becomes us.

So do not miss me, because I do not die. I transform into the wind in the tops of the trees, the wave on the ocean, the pebbles under your foot, the dust on your bookshelves, the midnight sky.

Wherever you look, I will be there.”

The thoughts of these characters, and their struggles for meaning and love will stay in your thoughts and your hearts.

Evaluation: This is not a depressing novel, in spite of the themes and setting. On the contrary, it is quite uplifting and inspirational. Coleman is often compared to Jojo Moyes and I think it is a valid comparison, although Moyes moves me to tears much more than Coleman. This story is well worth reading.

[jenniferlynn-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Loved it. The book centered around Stella, Hope and Hugh. Stella has gone from being a trauma nurse to working at a hospice, since her husband returned home from Afghanistan. She was used to helping her patients live now she is with them when they die. Stella writes letters to their loved ones or any one else they want to send a letter to before death. Sometimes it's to tell a husband how to use a washing machine, letting a wife know there's money hidden in a tin under the floor, or letting a son know that his mother is still alive. Stella will only work at night and is trying to fix the problems she is facing with her husband. Hope ends up at the hospice because of her cystic fibrosis. She meets a young cancer patient whom inspires her to break out of her shell and live and to kiss as many boys as she can. One of the funnier parts of the book was Hugh and his cat, Jake. Jake seemed to show up throughout the book and went by several identities. It was hard not to cry in some parts, the book was very touching and made me think what I would write in a letter to my husband and daughter. I love Rowan Coleman's books and look forward to reading her next one.

[dubaireader · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Letters from the dying.I've never read anything by Rowan Coleman before, I guess I had her down as a bit of a Chick-Lit author, but We Are All Made of Stars seemed to be getting a lot of attention so I decided to listen to the audiobook from Audible. Before I go any further I must say that this was an excellent narration from Avita Jay and Ben Allen and I particularly liked the voice of Ben, from Avita.There are four relationships under the microscope here, Stella, the central character and her Afghanistan Vet husband, Vincent; Hope, a Cystic Fibrosis sufferer, recouperating from a severe infection, and her friend Ben; Hugh and Sarah, the girl who moves in next door (and his cat, Jake, who contrives to visit all the characters in the book); and Gladys who joins the cast later on but links back to Hugh.Stella works in a hospice for terminal and recouperating patients and has become known amongst them a writer of last letters to loved ones. This becomes the theme that holds the book together, though I wasn't so keen on the letters that bore no relation to characters in the book, possibly because in narration these came over as a bit superfluous, perhaps the written version has them in italics, or something.The letters are always sealed and kept for the loved ones on the death of the patient, but Stella is not happy about one particular letter, which she wants to deliver now, before it is too late.This was a great read, with an excellent balance of sadness,love and humour. I might well take a look at some of Rowan's more recent books, if not her earlier, more Chick-Lit titles.

[filialibri-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Diese und weitere Rezensionen findet ihr auf meinem Blog Anima Libri - Buchseele

In "Zwanzig Zeilen Liebe" erzählt Rowan Coleman eine ausgesprochen bewegende Geschichte über Leben, Liebe und Tod, deren Dreh- und Angelpunkte das Marie-Fancis-Hospiz und die Menschen, deren Leben dieser Ort auf die eine oder andere Art berührt. Ein, wie ich fand, sehr schöner Roman, dem aber das gewisse Etwas gefehlt hat.

Besonders gefallen hat mir der Aufbau des Buchs, denn neben Abschnitten aus wechselnder Perspektiven verschiedener Menschen, deren Leben irgendwie in Verbindung mit dem Hospiz steht, sind immer wieder Briefe abgedruckt. Briefe von Patienten des Hospiz, die diese vor ihrem Tod der Krankenschwester Stella diktierten, damit diese nach ihrem Tod eine letzte Nachricht an ihre Liebsten oder irgendwem, dem sie einfach noch dringend etwas sagen wollten, übermittelt.

Diese Briefe sind sehr unterschiedlich, manche nur ein paar Zeilen lang, andere mehrere Seiten, manche witzig, andere wütend und wieder andere traurig und auch ihre Empfänger sind völlig verschieden, ob verlorene Liebe oder entfremdeter Ehegatte, gerade erst geborene Urenkel oder zur Adoption freigegebene und mittlerweile erwachsene Kinder, verhasste Nachbarn oder geliebte Fremde. Eins aber haben all diese Briefe gemeinsam, denn sie sind sehr bewegend.

Dazu kommen die bereits erwähnten wechselnden Perspektiven. Da gibt es einmal die schon erwähnte Hospiz-Krankenschwester Stella, deren Ehe seit der Rückkehr ihres Mannes Vincent als Kriegsversehrtem vor der Krise steht. Vincent selbst, der nicht mehr schlafen und seine Frau, die sich in Nachtschichten und das Laufen flüchtet, nicht mehr ansehen kann. Hope, eine junge Frau, die an Mukoviszidose erkrankt ist und nach einer Infektion zur Erholung im Hospiz liegt, während ihr bester Freund Ben versucht, sie dazu zu bewegen, ihr Leben zu genießen. Hugh, einem Mitdreißiger, dessen Verbindungen zum Hospiz erst nach und nach deutlich werden und dessen neue Nachbarn, eine junge Mutter und ihr zehnjähriger Sohn, ordentlich Wirbel in sein Leben bringen.

Ich muss ehrlich zugeben, die Figuren konnten mich nicht zu 100% berühren. Ja, ihre Geschichten sind nicht unemotional und lassen einen auch nicht kalt, aber trotzdem waren sie mir irgendwie einen Ticken zu flach, irgendwie fehlte einfach das gewisse Etwas, um mich vollends von der Geschichte zu überzeugen. Trotzdem hat mir die Geschichte gut gefallen, vor allem auch wegen des hoffnungsvollen Untertons, denn auch wenn die Geschichte in und um ein Hospiz spielt, ist sie zwar auch traurig aber nicht depressiv.

Alles in allem ist "Zwanzig Zeilen Liebe" von Rowan Coleman ein sehr schönes Buch, das sich sehr gut lesen lässt und das ich trotz der wechselnden Perspektiven und den sie unterbrechenden Briefen sehr schnell gelesen habe. Leider hat mir trotz allem das gewisse Etwas gefehlt und dafür gibt es dann doch ein Sternchen Abzug.