ON A NIGHT OF A THOUSAND STARS by Andrea Yaryura Clark

 

 

Publisher: Grand Central
Date Published: March 1, 2022
ISBN#  978-1538720295
Historical Fiction
Reviewed by Gina (myreviewbooks@aol.com)
Obtained via publisher
4 Hearts

Paloma Larrea has led what some would call a charmed life.  As the adored only child of her wealthy and well-placed parents, Santiago and Lila she has wanted for nothing. When Santiago is appointed United Nations ambassador to Argentina she is thrilled to accompany her parents to their home country.  At first thrilled, Paloma is soon bemused when a woman named Grace approaches her parents at a party and makes a cryptic comment and her parents act as if they do not know this woman who purports to be a friend from long ago. Once she arrives in her parents’ home country Paloma begins to try to learn more of not only Argentina’s, but also her parents’ history. What she begins to learn is that behind the beauty of the country is a dark and dangerous past—a past her father was part of. And soon Paloma finds herself questioning her history and those questions begin to endanger her own life.

 

ON A NIGHT OF A THOUSAND STARS is not a book I would have normally picked up to read. It was sent to me by Grand Central, a publisher who has so many books and authors I enjoy so I decided to give it a try.  I am so glad I did. 

 

Clark tells not one, but two compelling stories --- Valentina’s in the 1970’s during Argentina’s “Dirty War” and Paloma’s in the late 1990’s. Two creative and brave women joined through an unimaginable connection yet one that will take Paloma down a path she would never have expected.  Parts of Valentina’s story were hard to take and I imagine Clark had some emotional moments while telling her story. Clark describes what was done to women thought subversives during the “Dirty War” with honesty and compassion. 

 

Each character, even the minor ones, is well drawn for the reader.  Clark’s depictions of the different locations brought them to life in vivid detail.

 

The story is told in alternating time periods – flipping back and forth with each chapter between Valentina and Paloma’s stories.  I personally find the constant flipping back and forth distracting and can make a story unreadable if you have to stop mid-way through a chapter for some reason.  To deal with that I read the chapters of the older period first and then go back and read the more modern ones.  That said, once I started ON A NIGHT OF A THOUSAND STARS I had a hard time putting it down because I just had to know how Valentina and Paloma’s stories ended.  I for one hope Clark is already penning her next story and I don’t have to wait long to read it.

 

 

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.