Poignant story of complex marriage, love, family, and revenge set in vividly-drawn Rocky Mountain close-knit community, skilfully, lyrically, written. ( )

"It comes to her then: She knows the ranch like a chart. But Ben knows it like a poem. She hopes he's the wiser one, because it gives her permission to leave it up to him to make the right decision." (51)

Ben and Renny Cross have lived all of their married life, some five decades, on Hell’s Bottom Ranch, twelve hundred acres of pastureland below the Colorado Rocky Mountains – a slice of heaven. Theirs has been a fine life, whole and beautiful and strong. Until Rachel. Their daughter’s murder rips them apart, and, while they decide to remain on the ranch, they separate, each living at one end of the sprawling property. When time has finally begun to assuage the pain, and Ben wonders whether they might once again have a life together, he is struck with Alzheimer’s. Renny cares for him, but it is, ironically, his teenage granddaughter, Jess, who best understands both Ben and his disease. When news comes that Rachel’s murderer, a man well known to the family, is to be released from prison, more turmoil ensues. And with the turmoil comes yet more pain – but alas, this time it is not without hope:

“I love that we had a life together on Hell’s Bottom Ranch, and I love the stories that took place there. All except the story of Rachel, which was a sad one, too sad to bear. But the rest were good and beautiful. I love that we had a history together. But I want to go out knowing who I am. That, I am sure you can understand. Please bury me by the willows. Maybe I’ll be lucky enough to have the bald eagle or the owls watching.” (181)

Stars Go Blue is beautifully written, its storyline compelling. Ben and Renny Cross, for all of their flaws (or more likely because of them), are unforgettable, and I love that Hell’s Bottom Ranch, like its family, is part of the cast. Pritchett very effectively uses Jess, a minor character, to narrate the final Part of the novel – Ben has disappeared into his disease by this time, and the fact that Jess sees life with her grandfather’s quiet gentleness makes her narration particularly soothing. I was reminded often as I read of Kent Haruf, his characters, and Holt, Colorado – all of whom I love. Highly recommended! ( )

Renny and Ben are an older couple, ranchers in Colorado, who have already experienced tragedy. A big, explosive one. Now they are dealing with one much quieter and more insidious - Ben's Alzheimer's which is progressing steadily. This novel is told in alternating chapters narrated by Renny and Ben and what is most striking is how well Pritchett writes Ben and the affects of his disease. It's very powerful, as is her rendering of Renny's anger and sense of helplessness.

This is an intimate story and as such, I wanted to feel more connected to both characters. For much of the novel, they seemed distant even though fully real. Towards the end, the connection grew, and I raced through the last 50 or so pages with my heart in my throat. It's a beautiful story of misunderstanding and miscommunication, loss and grief, and strength and love. Read it, but do read Hell's Bottom, Colorado first as it provides some important background and contributes to the fullness of Renny and Ben. ( )

I raced through Stars Go Blue by Laura Pritchett in two days, because I could hardly put it down. One of the best novels I've read recently, it's the story of a ranching couple in old age, their personal history and family. Like all families there are skeletons in the closet, which keep popping out, and conflict between people who basically love each other. The novel highlights the challenges we all face when growing old and approaching death and leaving the places and people we love. Particularly challenging is the "first death" of Alzheimer's, which has clouded the memory of Renny's husband, Ben. Renny herself is a hard-bitten and tough woman whose sharp ways conceal strong emotions. Neither Ben nor her family are quite the way Renny would like--and a terrible family event has driven the husband and wife apart. But Ben has something important to do before he dies, if only he can remember it. He tracks this goal with the tenacity of a rancher who has killed and saved many animals in his life. What follows changes everyone's lives. Written in rhythmic and powerful prose, the novel not only captures the inner thoughts and emotions of Ben and Renny, but also the harsh and beautiful world of the Colorado plains--the fierce snow, the orange willows, the spring greening, and the stars that turn blue. If you read no other novel this year, read this one. ( )

Laura Pritchett's Hell's Bottom, Colorado was one of my top reads last year and I was thrilled to learn that her latest book returns to the same characters whom I'd come to care about so much. Stars Go Blue revisits the Cross family several years after we left them in Hell's Bottom. Renny and Ben are older and still estranged, but now the two biggest obstacles they face are Ben's Alzheimer's diagnosis and the upcoming release of their daughter's ex-husband from prison. Pritchett alternates the first person narration between Renny and Ben, tricky with Ben's increasing loss of memory. The final chapter is told by another character and I read the last few pages through tears.

I went to see the author speak last spring where she talked about her own father's recent Alzheimer's diagnosis. Writing from Ben's point of view must have been emotionally wrenching for her but somehow the novel is not ground down by that but is instead full of love - ornery love, oftentimes, that Renny is a tough bird - but also true and unrelentingly heartfelt and ultimately satisfying.

If you like contemporary western stories, think Haruf for instance, give her a chance. ( )