The Brightest Star in the Sky

A Novel

By: Marian Keyes

Narrated by: Caitriona Keyes

Length: 17 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

A wry and life-affirming novel from the internationally best-selling author.

Marian Keyes's inimitable blend of rollicking humor, effervescent prose, and stories that deal with real-life issues have captivated readers and listeners around the globe. She is one of the best-selling authors of women's fiction in the English-speaking world. Her novel will delight fans of Candace Bushnell's darkly comic sensibility and Sophie Kinsella's fast-paced action.

The Brightest Star in the Sky follows seven neighbors whose lives become entangled when a sassy and prescient spirit pays a visit to their Dublin townhouse with the intent of changing at least one of their lives. But what will this metamorphosis be and who will the sprite choose?

There's Matt and Maeve, the newlyweds struggling to overcome the first obstacle in their storybook romance; Lydia, the brassy but vulnerable cabbie; Katie, the just-turned-40 PR executive searching for a more gratifying life; and the eldest resident, Jemima, currently playing hostess to her son Fionn, who is in town to star as the hunky gardener in a hot new television show.

Keyes's universal themes and appealing characters have made her an international phenomenon, and are sure to conquer a wider American audience. With The Brightest Star in the Sky, she delivers another satisfying story charming in its wit and surprising in its depth.

©2010 Marian Keyes (P)2010 Penguin Audiobooks

Keyes' writing shines as usual

I really enjoy Marian Keyes' books and this was no exception. I do agree with another review posted here that you have to pay close attention. There are multiple characters and several plot lines that frequently shift. Narrator Caitriona Keyes (Marian Keyes' daughter) brought an extra layer of Irish charm to the book. A very talented family all around.

Great story!

This book might start out a little slow but towards the end I found myself sitting in the car because wanted to keep listening and didn’t want to turn off the car!

Bit of a slog, but redeems itself.

I'm a fan of Keyes' novels, but I very nearly stopped listening to this one. There are MANY different "main" characters and much of the book is dedicated to the backstory of each. It's a bit difficult to keep them all straight initially and the story doesn't move forward for quite some time while you're digesting history.

However, the individual stories of each of the characters develop richly. By the end, characters assumed to be boring are the most interesting and shallow characters gain depth. In Keyes' signature style, serious topics are treated with respect yet tempered with humor and I was completely invested in the characters by the end.

The narration went a bit slow at times, which could be a bit frustrating, but otherwise I thought Caitriona Keyes did a fantastic job.

Honestly, had this story not been by this particular author, I probably would've given up on it. But because she's one of my favorites, I stuck with it and was thankfully rewarded towards the end. But I don't know how much I'd recommend it to others.

I loved this book

The character development is very good in this darkly funny, very touching story. I was hooked and listened to it in less than a week.

Some what disappointed

Any additional comments?

I really enjoy Marian Keyes books. I have been a long time fan and wish audible would have some of her earlier books. This book was very hard to follow and the narrator was the worst. Her voice was way to high pitched or something, Not a her best and didn't even finish listening to the whole story.

I Love this book! I Love this performance!

Just listened for the third time in probably three years. So smart, so fun, so uplifting and important! I laughed, I cried, laughed till I cried. To Dublin or Bust! GF...BF, treat yourself to a feckin good time!

The Brightest Star in the Sky

It was amazing, just beautifully written and read. Wonderful to listen to, but you have to pay attention. There are so many characters, that if you let your mind wonder you will find yourself backtracking. Besides that, you will truly be enthralled by her.
This is my first Marian Keyes book to ever pick up/listen to and I am now hooked.

Charming fun with depth

This is a fun story, set in Dublin, with interesting characters who grew on me and made me so appreciative that the book is a long one. The characters are fun and quirky and their full depth is revealed later in the book. Lots of hours of entertainment. Excellent narration.

Bad audio, very hard to follow

The story might be great. But it was just so hard to understand what they refer to as Catriona Keyes's singsong voice. Sometimes I really couldn't make out the words at all.
I had to change the volume all the time, as the loudness of the recording was constantly changing.
It's a shame - I just couldn't listen to the story to the end, as it was to annoying having to adjust the volume constantly.

Another Awesome book by Ms. Keyes

I really enjoyed this story. The characters are rich with personality. The story just plays so well. Marion Keyes is always right on point.