The Stars and Their Light Audiobook By Olivia Hawker cover art

The Stars and Their Light

A Novel

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The Stars and Their Light

By: Olivia Hawker
Narrated by: Jackie Zebrowski
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In Roswell, New Mexico, the mystery of the unknown grips a sheltered novitiate in a haunting historical novel about fate, agency, and faith by the bestselling author of October in the Earth.

It’s 1947 when Sister Mary Agnes arrives in New Mexico. Her mission is to establish a monastery in the town of Roswell, where weeks before rumors of the crash landing of an unidentified craft have triggered a crisis of faith. Residents are drifting away from the divine, awed no longer by the heavens but rather the stars.

In service to the frightened and confused, Sister Mary Agnes soon befriends Betty Campbell, a teenager marked both physically and psychically by the inexplicable event. Mary Agnes is also unsettlingly drawn to Harvey, an attentive handyman refurbishing the monastery—and a firsthand witness to the crash. But as Mary Agnes tries to guide her wayward friends back to the church, it’s the fantastic and the forbidden that begin to loom large in her imagination.

Thrown into her own crisis of doubt, Mary Agnes must choose whether to uphold the order in which she came of age or embrace the truth she feels in her heart, despite its terrifying complexity.

©2025 Libbie M. Grant writing as Olivia Hawker. (P)2025 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved. Biographical Fiction Friendship Genre Fiction Heartfelt

Critic reviews

“The goal of this novel is not to imagine answers to the mystery of what took place in Roswell but to explore the response of individuals to inexplicable or unprecedented experiences. But while the events are open to conjecture, their effects are nonetheless real and wide-ranging, shaping relationships and careers, building and shaking faith.”—Historical Novels Review

“A compelling and original novel told [in a way] that raises this work of biographical fiction to an impressive level of literary excellence…A welcome and enduringly popular pick.”—Midwest Book Review

“For fans of Ray Bradbury, this is a story of strange events, forbidden love, and how far we go to protect the institutions of faith and order. The Stars and Their Light will utterly change you.”—Jillian Forsberg, author of The Rhino Keeper
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This is the best book that I have read in years. I love the way the author built a launching pad from every day consensual reality into divine mystery. And I love the way she described the consciousness of people who couldn’t help but step out of the box of all they had known to embrace it.

A view from the Big Picture

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I felt like it was more of a YA book. Libby Hawker is one of my all time favorite. I didn’t really enjoy the story or the narration. Generally, the narrator is also my favorite.

The character development.

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The mystery of Roswell is something that has fascinating so many for so long. This is not the typical story and the author note at the end is wonderful. The characters are very well defined and they are the stars of this, not the UFO. The crash is the impetus for the mysteries that take place, including the mystery of being true to oneself.

not the typical Roswell story

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I liked the characters and the storyline. I didn't know, when I started this book that it was about ufos or Roswell, but since it was already an interest of mine, I dove in eagerly. Having been raised Catholic, that element also interested me. Great read.

the juxtaposition of ufos and religion

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I wondered what the book was about when I read the title. I was surprised when it covered the Roswell incident in 1947. That’s an unusual topic for this author’s brand of historical fiction. It was well researched and i could picture the events as I’ve seen documentary programs on this multiple times. This book has multiple protagonists and is written in omniscient point of view. Unusual. The story is well thought out and plausible. The narrator does a wonderful job. Tip: be sure and listen to the author’s note at the end.

Unusual Subject

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I love Olivia Hawker's historical fiction books. I was surprised to see her love for the unexplained. UFOs aliens, etc. she shared as being one of her passions. I was glad to see she combine that passion with her historical fiction writing skills of the UFO that crashed in the 40s in Roswell, New Mexico. The struggle of what the witnesses went through because of what they saw was terrible. They were not allowed to tell the truth about it to the Public, even their families. As always she shares her vast resources and some suggested sites for the reader if they're interested into furthering their interest in the subject .Thank you for what you've brought to us! Great read and narration!

Interesting Topic

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This was way longer than it needed to be. The angst of the characters was repeated over and over in different situations. While I liked how the author pieced the different stories together, I also groaned when I heard the same feelings over and over.

Compelling story but needs editing

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The story did not move along due to repeated storylines. Some information didn’t require repeating.

Too repetitive

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I appreciate this narrator, but the storyline involving spacecraft, concealment, and the connections between aliens and religious themes such as the Holy Spirit feels somewhat distant from my preferences.

space ships??

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