Won this on LibraryThing first reads giveaway. Keyes being one of my favorite authors I couln't believe my luck.
When you begin reading the story, you will notice this countdown. The countdown of course is not really relevant until the end. It does however, indicate the switch to another characters POV. Much like in parts of "This Charming Man" the narrative is very..bumpy I guess I'll say. Theres not this seamless transition, and it wasn't until halfway through, that I began recognizing who was speaking without thumbing back to find out what I missed. It left me discombobulated to say the least. This omnipresent/spirit type that watches everything, sometimes revealing a bit of the past to help unfold the story, is more interference. A feeling that didn't change at the end when I discovered just who/what this voice was. In fact, it was this part in the story I had the most problem with.
That being said, Keyes just gets characters, and she gets human nature. She rolls the two together in an awesome humorous wrap and what you get is magic. To read a Keyes book, for me, is to at some point recognize myself in something, laugh along. To, at the very least, sigh in contentment in Belief. It's another world I willingly become apart of, for that time that I spend reading it. ( )

This book started out very weirdly. I have to say that I was very worried that I wouldnt like this book. I love Marian Keyes as an author and have read all of her previous books. So I had high hopes for this book. After the first 100 or so pages it sucked me right in and I even stayed up late reading so I could finish it because I couldn't stand to be patient. There were times when I thought that I had figured out what was going to happen next in the plot and Marian Keyes surprised me and went in a totally different direction than what I had thought was going to happen. This book kept me on my toes and held me in awe of suspense.

The story takes place in Dublin, Ireland and follows the lives of the residents of 66 Star Street. From ups and downs and all the things in between, I have to say that this book was a very good read (and I had my doubts at first, but I knew all along that Ms. Keyes wouldnt disappoint). I think that Marian Keyes has decided to take writing her novels in a different direction. I was expecting the predictable love story where the girl gets the guy, but have to say that what you expect is not what you get in this novel, which was a breath of fresh air. It's been a long time since I have read a book that truly left me wondering what was coming next and that I had to stay up all night and read because I just couldnt wait to finish it. So glad I got the chance to early review her book. Can't wait until the next release. ( )

What a great Hanukah present! My first early review book arrived today! I will start it right away and write a detailed review as soon as possible. Yay!

I finished this book in an evening because I didn't want to put it down. The characters were great - not so perfect that they're unbelievable, but likable enough that you care what happens to them. The plot was a bit predictable in places, but engaging enough to hold my attention. The semi-omniscient spirit narrator was a little odd at first, but faded into the background further into the book, and I really liked the eventual revelation of its purpose. I also liked that there were some semi-serious and important issues under the ostensibly light fiction surface.

My only complaint about this book is one that I have with any number of similar books - the inevitable inclusion of at least one character who spends a large chunk of her appearances worrying obsessively about her weight and what she's eating or not eating. I find all that stuff boring, luckily there was less of it here than there is some times, so this book earns three and a half stars from me. ( )

The Brightest Star in the Sky is set in a small apartment house in Dublin. It begins with a mystical journey through the 4 apartments of characters. The narrator is a "being" who is able to read the characters' minds through their memories. At first glance, the character's stories seem simple enough, but then each have deeper stories which in the end all intertwine.

Marion Keyes writing is similar to Maeve Binchy where there is group of people living together with interesting stories. I enjoyed The Brightest Star because the stories were real given the modern day setting. All of the characters were working to survive and each had backgrounds that any reader could connect to. The twist at the end with one of the female characters was written well and worked well to tie all the stories together. ( )