The Stars in the Bright Sky
Encyclopedia
The Stars in the Bright Sky is the sixth novel by Scottish writer Alan Warner
. First published in 2010, it is a follow-up to his 1998 book The Sopranos
. The earlier novel followed a group of Catholic schoolgirls from a bleak town in the west coast of Scotland on a disastrous day trip to Edinburgh
to participate in a national choir competition. The Stars in the Bright Sky returns to most of these characters three years later, and presents an account of their attempt to arrange a holiday abroad.
This plan is hindered when it becomes apparent that Manda has lost her passport, and much of the narrative takes place in the airport lounges and bars that the group are confined to for several days. The main themes explored through the characters' interactions are social class
and friendship
.
The Sunday Times
said that: "Warner not only satirises the crassness of contemporary life but underlines the inequities of social class... the way that this middle-aged man manages to inhabit a gang of girls with such gusto and conviction is one of the small miracles of contemporary fiction." The Independent
opined that "Warner navigates the comic, the philosophical and the socially acute like no other writer we have". The Observer
said that the plot was compelling: "as the women reacquaint themselves with each other, the reader is rapidly drawn into their lives and the complex web of their relationships through their vivid conversation".
The Guardian
praised the story's "compassionate and funny depiction of the bonds of friendship" and "brilliantly pitched dialogue and monologue". The Herald
said that Manda was "the most vivid, aggravating lynchpin in recent Scottish fiction", but felt of the book that "tone ... is a problem throughout ... and some passages are woefully out of key".
For The Daily Telegraph
, the "dark and powerfully odd" book has "finely caught dialogue and wicked charm", but "[some] passages appear to have been written in a hurry". To the Scotland on Sunday
, "the book's underlying anger does occasionally mire a plot which – like its characters – is going nowhere fast".
The novel was short-listed for the 2010 Scottish Book of the Year Award and long-listed for the 2010 Man Booker Prize for Fiction
and the 2011 Creative Scotland
Book of the Year Awards.
Alan Warner
Alan Warner , a Scottish novelist, grew up in Connel, near Oban.He is the author of six novels: the acclaimed Morvern Callar , winner of a Somerset Maugham Award; These Demented Lands , winner of the Encore Award; The Sopranos , winner of the Saltire Society Scottish Book of the Year Award; The Man...
. First published in 2010, it is a follow-up to his 1998 book The Sopranos
The Sopranos (novel)
The Sopranos is a 1998 novel by Scottish writer Alan Warner. It won the Saltire Society's 1998 Scottish Book of the Year Award.-External links:*...
. The earlier novel followed a group of Catholic schoolgirls from a bleak town in the west coast of Scotland on a disastrous day trip to Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
to participate in a national choir competition. The Stars in the Bright Sky returns to most of these characters three years later, and presents an account of their attempt to arrange a holiday abroad.
Plot summary
The story starts at Gatwick Airport in London, where Manda, Chell, Kylah, Finn, Kay and Ava have met to go on a joint holiday. They have not yet agreed upon a destination, planning to do so at the airport before booking a low-cost last-minute deal.This plan is hindered when it becomes apparent that Manda has lost her passport, and much of the narrative takes place in the airport lounges and bars that the group are confined to for several days. The main themes explored through the characters' interactions are social class
Social class
Social classes are economic or cultural arrangements of groups in society. Class is an essential object of analysis for sociologists, political scientists, economists, anthropologists and social historians. In the social sciences, social class is often discussed in terms of 'social stratification'...
and friendship
Friendship
Friendship is a form of interpersonal relationship generally considered to be closer than association, although there is a range of degrees of intimacy in both friendships and associations. Friendship and association are often thought of as spanning across the same continuum...
.
Critical reception
The novel received generally favourable critical reviews in the mainstream UK press, with some exceptions.The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
said that: "Warner not only satirises the crassness of contemporary life but underlines the inequities of social class... the way that this middle-aged man manages to inhabit a gang of girls with such gusto and conviction is one of the small miracles of contemporary fiction." The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
opined that "Warner navigates the comic, the philosophical and the socially acute like no other writer we have". The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
said that the plot was compelling: "as the women reacquaint themselves with each other, the reader is rapidly drawn into their lives and the complex web of their relationships through their vivid conversation".
The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
praised the story's "compassionate and funny depiction of the bonds of friendship" and "brilliantly pitched dialogue and monologue". The Herald
The Herald (Glasgow)
The Herald is a broadsheet newspaper published Monday to Saturday in Glasgow, and available throughout Scotland. As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 47,226, giving it a lead over Scotland's other 'quality' national daily, The Scotsman, published in Edinburgh.The 1889 to 1906 editions...
said that Manda was "the most vivid, aggravating lynchpin in recent Scottish fiction", but felt of the book that "tone ... is a problem throughout ... and some passages are woefully out of key".
For The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
, the "dark and powerfully odd" book has "finely caught dialogue and wicked charm", but "[some] passages appear to have been written in a hurry". To the Scotland on Sunday
Scotland on Sunday
Scotland on Sunday is a Scottish Sunday newspaper, published in Edinburgh by The Scotsman Publications Ltd and consequently assuming the role of Sunday sister to its daily stablemate The Scotsman...
, "the book's underlying anger does occasionally mire a plot which – like its characters – is going nowhere fast".
The novel was short-listed for the 2010 Scottish Book of the Year Award and long-listed for the 2010 Man Booker Prize for Fiction
Man Booker Prize
The Man Booker Prize for Fiction is a literary prize awarded each year for the best original full-length novel, written in the English language, by a citizen of the Commonwealth of Nations, Ireland, or Zimbabwe. The winner of the Man Booker Prize is generally assured of international renown and...
and the 2011 Creative Scotland
Creative Scotland
Creative Scotland is a development body for arts and cultural industries in Scotland. It inherited the functions of Scottish Screen and the Scottish Arts Council on 1 July 2010, and has an additional remit for the Creative Industries...
Book of the Year Awards.