I didn't warm up to Hannah and that marred the story for me. Her interest in Isaac and his in her never took hold for me: hence ... the "unconvincing" descriptor. A goodly portion of the book explores the relationship or lack of, at least in terms of Hannah's thoughts. I expected something more or, at least, different from what the book offered.

It was slow start but became more interesting. I found it a little unbelieveable, but still enjoyed.

While the first third of this well-researched book moves at a snail\\\'s pace, we become more invested in Hannah Price\\\'s journey into astronomy and independence as the story evolves. Great insight into the life of Quakers and women on Nantucket in the 1800s. Encourages women to not forsake passion in their intellectual growth.

t is 1845 and Hannah Price has lived all her life according to the principles of the Nantucket Quaker community in which she was raised. She is an Astronomer and she dreams of discovering a comet (this is historical fiction based on the life of Maria Mitchell who WAS a young woman who discovered a comet) Then she meets Isaac Martin, a dark skinned whaler from the Azores who has ambitions beyond his expected station in life. Hannah agrees to tai him on as a student, meeting with him for private tutorials in her fathers' observatory. Their shared passion for astronomy develops into something deeper and her standing in the community begins to unravel , challenging her beliefs about life and love. There is a feminist thread, as well as a religious one involving quakers and questioning the beliefs. Not my most favorite book but interesting. I found the beginning sluggish and hard to get into. I did not find the "romance" part believable, at least based on how the author described it. But I did find her passion for astronomy interesting and her continued efforts to find what she knew was out there in the heavens. Also found the feminist thread interesting - that she would stand up and no fold into what society wanted her to do. I found the ending abrupt and would have liked a little more