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The Fixed Stars: A Memoir Kindle Edition

4.2 out of 5 stars 459 ratings

The New York Times–bestselling author’s thoughtful and provocative memoir of changing identity, complex sexuality, and enduring family relationships.

 

At age thirty-six, while serving on a jury, author Molly Wizenberg found herself drawn to a female attorney she hardly knew. Married to a man for nearly a decade and mother to a toddler, Wizenberg tried to return to her life as she knew it, but something inside her had changed irrevocably. Instead, she would discover that the trajectory of our lives is rarely as smooth or as logical as we’d like to believe.

 

Like many of us, Wizenberg had long understood sexual orientation as a stable part of ourselves: we’re “born this way.” Suddenly she realized that her story was more complicated. Who was she if something at her very core could change so radically? 

Wizenberg forges a new path: through separation and divorce, coming out to family and friends, learning to co-parent a young child, and realizing a new vision of love.
The Fixed Stars is a “spirited, terrifyingly courageous” memoir exploring timely and timeless questions about desire, identity, and the limits and possibilities of family (Booklist).

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Editorial Reviews

Review

The Fixed Stars is that rare thing, a groundbreaking, essential book about sexuality. Wizenberg’s incisive, generous laying-bare of her own experience will make many readers feel seen, understood, and not alone. This book is a triumph."―Kate Christensen, author of Blue Plate Special and The Last Cruise

"A work of blindsiding beauty."―
Nell Beram, Shelf Awareness

The Fixed Stars is a nuanced look into two subjects frequently depicted as binary: love and sexuality. Wizenberg writes of her journey into queerness with tenderness and curiosity, two essential qualities for any sort of entry into new lands. This book spoke directly to my heart. Read it.”―Esmé Weijun Wang, author of The Collected Schizophrenias

“In
The Fixed Stars, Molly Wizenberg tackles the ever-shifting issues of marriage, motherhood, and sexual orientation with the same compassion and unflinching honesty that have become the hallmarks of her writing. She makes the everyday extraordinary and brings depth and complexity to the bigger questions in life. A beautiful read.”―Erica Bauermeister, author of The Scent Keeper

The Fixed Stars, like its protagonist, is both brave and sexy, both heady and bodily, and I ripped through this memoir like it was the most erudite romance novel in the world. This is a truly compelling look at sexuality, marriage, and parenthood in this century.” ―Emma Straub, author of All Adults Here and The Vacationers

“Interwoven throughout with research insights into the complexity of female sexual identity, Wizenberg's book not only offers a glimpse into the shifting nature of selfhood; it also celebrates one woman's hard-won acceptance of her own sexual difference. A courageous and thought-provoking memoir.”―
Kirkus Reviews

“Wizenberg is an excellent writer; her meditations on what it means to know yourself—or think you know yourself—and how unpredictable and exciting life really is are a joy to read.”―
Electric Literature

“This is a spirited, terrifyingly courageous, and searingly honest memoir of discovering sexual identity and strength.”―
Booklist

“The Fixed Stars is a beautiful memoir about desire, divorce, coming out to family and friends and co-parenting through separation.”

Parade

“a touching look at modern love and life”―
Bustle

“Through personal recollections, told in quietly beautiful prose you feel the urge to read out loud, she examines what happens before, during and after a seismic shift. A welcome reminder that sometimes feeling lost and found go hand-in-hand”―
A Cup of Jo

About the Author

Molly Wizenberg is the author of two bestselling books, A Homemade Life and Delancey, and the James Beard Award–winning blog Orangette. She has written for the Washington Post, the Guardian, Saveur, and Bon Appétit, and she also cohosts the podcast Spilled Milk. With chef Brandon Pettit, Wizenberg cofounded the award-winning Seattle restaurants Delancey and Essex.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07WH2TZB4
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ ABRAMS Press (August 4, 2020)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 4, 2020
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.0 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 459 ratings

About the author

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Molly Wizenberg
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Molly Wizenberg is the bestselling author of three memoirs: The Fixed Stars (Abrams Press, 2020), A Homemade Life (Simon & Schuster, 2009), and Delancey (Simon & Schuster, 2014). She was also, for 15 years, the voice behind the James Beard Award-winning blog Orangette. With author Matthew Amster-Burton, she co-hosts the hit food-and-comedy podcast Spilled Milk -- now celebrating ten years of bad jokes -- and, once upon a time, she co-founded the Seattle restaurants Delancey and Essex. She lives in Seattle.

http://mollywizenberg.com

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
459 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book's stories engaging and appreciate its readability, particularly noting it's a great read for those questioning their lives. The writing quality receives positive feedback, with customers describing the author as a fine writer.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

6 customers mention "Story quality"6 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the stories in the book, with one noting how the author presents a difficult narrative with grace.

"I used to follow Molly's blog Orangette. Great recipes with great stories. Then I had children and stopped reading...." Read more

"This author writes beautifully. I enjoyed the story and her real style. I read it for a book club and we had a lot to talk about...." Read more

"Interesting story." Read more

"The author tells a complicated and difficult story with grace and ease. The language, as beautiful as it is, never gets in the way of the story...." Read more

5 customers mention "Readability"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book highly readable, particularly for those questioning their own lives, with one customer noting it offers a fresh voice to modern memoirs and another describing it as a wonderful book about being human.

"...She adds a fresh voice to modern memoirs, and she has helped me try to understand a bit of what my peers, students, and friends’ kids who are..." Read more

"...Led me to reading this book. A wonderful book about being human...." Read more

"...Molly’s writing has a detached yet deeply insightful air, and I feel as if I could read her write about literally anything." Read more

"This is a great read if you are questioning, researching, or simply enjoy a good story. Add it to your TBR list." Read more

3 customers mention "Writing quality"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the writing quality of the book, with one noting its detached style.

"...In spite of the cons above, Ms. Wizenberg is such a fine writer, her artistry very nearly overcomes any perceived negatives in the storyline - I..." Read more

"This author writes beautifully. I enjoyed the story and her real style. I read it for a book club and we had a lot to talk about...." Read more

"Everything I wanted and waited for this book to be. Molly’s writing has a detached yet deeply insightful air, and I feel as if I could read her..." Read more

Honest Memoir about the fluidity of sexuality
5 out of 5 stars
Honest Memoir about the fluidity of sexuality
When I received The Fixed Stars by Molly Wizenberg (Thank you @abramsbooks ) I didn't notice that it was a memoir and then when I received a copy of the audiobook from @librofm I figured it out and realized that Molly Wizenberg lives in Seattle. And her first restaurant is in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle. I've been to her restaurant! I lived in Ballard! I'll bet we have some mutual friends... Some of you may know that I typically don't like reading about affairs because of personal experiences, but I thought I'd give The Fixed Stars a try. I am so glad I did! In Molly's previous book Delancey: A Man, a Woman, a Restaurant, a Marriage she writes about her husband and the process of opening a restaurant. A few years later, Molly suddenly starts having feelings for a female that she encounters, she begins to question her sexuality, her marriage, and many of her life decisions. I really appreciated Molly's approach to her feelings that were seemingly confusing and unfamiliar. She spoke with close friends, she was honest with her husband, and she sought out therapy. Molly and her husband attempted an open marriage and communicated openly with each other. Throughout The Fixed Stars, I felt like I was listening to a friend tell their story. I appreciated the way she shared her complex feelings with honesty and vulnerability.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2020
    We are all on a journey through life, some embrace it, some don’t. Molly Wizenberg goes a step further and takes us with her to places we never thought possible. At the age of 39, Molly changes her lifestyle from married, mother, writer to single, queer, Mother, writer.

    It all begins in court, Molly was invited to jury duty and became a juror on a trial. She became Infatuated with the lawyer who wore a man’s suit but was female. Mass confusion for Molly, she told Brandon, her husband that she had a crush on this lawyer, and they talked it out. Several months later, Molly and Nora, the lawyer, met again and began an affair. Molly was not looking for change, she thought, but here she was. Throughout this time she and Brandon were in couple’s therapy, and they discussed this situation, and decided an open marriage would work. Molly was particularly cognizant of their daughter, June, who was 7. The affair with Nora did not work out, but Molly and Brandon separated as Molly realized she was no longer interested in being his wife, but a good friend.

    Molly did a lot of emotional work on who she really was, what she was looking for, and looking at love and sexuality. In this book Molly shares what she finds, exploring her sexuality, and reading everything she could find. She is quite successful in discussing subjects most people would rather leave alone. This is an open book that is one of the best I have read on separating love and sexuality. Telling her story, Molly gives us insight into other people’s reactions when she told them why she and Brandon had separated and divorced. Molly and Brandon had been able to keep their friendship, and we’re bringing up June in two households full of love. Brandon is a successful restauranteur, and Molly realized that as a white female, she was given more latitude to make her changes, which is an important aspect. Within a year, Molly found another love, Ash, and this is a much more successful relationship. The toil and trouble of finding oneself in the midst of difficult change is well documented.

    Molly is a writer, and this book reflects her exceptional talent. From starting her blog Orangette many years ago through her two books, now third, she has found her true voice.

    Recommended. prisrob 08-06-2020
    20 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2020
    After enjoying Molly Wizenberg's two earlier books, I was looking forward to the release of this one. The subject matter is not a usual read for me, however, I do think this author is an exceptional writer and on that basis, I made the purchase.

    As another reviewer mentioned, the use of plural pronouns to refer to the non-binary character almost ruined the last 1/3 or so of the book for me. Each time I came across this language, it set my teeth on edge, forcing me to read sentences a second time for clarity. The narrative itself was a bit too explicit for my preference, but then again, I knew what the subject was beforehand, so I have only myself to blame.

    In spite of the cons above, Ms. Wizenberg is such a fine writer, her artistry very nearly overcomes any perceived negatives in the storyline - I wish her well and hope to read her next work in the not too distant future...
    17 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2021
    I discovered Molly Wizenberg’s first book in an airport bookstore. I read her second book right after it came out. I noticed her blog was only updated intermittently, and over the past year and more, I learned about the major changes her life has undergone, and her new family structure. She has written about her experiences with candor and gentleness. I imagine it took a lot of courage to do this, both by Molly and her loved ones, as it is their story also. She adds a fresh voice to modern memoirs, and she has helped me try to understand a bit of what my peers, students, and friends’ kids who are LGBTQIA are experiencing. Life is short, and it takes courage to be true to oneself. I hope she will write more books, and I think she should be proud of this one as well as the first two.
    5 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2020
    Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

    Book: The Fixed Stars

    Author: Molly Wizenberg

    Book Series: Standalone

    Rating: 3/5

    Diversity: Lesbian side character love interest. MC is exploring their sexual identity.

    Recommended For...: sexual exploration, memoirs

    Publication Date: August 4, 2020

    Genre: Autobiography

    Recommended Age: 16+ (sexual content, divorce)

    Publisher: Abrams Press

    Pages: 256

    Synopsis: At age 36, while serving on a jury, author Molly Wizenberg found herself drawn to a female attorney she hardly knew. Married to a man for nearly a decade and mother to a toddler, Wizenberg tried to return to her life as she knew it, but something inside her had changed irredeemably. Instead, she would discover that the trajectory of our lives is rarely as smooth or as logical as we’d like to believe.

    Like many of us, Wizenberg had long understood sexual orientation as a stable part of ourselves: we’re “born this way.” Suddenly she realized that her story was more complicated. Who was she, she wondered, if something at her very core could change so radically? The Fixed Stars is a taut, electrifying memoir exploring timely and timeless questions about desire, identity, and the limits and possibilities of family. In honest and searing prose, Wizenberg forges a new path: through the murk of separation and divorce, coming out to family and friends, learning to co-parent a young child, and realizing a new vision of love. The result is a frank and moving story about letting go of rigid definitions and ideals that no longer fit, and learning instead who we really are.

    Review: I really loved this memoir about the author’s exploration into her own sexuality and her lifestyle. It takes courage to explore after your 20s (I know from experience) and I really admire the author and her journey. The writing is the thing that I think tripped me up in this book. The author lists facts and quotes but doesn’t dig down to explain how they apply to her situation and what she thinks of them. The book comes alive when the author talks about her girlfriend, but other than that the book is a bit weird. It’s intimate, then not. It’s the book embodiment of hot and cold.

    Verdict: It’s a great book if you’re the friend who sits and listens to their BFFs rant, but other than that I would like to see it fleshed out more.
    7 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Sam in Australia
    3.0 out of 5 stars Good, not quite what I expected
    Reviewed in Australia on August 16, 2020
    I did enjoy this to a point. I found the author to be a bit unemotional, which I wasn't expecting, and this was jarring. I got lost in the 'queer theory' towards the end, and wanted more 'story'.

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