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Ashley Hutchison
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A Map to the Stars Kindle Edition

by Ashley Hutchison (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 22 ratings
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A portrait of a stolen childhood.

Once upon a time, Avery lived in a place filled with family, magic, and love. It ended when her mother came for her. Ripped from the only home she ever knew, young Avery endures horrific exploitation, familial separation, and a childhood without the promise of a happily ever after. Part prose, part poetry - all primal scream - A Map to the Stars explores the acerbic betrayal of family, unthinkable abuse, and the search for what is left behind - if anything at all - amongst the stars. Ashley Hutchison pulls no punches in this creative nonfiction memoir of her childhood.

Content Warning: Language, Child Neglect, Child Abuse, Abandonment
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  1. Print length
    67 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    October 31, 2020
  5. File size
    4989 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08H4WBK2P
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Lost Boys Press (October 31, 2020)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 31, 2020
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4989 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 67 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 22 ratings

About the author

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Ashley Hutchison

Ashley Hutchison

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Editor, writer, and painter. When not tending to her blueberry plant, you can find her sitting in local bookstores making piles in search for the most obscure and strange books she can find. Probably owns far too many Norton Anthologies for her own good. Unabashed lover of all things strawberry.

Customer reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars
4.9 out of 5
22 global ratings
Grab your tissues for this one!
5 Stars
Grab your tissues for this one!
Everything from the poetic prose to the artwork kept me captivated by Avery’s harrowing journey to find safety and love in one abusive cycle after another. I wanted her to win. I wanted her to smile again—because if she could, then I could too. Thank you to the author for being so brave and vulnerable to tell this story.
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Top reviews from the United States

LT Ward
5.0 out of 5 stars Literary fiction read with poetic, experimental touches
Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2021
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I won't say I enjoyed 'A Map to the Stars,' because the content is not something to enjoy. However, I'm grateful for having read Hutchinson's work as it was intimate and insightful into the pain caused by complex trauma.

Like Kerouac with his expansive sentences and Carver with his clipped style, Hutchinson utilizes an experimental structure to apply visual heft to her words. The shift in narration from first- to third-person is only one means in which the reader gleams the inner struggles of the protagonist, Avery.

A heartbreaking, but worth it read from Hutchinson. I highly recommend reading 'A Map to the Stars.'
CW: child abuse, sexual abuse, neglect
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Lisette
5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful, emotive, raw, yet graceful
Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2021
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This powerful, raw fictionalized account of the author's trauma is full of difficult truths painted gracefully on the page by the hand of an artistic soul. The writing is poetic and visceral. My favorite parts are when the author goes through periods of self-analysis and speaks of her awareness of the situations and relationships affecting her emotional and spiritual well being. It felt like a journey of healing. I loved it. I cried. I felt peace.
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amy westphal
5.0 out of 5 stars Hauntingly beautiful
Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2021
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Like the enigmatic artistry of Kintsukuroi, A Map to the Stars is a reminder of how malleable we are. Like a beautiful ceramic vase, we are fragile, breakable, but as we repair, our cracks make us more beautiful. Ashley Hutchinson’s novella is an artful and stunning journey of introspection, and a true reminder of the indomitability of spirit against unspeakable odds.
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Desideria Mesa
5.0 out of 5 stars Grab your tissues for this one!
Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2020
Verified Purchase
Everything from the poetic prose to the artwork kept me captivated by Avery’s harrowing journey to find safety and love in one abusive cycle after another. I wanted her to win. I wanted her to smile again—because if she could, then I could too. Thank you to the author for being so brave and vulnerable to tell this story.
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Desideria Mesa
5.0 out of 5 stars Grab your tissues for this one!
Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2020
Everything from the poetic prose to the artwork kept me captivated by Avery’s harrowing journey to find safety and love in one abusive cycle after another. I wanted her to win. I wanted her to smile again—because if she could, then I could too. Thank you to the author for being so brave and vulnerable to tell this story.
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Martin W. Francis
5.0 out of 5 stars Heartrending
Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2020
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Just read Ashley Hutchison’s book, A Map to the Stars, after waking from another restless night. It was an extremely thought provoking story, which immensely connected to my own childhood (in many ways). Her story will touch your heart & soul to it’s very core. Definitely worth reading...
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Martin W. Francis
5.0 out of 5 stars Heartrending
Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2020
Just read Ashley Hutchison’s book, A Map to the Stars, after waking from another restless night. It was an extremely thought provoking story, which immensely connected to my own childhood (in many ways). Her story will touch your heart & soul to it’s very core. Definitely worth reading...
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Elizabeth
5.0 out of 5 stars The first of many from Lost Boys Press
Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2021
A Map to the Stars is an experimental memoir, the first title of the newly formed Lost Boys Press. In the text, we dive into the broken childhood of Avery: a girl neglected and betrayed by her mother, desperate for a inkling of family. Avery’s tale is full of heartbreak and deception, disappointment and loss. In Avery’s cosmic grief, we find an astonishing resilience.

At 100 pages, this is a quick read. The POV switches between third and first person, the timeline is not linear, and the form changes from blocks of prose to prose with poetic line breaks, jumbled thoughts, and texts. The format changes with the emotional intent—an bold and interesting stylistic choice.

While I found myself wishing for more vivid descriptions of some of the events mentioned, and for the whispers of magical realism toward the end to appear more throughout the book, I finished this book impressed with the complex form Hutchison chose to write in.

I recommend A Map to the Stars for any lovers of gritty fairy tale-inspired writing or heart-wrenching memoirs. I look forward to seeing more avant-garde titles from Lost Boys Press.
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rrWondering
5.0 out of 5 stars Read if you want a good cry...
Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2020
This creative non-fiction memoir is an avant-garde and heartbreaking story. The opening explains that the structure of the book is just as much part of the narrative experience as the words on the page, and this is absolutely true. It made for a fascinating journey and really made me think of the choices parents make, consciously or not, that affect the lives of their children in ways they may never imagine. I’m looking forward to seeing what this author chooses to do next.

Please note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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MC
5.0 out of 5 stars Work of art
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2020
Horrifying, poetic, human. That's the best way I can describe this tale. Taking the task to conceptualize a life of trauma into any amount of word count is a difficult. Hutchison does it gracefully in just over 100 pages. It's a real and beautiful work of art.
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Top reviews from other countries

Abby
5.0 out of 5 stars A searing memoir you can read in one day
Reviewed in Canada on September 30, 2023
Verified Purchase
A Map to the Stars is an absolutely gorgeous memoir of experimental prose that leaves you wanting for nothing - a life story told in less than 15,000 words that proves there can be beauty and hope hidden beyond tragedy and pain, whether in the stars or in the lessons we learn along the way. Hutchison's debut is worth every searing word.
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Stephen Howard
5.0 out of 5 stars A beautifully woven piece of writing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 5, 2023
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A Map to the Stars is an unusual memoir in that it mixes various formats, from epistolary to stream-of-consciousness to poetry, and does so successfully. This tale is a soul laid bare and it’s beautiful and tragic, but with an underlying message of perseverance and fortitude.

I highly recommend giving this a go.
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R.J. Rosatte
5.0 out of 5 stars A spellbinding read by an amazing author
Reviewed in Canada on March 25, 2021
Verified Purchase
I rate books according to how they grab my emotions and hold my attention. This one tore my heart out. At times uplifting and at times, horrifying. It is one woman's tale of survival in a world that can be cruel. You won't put it down. Cudos, Ashley!
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