The Prettiest Star (Cold Mountain Fund Series) Paperback – May 25, 2021

A moving, radiant account of the death of Brian to AIDS when he is young and full of promise, THE PRETTIEST STAR is also about the families given to us and the families we create. From Travis, the stunned, Vietnam-veteran dad, to Mamaw, the courageous, loving grandma, to Sharon, Brian's mother and Jess, his sister who believes heaven is in the ocean with the whales, we get points of view that tell us their stories and explain their silences. Brian has come back to Chester, Ohio, to die after years of living in New York. The novel has heart, and a genuine love for the unembellished details of life--the Avon novelty bottles sold by Mamaw, the looks of malls and television programs, the carrot mush Sharon feeds her boy when he is almost gone. The prejudices of a small town move the book's conflict apace, but we also land on moments of grace and hope. Without sacrificing clear-eyed realism, the ending has a prismatic beauty and power that will bring you to tears.

This novel succeeds in so many levels.I grew up in Columbus, not far from the area where the story is set, and I can verify that the southeastern Ohio small town details are perfect. So are the carefully woven-in mentions about 1986 songs, TV shows and clothing. I was fifteen that year, the same age as Jess in the story.Each character is distinct, sympathetic and really well-drawn. Splitting the book up into several different narrators helped Sickels explore all sides of a difficult issue.And most importantly: the emotional and physical ravages of AIDS are described in heartbreaking, specific detail -- which is an incredibly impressive feat in itself. Sickels is able to portray this shameful, painful era in American history while anchoring it to a sympathetic and interesting family. This is a noteworthy literary accomplishment.

"AIDS is a story of America, he said. It's a story that must be told."Soaring and sad. By no measure an easy read, nor should it be.Carter Sickels composes simple, but effective prose, presents an array of colorful, memorable characters and brings to life a nostalgic, immersive, painstaking narrative.The hardcover edition is stunning, truly one of the best of recent memory. I only wish as much thoughtfulness and care went into the editing of the text, which had at least half-a-dozen typos over the course of 291 pages. I don't say this to be petty, I say it because it is such an unfortunate distraction and usually knocks me right out of a story. Authors see the composition so much over the lifetime of a manuscript, these things are inevitable, but correctable with a pair of exacting eyes or two. I'm not sure what went wrong, but hope these corrections can be made ahead of its paperback release.Otherwise, an authentic and meaningful read that I won't hesitate to recommend to others.

This novel is beautiful and sad and lovely and touches the heart in deep ways. The thread of David Bowie songs helped tie the novel together in a way that meant a lot to me, as a huge Bowie fan. I remember the early AIDS epidemic, and have done some research on people today with HIV/AIDS and the stigma that goes along with it. I think that Sickels does a wonderful job of putting you in that time and place of the young man returning home to a rural area after being away in NYC. The juxtaposition between who accepts this man, the main character Brian, when he returns home with AIDS is powerful and incredibly believable. The book is top notch. It's my favorite book of 2020--and I read a lot!

Letting us know we all have feelingsIf you know you know

I could not put this book down I read it in 24 hours. As a semi-out Southern lesbian (I was out to the local community an one parent, but not out at work or to the other parent.) in the late 80s and early 90s, I loved and lost many of my gay friends to AIDS. The ravages,randomness and swiftness of the disease were well descriptions, as was the political environment and Ronald Reagan's lack of any action. The religious situation was accurate as I heard the preacher words myself in a Methodist church, "AIDS is God's way of punishing gays for their sins." The discrimination gays and lesbians faced was a spot on description.Characters were all well defined except for the victim's father, and you grew to care about them all. All in all, this was a novel that was very real in the complexities of the situation, but was so entertaining that you could not wait to see what happened next. I highly recommend this book.

This is a novel about a Midwestern boy who went to New York City, was diagnosed with AIDS, and returned home to Ohio to die. It cuts very close to the bone and, I believe, reflects the reality of those horrible years in the willfully ignorant Midwest. Having lived through this particular pandemic myself in San Francisco I give the book high marks for credibility and authenticity. But I fear it is not likely to find a receptive audience. The simple truth is no one wants to hear these stories anymore. And that, in itself, is even more sad than this narrative.

This book put my heart through the shredder. Books like this are the reason I love to read. It pulled me out of time and space, thrusting me into the lives of well-drawn characters living through an experience I will never fully understand. ⠀⠀The Prettiest Star was a deeply moving story of family and redemption. Carter Sickels exposes the dark underbelly of humanity as these characters grapple with their new, tragic reality in a time of panic, ignorance, and fear. It was full of heartbreak, devastation, grief, and love: a kaleidoscope of powerful emotions I couldn’t look away from. Because even with all of those heavy emotions swirling around, it was beautiful. It was so damn beautiful. ⠀⠀Carter Sickles, thank you for this masterpiece.⠀

I couldn’t put it down.I need to take my time to say goodbye to this book.

Book 79 of 2020 is one of those books that has changed me. @carter_sickels has taken us back in time. It’s 1986 and Brian has come home to his small town to die. I’ve read other books set during the heights of the AIDS crisis but I don’t know if any have immersed me in it like this. It’s Longtime Companion. It’s the Last Song. It’s abhorrent acts of bigotry and cruelty. It’s tender moments that at first you think are bravery but are really just decency. It’s grief, such great and overwhelming grief, and it’s love, such incredible and outpouring love. This book is powerful. I want someone like @dlanceblack to take this and make it a movie. I can see it in my head already. A mother’s regret, a sister’s confusion, a son’s return.

What a remarkable novel. The author has managed to convey the attitudes, beliefs and actions of a cast of characters with perfect non-judgemental clarity. While we might rage at the family and townsfolk, their thoughts words and deeds are lain out plainly. It is what it is.It's awful to imagine that the people who caught and died from this terrible disease received anything other than the utmost compassion, but that's clearly not the case. Kindness, it seems, can be very hard to come by.

Powerful, raw, emotional, moving account of a son dying of AIDS and the family and a town dealing with the unknown.

In the early days of the AIDS pandemic, a young man goes back home to small-town America to face his death. As well as the prejudices and hatred of his childhood friends, neighbours and family.Absolutely the best book that I have read in a long, long time.