The Stars We Could Reach by Carolyn S. Hochard

The Stars We Could Reach by Carolyn S. Hochard

The author will be our guest speaker on Sunday, March 22

and host a book discussion following coffee hour!

Copies of The Stars We Could Reach will be available for sale during coffee hour (hardcover: $32.99, softcover: $22.99) or can be ordered online at: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-stars-we-could-reach-carolyn-s-hochard/e642ff99ad1ace34 or https://www.amazon.com/Stars-We-Could-Reach/dp/BOFGVQNRVR (ebook also available: $8.99, audio version not yet available)

Author’s website: https://carolynhochardauthor.square.site/ or

Reviews for The Stars We Could Reach

• “…a must-read across countless generations. This creative non-fiction is a weaving, often captivating journey that highlights the beauty and strength of earthly relationships.” —Linda L. LeSage, MSN, psychiatric nurse specialist and author

• “…if you’ve ever lost someone you will miss forever, you’re likely to find yourself in these pages.” —Maureen Callahan Smith, Author

Told in two distinct women’s voices, The Stars We Could Reach weaves together each woman’s inspiring journey from grief to newfound hope. Set against the backdrop of changing seasons in a small New England town, this profound and vivid work draws on the author’s personal story of self-acceptance and healing as she reidentifies herself in an unconventional mothering role.

Shaken to her core, Susan attempts to take her own life after a promise is broken and her dreams of the perfect marriage and motherhood are shattered. Finding solace for her grieving heart in the company of horses, Susan one day meets Hillary at the stable, and recognizes a kindred spirit when she learns that Hillary too, is rising from the ashes of her own hidden tragedy.  As their friendship unfolds Hillary’s journey takes an abrupt turn, and Susan is left wondering whether it takes more courage to walk through life as a childless mother, or to leave behind a motherless child?

The Stars We Could Reach takes the reader on a journey that plumbs the depths of love and loss, and soars to the heights of the heart’s resilience. Author Carolyn S. Hochard, insightfully traverses the messy and beautiful terrain of what we keep and what we abandon to create the space for love. 

Susan has dreamed of motherhood. She is delighted when she meets and marries a wonderful man who promises they will start a family of their own. Soon after their wedding her husband presents Susan with an unexpected ultimatum. Blindsided, she is devastated beyond all hope. In a complete loss of self and the future she had longed for, Susan attempts suicide. She must conquer her mental anguish and learn to live with a broken heart that keeps on beating.

Hillary is more than a little surprised when she becomes pregnant after spending a night with a co-worker while on an away-project. She too, believes she has found the right man when the baby’s father invites her to move in with him during her pregnancy. Hillary’s new life is far from what she had anticipated as her boyfriend’s volatile behavior is revealed behind closed doors. The relationship is strained to the point of breaking when their baby is stillborn, and Hillary is left to cope with an earth-shattering grief.

The two women find healing through their connection to horses. As their friendship unfolds, Susan offers Hillary the support of a kind and open heart as Hillary reassembles the shattered pieces of her life. And Hillary offers Susan a gift she had given up hope of ever finding. Their plans are short lived however, when the fate of their friendship is threatened by a terminal cancer diagnosis.

The Stars We Could Reach describes the big and small moments that make up a life and a friendship. This deeply personal and unflinching life story will inspire and resonate with readers as they follow the characters through hope and heartache, and ultimately come to recognize the gifts they’ve been given in what they have lost.