In Which Kati Meets a New Friend

A month or so ago, Dear Author published their Top 100 romances list (as chosen by their review staff). I've always waited with baited breath for All About Romance's Top 100 (which is chosen by their readers), so I read Dear Author's list with interest. The thing that struck me was how many romances I'd never heard of. So, I resolved to read a few of them. I promptly ordered two of the books that were on the list: To Have and To Hold by Patricia Gaffney, which I've been hearing about for years, and Till the Stars Fall Down by Kathleen Gilles Seidel.

I decided to read Till the Stars Fall Down first. The book was published in 1994, and while it has a slightly dated feel, the writing is still fresh and compelling. The book tells the story of Krissa and Danny French, brother and sister who live in Mesabi Iron Range in Minnesota. They come from a mining community, and they live in a very tense household. Their father has been injured in a mining accident and has been relegated to a light work position within the mine. This has made their father, always a difficult man, even surlier. Danny and Krissa are very different kids. Danny is a loner, a musician and someone who is very independent. Krissa is a people pleaser. A straight A student and a girl who just wants to get through school and fulfill her future, which is probably getting married to a miner and having a bunch of kids. But Danny dreams of getting off the Range and making a future for himself that is bigger and better than anything he can achieve at home. He resolves to improve his studies and go to an Ivy League college. Krissa helps him improve his study habits and do what he needs to so he can fulfill his dream. Soon Danny is accepted at Princeton, and it is there that his story really begins.

Danny meets Quinn Hunter, the golden child of a wealthy family, Quinn is pretty much just coasting through life, loved but neglected by his parents, until he meets Danny at an audition for Princeton's elite singing group. He and Danny have perfectly matched voices, and they begin to realize that their gifts complement each other. Soon the only thing they want to do is sing. Quinn writes the lyrics, Danny writes the music. And together, they form a band, Dodd Hall. In no time, Dodd Hall is touring up and down the east coast and increasing in popularity.

In the Spring, Krissa comes to visit Danny at Princeton and meets Quinn for the first time. Quinn is spellbound. He wants nothing more than to be alone with Krissa. Of course, she's his best friend and partner's little sister, so she's completely out of bounds. But the more time he spends with her, the more he wants her. Krissa is not immune to Quinn, but she's determined to have her own life. But she's accepted into Bryn Mawr and is soon put to work for Dodd Hall keeping their books and helping keep things organized for the guys. Soon Dodd Hall is signed to a record contract and the band begins to take off. Krissa stays in school and but flies each weekend to meet the guys wherever they are. At this point, she and Quinn have begun a relationship and she's becoming more and more integral to the operation of Dodd Hall. Quinn wants her to drop out of school and marry him. But she refuses knowing that she needs to keep some part of herself separate from the band. The more Dodd Hall's popularity grows, the more difficult it becomes for the guys to live a regular life. They're recognized everywhere, and they become more limited in what they can do, even as their wealth rises and they rely more and more on Krissa to keep it real for them. Krissa begins to feel her life is being consumed by Dodd Hall. And she informs the guys that she will be taking the last semester of college off from the band. She will not be traveling with them, and she will not be meeting them. They must operate without her.

It quickly becomes evident that Krissa is imperative to Dodd Hall's operation. She keeps peace between Danny and Quinn and she mediates disagreements. Both Danny and Quinn are calling her daily, airing grievances and expecting her to fix their issues. Krissa begs their manager to tell them that she doesn't want to hear from either of them. She decides to escape both of them by going home for Spring Break. While there, she rekindles a friendship with Jerry Aarensson, a guy she knew in high school. Jerry is everything Quinn is not. He's calm, and confident, and kind. He puts Krissa first, and is a much simpler guy. Their relationship becomes more serious after they sleep together on the last night of Spring Break.

Danny receives a phone call from Krissa telling him that she's married Jerry. Of course, this is a shock to Quinn who thought that he and Krissa were still together. It sets off a series of events that leads the band to its downfall.

Seidel is a remarkably strong story teller. Till the Stars Fall alternates between scenes throughout the 70s and the 90s, when Quinn and Krissa reacquaint themselves. The story unfolds slowly building from Krissa and Danny's childhood, to the formation of Dodd Hall, to the band's downfall, to Krissa and Quinn reconnecting. It's gorgeously written, offering beautiful inner monologues for each character. We immediately see Krissa's desperation at being consumed by Quinn and Danny, and her heartache at being pulled between the two of them. We understand Quinn's all consuming love for Krissa, and his need to have her near him always. We never really understand Danny, who is selfish, and difficult and slow to trust. The story has the feel of a saga, one that reminds me a bit of the books that Katherine Stone used to write. Except, much better. The writing is strong and deft and Seidel does a wonderful job infusing scenes with emotion and creating immensely likable characters. This book was a delight, start to finish and one that will immediately take its place on my keeper shelves.

Final Grade: A