The Stars Are Not Yet Bells: A Novel

"Hannah Lillith Assadi’s second novel, The Stars Are Not Yet Bells, is vastly different from her dazzling debut, Sonora. While Sonora was a contemporary, coming-of-age story centered on female friendship, The Stars Are Not Yet Bells is a historical romance, spanning generations. Suffering from Alzheimer’s, Elle, the novel’s elderly protagonist, looks back on a lifetime of compromises in love and health. Assadi’s sharp and impressionistic sentences elevate a familiar premise into an exhilarating reading experience."