The Transit of Venus by Shirley Hazzard is a special book. It follows the lives of two sisters, Caroline (Caro) and Grace Bell, through their lives. After losing their parents when they are young, the sisters face many challenges as they try to make something of themselves. The book mostly follows Caro, and her loves and losses.

Hazzard's writing is evocative and rich, and every word is chosen with purpose. On their own, her sentences are impactful and sharp. Altogether, I was stunned by the brilliance with which she leaves a trail of breadcrumbs scattered throughout. Every detail is intentional.

Caro!!! What a character. She goes through so much. So many ups and downs… these characters will live forever rent-free in my mind.

At the end of the book, so many details start to come together, and Hazzard suddenly speaks directly to the reader. A play within a play. Truly can’t say enough how impressive I found this book. I am still awestruck by her talent. Why don’t we talk about her more?! Why didn’t I know more about her already?! I was surprised how much humor is woven throughout. And she’s so smart, and it shows! This book inspired me to attempt to annotate for the first time. There were so many lines that I just had to underline, and sit with and digest and look at again and again. And I know I have even more to get out of it - one of those books that will definitely get richer with each reread.

I loved this one so much, I now plan to finish Hazzard's backlog next year. I've already read The Great Fire and will share my thoughts on it soon too. Have you read this one? If not, go ahead and get yourself a copy, and then let me know how much you loved it too.