Elena of the Stars

by Chuck Rosenthal

On the brink of adulthood, young Elena visits her widowed grandfather and befriends her late grandmother's golden stallion, and Elena and the horse are thrust into a primal battle against the elements that tests their mutual trust

Genres: Fiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1995

About the author

Chuck Rosenthal, also known as C.P. Rosenthal, is an American novelist, short story writer, and memoirist whose work spans several decades and genres. Since the 1980s, he has authored a rich body of literary fiction, blending philosophical inquiry with imaginative storytelling. A longtime Professor of English at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, Rosenthal is also known for his collaborative work with his wife, the poet Gail Wronsky.
Rosenthal’s bibliography includes the acclaimed Loop Trilogy—Loop’s Progress, Experiments in Life and Deaf, and Loop’s End—as well as a wide range of other novels such as Elena of the Stars, inspired by his daughter Marlena Rosenthal, Jack Kerouac’s Avatar Angel: His Last Novel, and The Heart of Mars. His fiction often explores themes of identity, language, and transcendence, sometimes drawing on iconic literary or mythological figures, as seen in You Can Fly: A Sequel to the Peter Pan Tales and The Legend of La Diosa.
In nonfiction, Rosenthal's memoir Never Let Me Go reflects on personal and familial relationships, while West of Eden and Are We Not There Yet? chronicle life in Los Angeles and travels through South Asia, respectively. His literary voice is both cerebral and playful, deeply philosophical yet grounded in the human experience.
Chuck Rosenthal’s body of work also includes The Shortest Farewells Are the Best, a noir flash fiction collection co-authored with Wronsky, and the speculative Tomorrow You’ll Be One of Us: Sci Fi Poems, further demonstrating his versatility and genre-crossing instincts.
A vibrant voice in contemporary American literature, Rosenthal is as dedicated to teaching and literary exploration as he is to writing, continuing to shape readers and writers alike with his thoughtful, inventive prose.

Reviews

[themnemovore · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pros del libros: tiene citas muy bonitas y me gusta que la chica quiera ser libre como un caballo.
Contras: que el autor decidió que unos tipos iban a violarla y matar al abuelo, que el pobre viejo tuviera que morir encima de ella porque estaban tratando de salvarse de una inundación para que el final encontrara la tumba de la abuela que se había ido a morir a las montañas.
ME ESTÁS WEBIANDO!???

[Relyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know GoodReads is a social media site, but I use it primarily as a personal dairy of my bookish life. This means, I rarely write "real" reviews of books I read. So. Here's my story of Elena of the Stars, an incredibly beautiful book.

I might have a little bit of a book acquisition problem, so I made a rule for myself. I don't buy a book I've never read. I always, always read it first. Back in the late 90s I broke the rules with this one because the cover is so beautiful and the language on the first few pages was amazing. I also really loved the odd shape of it - the same size as a business envelope stood on end. It lived on my shelves for just over 20 years before I finally read it. I'm glad I did. It is a poem of a book.

[Anya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Buen ejemplo para aplicar la frase "no esperaba nada y aun así logró decepcionarme". Un familiar lo consiguió en una tienda que ofertaba ejemplares nuevos de autores desconocidos, aunque con el tiempo pasó a mis manos. Me animé a leerlo para determinar su destino en el proceso de depuración de mis estanterías, el cual no fue favorable.

🆗
• Pensamientos breves pero acertados sobre la vida y la toma de decisiones.

❎
• Descripciones repetitivas.

• En varias ocasiones la secuencia de los diálogos me pareció poco orgánica.

• El ritmo comienza a mejorar alrededor de los dos tercios del libro; sin embargo, esto se debe más que nada al shock value. Al final la historia resulta intrascendente.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was pretty fable-y and did lots of telling not showing. That being said I really liked the descriptions of the Wyoming skies and landscapes and how it feels to be on a horse. I think all of that was wonderful while the narrative was not really resonant for me.

[Elenirodis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed feelings about this book. Really beautiful in some ways but one of those books that make me wonder what kind of issues the author might have.

[Lennie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Elena is a thirteen year-old girl who is sent by her parents to spend time on her grandfather's ranch, located in the Wyoming prairie. The two, who don't know each other that well, bond over a two week period as Elena learns to ride a horse and shoot a gun. But then two thugs show up on motorcycles, looking to cause trouble and Elena and her grandfather must rely on each other to get themselves out of danger.
As the author tells this story, he often uses poetic-like prose to describe events which I didn't find appealing but I'm sure it was written that way to target the juvenile/young adult audience it was intended for.

[vero ☾ · Rating 1 out of 5]

While I was reading this book, I didn’t feel anything: nor happiness, nor sadness, nor even curiosity. Surely I didn’t expect the ending being so sad and I have to admit that some descriptions were really beautiful. However the story itself wasn’t interesting nor revealing, therefore I recommend reading this book if you are bored, or if you haven’t got any other reading choices.
sorry for the bad English:)

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

It looks like a little puff & fluff of a book, but it is not only "about girls and horses," it is a startling, poignant, even violent metaphor, maybe even an allegory, of that right of passage from girlhood to womanhood.

[Dorothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rosenthal engaged me from the first page...which is amazing in a novel of fiction. He didn't need to romance me. I read this over and over, like a poem.

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lesson in lyric narrative.

[L. C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly beautiful and heart-wrenching, this story stays with me.

[Jade · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first part came as uninteresting but its pace picked up at the latter part of the book.

[Álex · Rating 5 out of 5]

La más verdadera y literal metáfora

[Roger Reyes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hay libros q dejan un sabor exquisito en la boca cuando los terminas y un sentimiento de gratitud infinito para su autor, este es uno de esos libros. Fue genial.

[Dacia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just an okay book for me