The Calculating Stars

Quite frankly one of the best books I've read for some time. I was expecting this to be more sci fi than what it was. This was much more along the lines of historical fiction - which I really have absolutely NO interest in.
Says so much then that I struggled to put this book down. Not once was I disappointed hat this wasn't what I was expecting.
I don't think I've read a book where the characters have been so masterfully developed.
I felt physical sensations with the the characters that I have never felt before because they were written so descriptively - yet without ever looking like the author is trying to get me to understand something I couldn't possibly understand.

The beauty of the writing demonstrated wonderfully with the following quote:

The light of the rocket reflected off her bright eyes as if the fire of her soul were coming out to push the rocket into the sky.