Illustration: Sara King
An Engagement Ring,
but No Fiancé
"The origin of the word betrothed is “truth,” but my ring was a lie."
Now Available!
Winner of the Donald Jordan Prize for Literary Excellence
​​The Murmur of Everything Moving is a stunning, true romance, never shying away from the gritty details of caregiving a loved one suffering from a brutal disease. Stanton writes with poetic, smooth prose, in sharp contrast to the jagged edges and emotional upheaval of her life after Steve’s diagnosis. This is a tender, clever, and deeply engaging love story.
Stanton is a skilled author whose prose sparkles with literary panache.
She deftly connects her story to universal experiences, from the first stages of infatuation and passionate love to the excruciating pain and confusion that accompanies the death of a partner. A poignant, evocative story of love, death, and survival.
Like all the great memoirs, The Murmur of Everything Moving, plumbs far deeper than its immediate subject, in this case the act of caring for and tending to one’s dying lover; with spare, lyrical, and wonderfully evocative prose, Maureen Stanton lays bare here the myriad forms of love required of us when things get hard. This viscerally moving memoir is a love song and a tribute, a hymn of praise for each sacred moment given us. It is also heartbreakingly beautiful, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
​ ~ Andre Dubus III, author of Ghost Dogs, Such Kindness, House of Sand and Fog, and Townie
Beguiling, vivid, and rich with loving devotion, The Murmur of Everything Moving is a beautiful, heart-breaking memoir. The writing is precise and excellent -- there are certain lines so good you want to write them down so you don't forget. There is sorrow, portrayed without fear, and there is love exercised like a powerful muscle. It's a wonder to behold, and so is this book.
​ ~ Stephen Kiernan, judge, Donald L. Jordan Prize, author of The Glass Chateau, Universe of Two, The Baker's Secret and other novels.
The Murmur of Everything Moving is a rare love story. Tender, incredibly wise, surprisingly funny, fizzing with youthful desire and impressive courage, this riveting memoir of a twenty-something couple facing mortality far too young is indelible. A story of love as ardent obligation, and of one couple’s efforts to defy the odds, this book will change you, for the better.
~ EJ Levy, author of NYT Editor's Choice novel, The Cape Doctor, Lambda-winning Tasting Life Twice, and Love, In Theory.
What I loved most about this was the way it moved along the same storm systems of high agony and the quiet routine of daily despair--just like the terrible diagnosis it describes. It is moving and tortuous without being cloying or sentimental. The ending is simple and spare and poignant and made my mouth go dry.
~ Winner, Sewanee Review nonfiction prize, judged by best-selling author, Lisa Taddeo, author of NYT best-seller Three Women