Illustration: Sara King
Reviews and Interviews for The Murmur of Everything Moving
100 Notable Small Press Books of 2025 ~ LitHub
Publisher's Weekly Book Life Editor's Pick
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.
A heartbreaking, achingly beautiful memoir of love, loss and resilience... Stanton is that rare author who can toss off keen observations, even medical comlexities with ease and elan."
The Murmur of Everything Moving reads like fiction, thanks to Maureen Stanton's gift for storytelling. This memoir brilliantly captures the journey, the highs and lows, the commitment to be present, and the love that defies pain. Well-written, achingly beautiful.
"In the aftermath, she realizes that when 'Steve’s pain ended, mine would begin.' From that pain, Stanton has made this beautiful memoir."
"An emotionally powerful memoir...written so well it's like being there with them. It's a beautiful memoir to delve into for readers who ponder what it really means to love someone."
"Stanton writers with unflinching honesty and lyrical clarity...Stanton's gift lies in her ability to hold both tenderness and tragedy in the same breath. The Murmur of Everything Moving is a breathtaking, morally complex memoir about love's endurance in the face of impossible choices."
"Let's Talk Memoir" with writer and podcast host, Ronit Plank.
For Those Who Care Podcast - Ruth Ann Batchelder Episode #40
Maureen Stanton ~ The Murmur of Everything Moving
Body Leaping Backward, bursting with radiant storytelling seamlessly sets Maureen Stanton's childhood struggles against the unraveling social tapestry that was American in the 1970s. This is a page-turning narrative that illuminates so much about her personal and our cultural darkest moments." ~ Michael Patrick MacDonaldd, author of All Souls: A Family Story from Southie
F*&k the cult of the bad boy, Maureen Stanton's book makes my skin shiver and my heart pound out a hell yes. Set in the 1970s up against a maximum security prison and the coming wave of drugs, a family falls to pieces. The mother descends inot delinquency and soon Maureen follows--but this story reminds us how mothers and daughters clawing their way back to life is an epic journey of courage and guts and heart. A triumph. ~ Lidia Yuknavitch, author of The Chronology of Water and Book of Joan
The miracle isn't how Maureen Stanton survived her harrowing adolescence, but how she can write about it with such beauty and clarity. I read this in one heart-in-my-throat sitting. ~ Monica Wood, author of When We Were the Kennedys
