Music to Move the Stars

Jane Hawking, divorced wife of Professor Stephen Hawking and mother of his three children has written a memoir which relates the story of a marriage begun in optimism, despite facing the terrible odds of motor neurone disease, and of its gradual decline which became inescapably apparent as Hawking's academic career and renown began to soar. Jane Hawking writes of her marriage and remembers the vigorous young man with whom she fell in love prior to the onset of his debilitating motor neurone disease. Moreover, she tells of the difficulties of looking after a wheelchair-bound husband and three small children - all demanding attention 24 hours a day. These experiences, coupled with the author's evident inner-strength can offer inspiration to others faced with a similar family situation. The collapse of the high profile Hawking marriage, provoked by Stephen's affair with a nurse, is related in honest detail and Jane's recent re-marriage to an old family friend offers the hope of happy ending to a life of struggle and alienation.