annieb123's Review of The Spectacular

by Fiona Davis

From the New York Times Bestselling Author of The Magnolia Palace: A thrilling story about love, sacrifice, and the pursuit of dreams, set amidst the glamour and glitz of Radio City Music Hall in its mid-century heyday.

New York City, 1956: Nineteen-year-old Marion Brooks knows she should be happy. Her high school sweetheart is about to propose and sweep her off to the life everyone has always expected they’d have together: a quiet house in the suburbs, Marion staying home to raise their future children. But instead, Marion finds herself feeling trapped. So when she comes across an opportunity to audition for the famous Radio City Rockettes—the glamorous precision-dancing troupe—she jumps at the chance to exchange her predictable future for the dazzling life of a performer.

Meanwhile, the city is reeling from a string of bombings orchestrated by a person the press has nicknamed the “Big Apple Bomber,” who has been terrorizing the citizens of New York for sixteen years by planting bombs in popular, crowded spaces. With the public in an uproar over the lack of any real leads after a yearslong manhunt, the police turn in desperation to Peter Griggs, a young doctor at a local mental hospital who espouses a radical new technique: psychological profiling.

As both Marion and Peter find themselves unexpectedly pulled in to the police search for the bomber, Marion realizes that as much as she’s been training herself to blend in—performing in perfect unison with all the other identical Rockettes—if she hopes to catch the bomber, she’ll need to stand out and take a terrifying risk. In doing so, she may be forced to sacrifice everything she’s worked for, as well as the people she loves the most.

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

The Spectacular is a very well written historical drama set in NYC in the late 1950s. Released 13th June 2023 by Penguin Random House on their Dutton imprint, it's 368 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.

The story revolves around a mostly-appealing upper middle class young female dancer who is feeling stifled within the constraints of the life her family and society have given her. She auditions for the Rockettes on a whim and wins a place in the troupe, which turns out to be more challenging than even she had anticipated.

Loosely based around a series of real historical bombings in NYC in the late 1950s, author Fiona Davis has used dual timeline narrative and flashbacks to very good effect to create an engaging and readable story. The scenery and background research are also impressive (and must have been a prodigious task).

Four solid stars. It would make a good choice for library acquisition, gifting, personal reading, and would be an excellent book club selection.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Reading updates

16 December, 2023: Started reading

16 December, 2023: Finished reading

16 December, 2023: Reviewed