The Light of Luna Park is a historical fiction novel that intertwines the lives of two women from different eras—1926 and 1950.

In 1926, Althea Anderson, a young nurse at Manhattan’s Bellevue Hospital, feels horrified as she witnesses the death of a premature baby caused by the callousness of the doctors. Althea saves a baby girl by entrusting her to Dr. Couney, who incubates premature infants while exhibiting them at a sideshow at Coney Island’s Luna Park.

Fast forward to 1950, where we meet Stella Wright, a special-education teacher fighting for the rights of students with disabilities. When Stella discovers a hidden letter from her late mother, she unravels a mystery that connects her to Althea’s bravery and the far-reaching impact of her choices.

Armstrong’s novel, based on a true story, offers a fascinating glimpse into history with sympathetic characters that pull you into their struggles and triumphs. The touching narrative, though sometimes overly sentimental, is a powerful reminder of the resilience of women during that era. I found it especially upsetting to learn that women could not work once they became pregnant, a stark contrast to today’s norms.

The Light of Luna Park is a wonderful debut that sheds light on a little-known piece of history while delivering a heartfelt story. 4 stars.

** Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a comp of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Through an alternating narrative, we meet two women, approximately 25 years apart. Both women are passionate about their careers and speaking up for those who can't speak up for themselves: babies and special needs children.

In 1926, Althea Anderson was a nurse in a maternity ward at Bellevue Hospital; when she was part of a team working on a premature birth, she suggested that they consider taking the baby to an experimental facility at Coney Island, where a doctor had been developing and using incubators to keep premature babies alive. However, she is quickly dismissed by both the staff and the family and, in fact, loses her job. She makes a chain of decisions that will greatly impact several lives.

In the 1950s, Stella Wright worked as a special education teacher and quit her job after her principal gave her straight jackets for her students instead of the supplies that she requested. While reeling from the loss of her job, she tries to cope with her husband's PTSD from World War II, her grief over the recent death of her mother, and the discovery of a letter in her mother's belongings that leads Stella to question what she knows about her mother's life.

This was an enjoyable read that actually taught me a bit about history that I didn't know. I didn't know anything about the history of NICU so I loved being able to learn more about that and read up on it online as a result of reading this book.

I started reading The Light of Luna Park and it didn't immediately speak to me. I'd love to come back to it in the future when I'm in a better headspace, but for now, I'm shelving this book and taking a pause.

I've found sometimes in historical fiction books, you feel like you're reading something familiar and start to mix it up with another book from the genre. It takes very compelling characters and a new twist on a storyline to keep me really captivated. Again, I hope to revisit this book at a later time when I feel ready to commit the focus to tackling the story.

Thank you very much to Addison Armstrong, Penguin Random House, and NetGalley for the ARC of The Light of Luna Park!

This story of incubators and how they came about was so fascinating and I highly recommend picking this one up if you enjoy books about self discovery and women finding themselves in the process.

Nurse Althea Anderson is working at Bellevue Hospital in the 1920s when premature babies rarely survived. After reading about the incubator exhibit at the Coney Island, she take an infant on the brink of death there to save it. While cleaning out her belongings after her death, her daughter Stella finds herself on a path to understand the circumstances of her birth and who she really is. This is truly a story of sacrifice - that of a woman to save a child even at the expense of her own life and dreams.

The Light of Luna Park, the debut novel from Addison Armstrong, pulls in history, family turmoil, and parenthood. It pulls in the emotional journey of discovering that everything we know of ourselves may not be true. It pulls in the ethical dilemmas of the preemies dying in the hospitals and of a nurse and the decision she makes to save a life. A compelling first book. I look forward to reading more from Addison Armstrong.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2022/12/the-light-of-luna-park.html

Reviewed for NetGalley.

As a historical fiction lover, one of my favorite things about this genre is that I usually get to see a strong female in a man dominated world featured.

This was such a great book with complex, strong women, and I loved it!

Alternating timelines between a young nurse in 1926 and a teacher in 1950, both women wanting to help the children in their care, infants and one with special needs.

*many thanks to Putnam and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

This quick read was a perfect fit for me. I was quickly drawn in with both story lines. Having heard a little about the Coney Island Doctor, this was an interesting book that gave us a glimpse into this history. While I might have wished to learn a little more about the care of the babies while at Luna Park, as many friends have had babies in NICU and was curious of how things had changed, there was enough to make your heart to feel for the families who had to decide to send their babies. This was also a nice change of pace for historical writing that it's centralized around a war. Those who like reading about nurses will find a winner with this one too. While this was a debut author, it was a strong book that will create a following for her future writing.

I received a free copy from NetGalley, but waited to also listen to the audio provided from my public library. I recommend both.

Wow! This is a historical fiction novel, but also reads as a bit of a mystery. The novel is written in dual timeline with two narrators; Stella a young teacher in the 1950’s searching for answers about her recently deceased mother and a young nurse in the 1920’s desperate to save a premature baby’s life. I learned so much about Coney Island’s baby incubator program (program used very loosely) and thoroughly enjoyed the many twists and turns that this story took. Highly recommend this book.

This is a book about a fascinating piece of history and written very well. The two story lines work well together.
5 stars from me.

This book was beautiful! I loved both stories and felt that it tied together perfectly.

When I finally had a moment to start this book I knew I was in trouble because I was not going to be able to stop reading it. Stella and Althea are such strong and caring women, that reading about them makes me feel stronger myself.

Althea is training as a nurse in a delivery ward, and after witnessing many babies given up on and dying due to being born premature, she makes a rash decision to try to save one. Stella is 24 years old and recently lost her mother. In sorting through her belongings she uncovers thruths she is not sure she is ready for.

This is a debut novel that will have you anticipating what the author will be writing next. Thank you Netgalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review

This was a very interesting and absorbing novel. I enjoyed learning about the history of incubators. I also loved the author's writing style, and loved the journey she took me on while reading this book. I will definitely be reading more by her in the future!

This book just wasn't for me. I was very interested in the topic of the book. However, the writing and character development was just off. I didn't like that Althea would have internal dialogue and then she would do the exact opposite of whatever she had said in her head. She made so many bad choices and didn't really face the consequences of them. I also didn't see the need to put the PTSD from WWII into the book. It served no purpose. I will say I did like the dialogue about special education and how Stella was trying to advocate for her students. I did feel like it was definitely written through a 2020 lens and not very true to how things would have been approached in the 50's. I also feel like there were far too many convenient plot devices used for it to come off as plausible for me. Overall just not my cup of tea.

Wow wow wow. I LOVED this book! My mind was absolutely BLOWN by this piece of history I have never heard of. I am so thankful to the people who paved the world to help save infants or help teach those who might be different then others. I will be thinking of this book for a very long time. I really loved how the author drew parallels from Dr. Couney’s life. Who is ever all good or bad? What choices hold the most weight in defining who we are?! An absolutely stunning debut

This was a fascinating time in history when incubators were just being introduced for premature babies. Told during two time periods with some mystery.

The following review was published on my blog (blogginboutbooks.com) on 11.12.21:

1926—As a nurse working in the adrenaline-fueled, male-dominated field of emergency medicine, 24-year-old Althea Anderson is used to taking orders from the doctors, obeying their commands without question. When another premature baby dies at her hospital because a physician determines it to be "God's will" that only the strongest infants survive, Althea can no longer stay quiet. She knows tiny babies are being saved every day at nearby Coney Island. Yes, they're on public display, another lurid attraction to entertain gawking tourists, but the admission fees are used to employ nurses who cuddle and care for the children, giving them a chance to not just survive but also thrive. "Doctor" Martin Couney's medical credentials might be a bit murky, but Althea knows he's working miracles with his boardwalk babies. Althea's superiors scoff when she suggests sending their newest struggling infant to Couney, so she takes matters into her own hands, changing the course of her life—and the baby's—forever.

1950—While Stella Wright isn't sure she wants children of her own, she pours her heart and soul into nurturing the students she teaches in her special education class. School administrators believe the kids aren't worth the effort; Stella is determined to prove them wrong. By day, she battles for their rights while by night, she helps her veteran husband fight the demons that haunt him night after night. When her beloved mother dies, Stella is wracked with grief. A curious letter found among the dead woman's things mystifies Stella, sending her on a puzzling journey into her mother's past. As old secrets are revealed, she learns shocking truths about her mother—and herself.


I read The Light of Luna Park, a debut novel by Addison Armstrong, back in June, but it's appropriate that I'm reviewing it in November as my two preemies were born this month. Both of my sons made sudden arrivals at 29 weeks, weighed less than 3 1/2 pounds, and spent at least a month in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) fighting for their lives. My teensy-tiny babies seemed incapable of living through the night, let alone growing up to be the strong, healthy young men they are now. If they had been born 100 years ago, would their doctor have deemed them worthy of saving?

Because of my experience with premature birth, I have always found Martin Couney's work fascinating. I've never read a novel about the subject, so I was keen to give Armstrong's a go. The Light of Luna Park features sympathetic characters who are admirable for their kindness, compassion, and bravery. Althea is likable, while I had a harder time with Stella, although she did grow on me as her story progressed. As usual with dual-timeline setups, I enjoyed the past story in this book better than the present one. Still, both are compelling in their own way. Plot-wise, it's obvious from the get-go how the novel's two storylines are going to merge, but that really doesn't make the tale less engrossing. There are a few holes that make the story less believable. On the whole, though, The Light of Luna Park is an engaging, thought-provoking novel that brings to light an interesting piece of history most people probably don't know about. Even though I knew the basics, I still found the novel to be a fascinating, enjoyable read.

(Readalikes: Reminds me of The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards as well as books by Susan Meissner and Diane Chamberlain)

Grade: B

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG-13 for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), violence, disturbing subject matter, and mild sexual content

To the FTC, with love: I received an e-ARC of The Light of Luna Park from the generous folks at Penguin via those at NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Medical miracles and a sideshow at Coney Island were the last two things I would have thought about together. How thousands of premature infants were saved in incubators, a piece of history I knew absolutely nothing about is told here .

A young nurse in 1926 and a teacher in 1950, two women wanting to save children, infants in one case, children with special needs in the other . Hampered by the place of women in society at the times , but yet these women move forward with shared strength , courage connected by love. A fascinating and moving novel.

I found some background here:
https://www.history.com/.amp/news/baby-incubators-boardwalk-sideshows-medical-marvels

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/coney-island-sideshow-advanced-medicine-premature-babies


I received a copy of this book from G.P. Putnam’s Sons through NetGalley.

I absolutely adored this book. Holy crap. Just wow.

First, I love historical fiction, but like many readers, I often find myself sticking with just WWII books (there are just so dang many), so I always appreciate a well-done HF novel that centers on something else entirely.

The Light of Luna Park touches on so many interesting things: the original sentiment towards premature babies and the eugenics movement; how incubators and NICUs started out; and even how education treats students with various disabilities.

I just cannot wait to hear what comes next from this author!

What a refreshing piece of historical fiction! I had no idea that there was an exhibit in Coney Island in the 20s that was actually a facility to treat premature infants. This was a time before hospitals had the technology to save babies born too early, and a time when many professionals thought it was God’s will that these children not survive. Visitors to Luna Park at Coney Island would pay an entrance fee to peer at the tiny humans, like a sideshow, while doctors and nurses provided medical care.

Althea is a nurse at Bellevue hospital who can’t bear to see another premature baby die. When the doctors do not listen to her requests to send the babies to Dr. Couney at Luna Park, Althea takes matters into her own hands. This story is told in alternating time lines, the latter involving educating children with special needs in the 1950s. As a professional in the field, I wanted so much more about Stella’s classroom and her struggle to educate these children in a time when special education was not a priority.

Although I really enjoyed this book, I am left wanting to know more. I want to know more about Althea’s husband, and more about Dr. Couney’s background for starters. Dr. Couney’s training and that of his nurses was teased as a little mysterious, I was waiting for something very interesting to be revealed. Regardless of these unanswered questions, I would recommend this book, especially to historical fiction fans, special educators, or anyone in the pediatric or obstetric field.

I enjoyed this dual timeline historical fiction book. The subjects of incubators being used for pre-me babies and the treatment of children with special needs. Both very interesting subjects for me, a mother and a former teacher. Stories were a bit slow moving but it did hold my interest.