Starring Adele Astaire is a historical novel about Fred Astaire’s younger sister Adele. Knight’s portrayal of Adele struggling to find her own identity in the shadow of her famous brother is both compelling and heartfelt. The vivid writing is enriched by the historical backdrop. As times, however, the pacing is a bit slow. I thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Beautiful story of friendships, love, & finding yourself!!!!!!!! I enjoyed this book immensely and recommend it to everyone!!!!!!!

Starring Adele tells the life of Fred Astaire’s sister, Adele. Adele Astaire is a highly acclaimed dancer. She has reached the heights of stardom. Yet, she dreams of love and creating a family of her own. She falls in love with an English nobleman. However, there are obstacles that prevent them from marrying. Could Adele keep both her career and love or must she give up both?

I really like Adele. She is kind and very intelligent. She recognizes talent and gives them encouragement. I also like how she tries to find freedom and the ability to make her own choices from her controlling mother. I also felt pity for her because she longs for love and her career keeps her from it. Therefore, I hoped that Adele will get the happiness and love that she desperately longed for in the novel! Thus, she was a very captivating and intriguing character!

Overall, this novel is about friendship, freedom, and sacrifice. I liked Adele’s relationship with her brother, Fred. I found it to be endearing and sweet! I did not like how the book also focused on Violet Wood. I thought that it was unnecessary and distracted me from Adele’s story. Therefore, it would have been better to focus solely on Adele. Nevertheless, it reads like a soap opera! It is a breezy read that will keep you turning pages! Starring Adele is perfect for fans of Goodnight from Paris,The Only Woman in the Room, and Josephine Baker’s Last Dance!

Starring Adele Astaire is the reimagined life story of the sister side of the best dancing sibling couple I've ever seen, in their world of flying feathers, heels, fluttering silk, black suit tails holding on for dear life and top hats at a dangerous tilt - oh, this author's spun a very easy to read tale. From beginning to end it has the comfort of a story already known, with characters we dearly love, but to which we'll listen again and again. . . only Eliza Knight is adding delicious details, and fills in the gaps. It is then we realize that we may not have known those gaps because they were filled with hard and difficult time, sadness and true tragedy. Yet this get-up-and-go-get-it woman wouldn't stay down long, wouldn't not dance. She always seemed to have a few more steps to go. . .even through the tears.

I was very glad to have this chance to get to know more about Freddie's Sister. If you're looking for Old Hollywood, sequins, tapping heels and exciting rhythms. . .this book's for you!

*A sincere thank you to Eliza Knight, William Morrow, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.* #StarringAdeleAstaire #NetGalley

A lovely piece of historical fiction about a very charming and sympathetic set of protagonists. Adele and Violet's experiences and lives are intertwined together on the page as they were in life, brought to life with vivid descriptions and impressive research.

It was so interesting to read about the relationship between Fred and his sister, Adele. Not only did they take America by storm but England, too. Engrossing and a fun read. Adele truly came to life on the pages.

So I definitely really like the story here. Could have done with more Violet and the whole book being slightly shorter but it was good.

Eliza Knight brings the lively and enchanting Adele Astaire to life in this exciting, emotional historical fiction novel. Following Adele and Violet Wood, an aspiring dancer from London, Knight’s characters dance and leap off and around the pages. Following the highs and lows of show business and the twentieth century, Knight’s pages are populated with exciting historical figures in the background interacting with Adele, her brother Fred, Violet, and other characters. Knight’s settings also play a decent role in the story, between switching between Adele and Violet’s perspectives and locations and the emotions that the two women attach to the various locations they find themselves in. The characters and the dual perspectives make this book a vibrant, emotional, and immersive read with amazing characters, an exciting storyline, and lively settings. Knight’s prose, character creation, world-building, and descriptions are incredibly well done, and she has used her full powers of creation and writing to build this fascinating novel and its world. Starring Adele Astaire brings a fascinating, lively, vibrant historical woman and the worlds she lived in to life, and Knight has done so in a way that gives Adele the spotlight and the first and last word of the book.

It's evident that Eliza Knight conducted extensive research prior to writing this book and this effort truly paid off. I thoroughly enjoyed the historical aspects of the story, the seamless transitions between London and New York settings, and the appearances of other significant historical figures. However, what somewhat detracted from my overall enjoyment of the book were Violet's chapters.

I understand why her character was introduced to delve into stardom and Old Hollywood during this era, providing room for creativity. However, I felt that the majority of the focus should have been placed on Adele. Not only because the book is literally named after her but also because Adele's journey personally appealed to me more than Violet's did.

Biographical, Historical Fiction

This is the story of Adele Astaire, the sister of Fred Astaire. It is a fictional biography. The story is very well-researched. It takes us from the Roaring Twenties, through the Great Depression, and then, through World War II and beyond. We see Adele dancing on the stage with her brother, going through triumphs and tragedies, and befriending Violet, a dancer, who goes through her own successes and failures in life and the theater. If you like biographical fiction and the glitz and glamor of theater, you might enjoy this historical, biographical fiction. It is not normally the genre I read; however, this is one of my favorite authors, and I tend to read everything she writes.

I'm obviously not sure how accurate this account is, but I found Adele Astair to be very obnoxious. I couldn't stand the constant show-boating. I understand she was a performer, but it was over the top, very similar to the movies of the time period with the overacting and forced humor. I enjoyed reading about her life, and I liked Violet's character, but I was easily annoyed by Adele several times throughout.

I received an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

Upon finishing this very enjoyable book about a delightfully talented, strong, kind woman, my biggest question was , “Why didn’t I know about her before?”. Set during the 30s in New York and war torn London, Starring Adele Astaireby Eliza Knight,, tells the story of Fred Astaire’s big sister, her dancing career, her marriage to a member of Royalty and, my favorite subplot, her friendship with Violet, a fellow dancer who has had all the advantages which the Astaires shared. With all the name dropping and events happening, this book sent me down the rabbit hole looking for more on the social and entertainment goings on of this tumultuous period in history.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy.
#Starring Adele Astaire. #NetGalley

Starring Adele Astaire is a historical fiction novel about Fred Astaire's sister, who was a famous dancer in her own right throughout the early 20th century. I honestly didn't know that Fred Astaire had a sister and I like reading about previously famous people who aren't super well known today, so I was excited to read this book!

I enjoyed this book! It covers around 2o years of Adele's life, through the 20s, the Great Depression, and WWII. I liked reading about what show business was like at the time and the people who Adele got to know. I liked reading about Adele herself and how hard she worked to get where she was.

This was a fairly straightforward historical fiction novel that didn't have a strong plot thread outside of Adele's life, which is understandable, but it did make the book feel a little aimless at times. This book is split POV with Adele and a random English dancer named Violet Woods. The two actors didn't intersect too often throughout the story so I was a little confused as to why exactly Violet was included. She also didn't have as much going on as Adele. I wasn't as excited about her chapters, but I don't think that they were as common as Adele's chapters. I kind of liked getting a different perspective on the time period.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and recommend it if you are interested in dance, classic performers, or the time period. 3.85 stars from me rounded up to 4. Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the electronic advanced reader's copy of this book!

Adele and Fred Astaire have been a dancing duo for years taking the world by storm. As they get older, Adele wants a simpler life for herself, one complete with children and a doting husband. Adele's life is far from normal though. She travels from New York to London with many adoring fans and brushes elbows with the British aristocracy. That's when she meets Lord Cavendish, a fascinating man who catches her eye. Perhaps he is the answer to her prayers? It appears that she will get her happily ever after, but things with Charles Cavendish are harder than they look. Things don't go easily for her and even the thought of a family seems a far away pipe dream. A parallel narrative is told throughout the novel about young London East end dancer, Violet Wood. Adele takes her under her wing and it follows her ups and downs as well. Life for a female dancer is never easy, especially with WWII on the horizon. Eliza Knight's Starring Adele Astaire is a delightful historical novel, albeit often sad, that follows Adele from the 1920s to the 1950s. Fans of Hollywood and stories of forgotten women will especially appreciate this one.

I have grown up being mesmerized by Fred Astaire and I knew nothing about Adele, so I jumped at the chance to learn about this forgotten star in Starring Adele Astaire. Adele, just as talented as Fred, is forgotten in the pages of history as she took a different path than her brother. A path that should have been easier, but was riddled with many bumps in the road. Adele's life was indeed privileged, but it was filled with so much hardship. The trials and tribulations Adele experienced once married to Charles were heartbreaking. Also, I like how Starring Adele Astaire followed Adele from the 20s to the 50s, through dance, her marriage, castles in Ireland, nights out in London, house parties, miscarriages, alcoholism, and the horrors of WWII.

While I didn't care for Violet Wood's story as much in Starring Adele Astaire, I could appreciate the many problems women during that period faced just to pursue their dreams, especially if they were unconventional. I also appreciated how Violet and Adele stayed friends through the years and it all.

If you appreciate stories about lesser-known women, Starring Adele Astaire is the novel for you. I liked learning more about Adele's life and Knight brought the time period to life. My favorite aspect of the novel was all the cameos from famous people, from the Prince of Wales to Kick Kennedy, JFK's sister.

Lovely writing and an interesting look at a notoriously private Hollywood icon. I love learning about Adele who I never heard about before.

I am always a fan of giving a spotlight to the lesser known but still important people of a bigger story.

At the beginning of their career, Adele didn't play second-fiddle to her brother, Fred, but history remembers her that way due to her lack of physical screen presence. It's said that there are no known existing recordings of her dancing on Broadway and most people when they think of Fred Astaire partners, think of Ginger.

I was disappointed that this wasn't a historical piece solely focused on Adele and that the author added a fictional character Violet, but I understoof why Violet was added. Without her we wpuldn't understand a lot of the context going around Adele at the time, as Adele was highly priviledged at a time when most people were living handout to handout.

Good book, made me want to learn more about Adele.

I love biographical historical fiction! Good writers always seem to find people whom I never would have thought to read about in a traditional biography. Adele is the forgotten Astaire. Most people remember Fred Astaire and his other partners, most notably Ginger Rogers, but it was Adele that was there in the beginning. Knight does not attempt to provide a fully comprehensive biography of Adele within the pages of this newest release. Readers first meet Adele in 1923 as she and Fred were embarking on an overseas tour of their Broadway show Stop Flirting. By then the Astaires had been performing since 1907. Adele loved to dance with her brother but she knew deep down that showbiz wasn't what her ultimate goal was. Knight leads readers along the path that Adele took as she unraveled herself from the only world she knew in order to claim a life for herself.

I received a copy of this title via NetGalley.

Thanks to William Morrow & NetGalley for a digital advance reader's copy. All comments and opinions are my own.

This was not the book I was expecting. I was disappointed, mainly with the writing. I was looking forward to reading this historical fiction novel because it features one of my favorite time periods, 1920s through the second world war. We follow Adele Astaire from the glitz and glamour of the Roaring Twenties, through the grit and sacrifice of World War II.

I had read Eliza Knight’s The Mayfair Bookshop but didn’t realize she was the same author until I got to the part in this novel which includes the Mitford sisters, the Bright Young Things, and the upscale British weekend house parties. “The Mayfair Bookshop” tells the story of Nancy Mitford - a contemporary of Adele’s - so Knight’s research came in handy for Adele’s story, too.

And this is the story of Adele Astaire’s life – both her career and her private life. The novel alternates with the story of a fictional friend of Adele’s, Violet Wood, who is also a dancer. They become very close friends as Adele mentors Violet, but I felt that we are told how close they are as “dearest friends,” without the actual experiences that would bring the characters closer.

In fact, I felt that the novel is often just an expanded description of Adele’s biography which I read afterwards on Wikipedia when I was researching photos. Her experiences and her emotions are described in a “tell instead of show” format. I didn’t feel engaged or connected to the characters, so can’t give this novel more than 3 stars.

I did enjoy the descriptions of her dancing with her brother, the famous Fred Astaire. Their relationship was believable. The inclusion of all the people in Adele’s life was fun – from Noel Coward to the Mitfords to the British royal family. Later in her life she even socialized with “the young senator from Massachusetts and his wife Jackie.”

I’m disappointed that the novel itself was not better, even though Adele’s life contained a lot of interesting events and captivating people.

I enjoyed Eliza Knight’s earlier novel, The Mayfair Bookshop, which was about Nancy Mitford. I was therefore eager to see how this author would tell Adele Astaire’s story; readers can rest assured that she has done a good job.

Many are familiar with Fred Astaire, here called Freddy when he was younger; this makes him feel more approachable and vulnerable than the star that is often pictured. Although perhaps less well known, Fred’s sister, Adele, danced with him for many years. While in this story, Freddie is often seen as quite serious, Adele wants to have some fun.

The two Astaires, with this last name that they were not born to, began dancing as young children. With all of their talent they went far. In part of this story, they are the toast of London as their newest show is a great success. This leads them to mingle with many famous people; just two of whom were Noel Coward and David, the Prince of Wales.

In these pages, Adele is portrayed as questioning what she wants in life. Is it dance and fame or could it be a marriage and family?

Adele’s foil is the fictional Violet, a young woman whom Adele befriends. Violet has grown up poor; she is hard working and passionate about dance. Her story is told as it intersects with Adele’s.

Rich with period details, glamour and a good story line, this is a title to pick up. Recommended for historical fiction fans.

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for this title. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for a complimentary copy of this novel!
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel!!! I felt it was well researched! Reading it makes me want to go and do more research on the Astaires and also on the relationship between Wallis and Edward. Adele and Fred, sister and brother, were dancing duos in NY in the 1920s. Adele ends up befriending and encouraging an up & coming dancer, Violet Wood. Their friendship lasts the remaining of their lives. Adele suffers the loss of her husband and children. Then England and eventually America get pulled into WW2. The women do their part to aid the war efforts. Despite everything Adele endured, she made the best of it and succeeded in life! This novel is currently available for purchase as of June 6, 2023.