I have read all of Fiona Davis's previous books and this is my favorite so far . Historical fiction that tells the story of an independant 19 year old dancer ,Marion ,who auditions and makes the famous rockettes. The family issues , the "Big apple bomber " and the Radio City Music Hall all combine to make a page turning novel.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review

Fiona Davis continues her amazing tales of historical buildings in New York with this new story of a Rockette at Radio City Music Hall. Marion has longed dreamed of being a dancer, but has been stifled by her father's firm stance that women should work at traditional female jobs (secretary, teaching) until they marry, and the appropriate place is for them is to tend to the home and have children. Marion sidesteps her father's wishes and auditions to be a Rockette. Her dancing skills are recognized and she lands the job. At the same time, the city is being terrorized by a serial bomber who has ties to her father's workplace. After a bomb explodes too close to home, Marion is determined to catch the killer by any means necessary.

Fiona Davis, in my opinion, is one of the best historical fiction authors I have ever read. I love her books and the focus of her books on the historical buildings. During and after reading her books, I am usually researching the buildings for days. This story was not my favorite, and I think it is because the focus was on a the bomber (who was a real life character) and not the building. In the other books, the focus has been on the secrets and intrigue of the buildings (the art studio in Grand Central Station, the residential apartments at the Public Library, etc.), and adding in many other real life characters that were icons of the Gilded Age. The setting (building) was almost secondary to the story. It just took some of the uniqueness out of Davis's work. This was by no means a bad book, and I enjoyed it, just not as much as as I have her past work. I will still be recommending it to my friends and patrons, and am eagerly awaiting her next book!

On a scale of 1 to 5, I'd give this book a 10!

In 1956, Marion Brooks has it all. A nice job at a dance studio in NYC and a sweet boyfriend whose upcoming proposal will propel her into a life of domestic bliss in the suburbs. Except, she's beginning to wonder if there's something more.

When she learns about an opportunity to audition for the Radio City Rockettes, she sashays toward the glamour of the bright lights. Not all that glitters is gold, though, because the Big Apple Bomber is terrorizing people in the city that never sleeps.

After 16 years with no suspects, the police lean on Peter Griggs, a young doctor at a local mental hospital who has a penchant for psychological profiling. (Think Criminal Minds.)

Explosive circumstances push Marion and Peter into the bomber's sights, and they must risk it all to catch him.

Fiona Davis, one of the authors I pull off the library shelf without even reading the front flap of the book, has written her newest New York historical fiction novel. The Spectacular is another in a series of compelling novels.

Davis writes about the history of New York and this time she has focused on Radio City Music Hall. She writes a story of the young women who try out for and become the iconic Rockettes. So many young dancers grow up watching the Rockettes perform at Radio City dreaming of becoming one of the matching line dancers.

Back in the 1970s I remember going into The City and watching the chorus line and their beautiful costumes and high synchronized kicks before a movie would play. The history of the Rockettes is amazing and the added to that this book tells the story of the Mad Bomber, who was setting bombs all of New York City and took the police a year to find. The police for the first time enlisted the help of a criminologist and psychiatrist to give a psychological profile of the criminal.

Davis brings all these elements into a suspenseful novel about Marion, a young girl from the suburbs destined to marry and have a family, who decides she wants more from life. She audtitions for the Rockettes and is surprised to be selected. She lives in New York with other dancers and gets involved in solving the case of the "Big Apple Bomber".

Read a entertaining novel and learn some New York City history with the Fiona Davis novel, The Spectacular

I am a huge fan of Fiona Davis and have always enjoyed her books..As such, I was delighted and excited to receive an advanced reader's copy of The Spectacular. Surprisingly, though, I could not get through it. I tried... I really tried to persevere, but I found the story extremely slow and I did not like the narrative voice. It just became unsatisfying and tedious.

Nevertheless, thank you Netgalley and Dutton for this great opportunity.. I have not lost faith; I am looking forward to Fiona Davis' next endeavour.

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.

I simply love Fiona's writing and yet again she proves why she is an automatic buy for me. She has a way of bringing the narrative to life. This book is lovely.

This story is told in first person from Marion in dual timelines of 1956 and 1992, in Manhattan and Bronxville, New York. Marion was always a standout individual. From her homelife to her job as a dance teacher and on to her time as a Rockette performing at Radio City Music Hall, Marion garnered attention without trying, but rather than find pride in her gifts others sought to make her feel less than for her individuality and force her to conform to their expectations of what she should be whether that be a dutiful daughter, domestic housewife or a single moving part of the larger whole that makes the Rockettes. And I have to say, that I was utterly fascinated with learning about all the behind the scenes and what goes into a Rockette performance!

I really enjoyed this storyline even if at times I had to stop my frustrations by reminding myself that Marion was only nineteen and self-doubts along with reluctance to question male authority figures are reasonable at that age. It’s also an appropriate age to realize that parents are not always infallible. The mystery with the bomber was intriguing and I enjoyed the author’s note at the end explaining the differences in her fictional story and reality.

While this story is told in dual timelines, this format didn’t always work for me. If the latter timeline had been limited to the beginning and end, I think I might have given it 5 stars. Instead, there were infrequent (four) interruptions to the former storyline that threw me out of the story and disturbed the pacing.

This would be a great book to read in December with the history and behind the scenes look at the Rockettes given their popularity at this time of year. Recommended as another choice to break up any sweet holiday reads and for those of you that don’t care to read holiday books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton Books for a copy provided for an honest review.

(I got this as an ARC through NetGalley – it will be published on June 13, 2023.) I’ve read a few books by Fiona Davis, and this one isn’t bad, but isn’t my favorite of hers, either. It’s set in the 1950s, and follows Marion, a dance teacher who is fired and decides to follow her lifelong dream of actually performing by auditioning to dance with The Rockettes. At the same time, there’s a series of bombings set off by the “Big Apple Bomber,” who claims to be targeting the Metropolitan Power Company where Marion’s dad and sister work. Marion finds herself (somewhat puts herself!) in the middle of the search for the bomber, and works to follow her leads when the police refuse to. There’s a split timeframe between most of the plot in the 50s and some in current day, looking back, and the story just added a lot in the last chapter that didn’t feel totally necessary (and was borderline ableist, in my opinion!). I did, however, love the description of Radio City and The Rockettes!

DNF @57%
I tried. I kept coming back to it over and over but it just didn’t hold my interest.
Maybe it will later and I can revise.

This was my first Fiona Davis book and I really enjoyed it! I was intrigued by the NYC setting and the main character being a Rocket. I loved the behind the scenes of what it would've been like to be a Rockette during this time period. It was a pretty easy and entertaining read that I would recommend!

I’m continually impressed by Fiona Davis’ books. This is the third one I have read and I really enjoyed it. I love that each of her books takes place in NY. I also really appreciate that there are usually dual timelines and a mystery aspect to the plot.

I loved following Marion’s journey amid the backdrop of the dancing world. Diving into what it might have been like to be a rockette during that time period was fascinating. It was hard enough to be a woman during the 50s with the pressure of an early marriage and children ever looming. It was refreshing to read about Marion who decided to go against what her father and society expected of her so she could follow her dream.

The mystery element was great and included seamlessly into the story. I just wish we had more time with certain characters. I feel like it would have made the story even more impactful.

Fiona Davis has become an auto-buy author for me from now on.

Fascinating historical fiction with well-drawn characters and beautiful writing. I adored it and rec to any lover of hist fic!

Fiona Davis' latest novel is much more than just historical fiction; it combines mystery, family drama and romance. I enjoyed reading about Marion's life and the decisions she faced as a young woman in the 1950s. Davis creates an accurate picture of the expectations and norms for women at that time. Both the family story/conflict and the search for the bomber were interesting and kept the narrative moving forward. I also appreciated the voice of future (older and wiser?) Marion (1992).

I love reading Historical Fiction, and look forward to every book that Fiona writes. Her books always include an iconic NYC landmarks and setting, and I love learning about each place.

The research was done so well, and I enjoyed the mystery included in the story too.

🎧I paired the audiobook with the physical book and loved getting to fully immerse myself this way. I would definitely recommend the narrator.

WHAT TO EXPECT
-Radio City/NYC setting
-1950s
-The Rockettes
-mystery surrounding a bomber in NYC area

*many thanks to Dutton and PRH Audio for the gifted copy for review

I LOVED this book! Fiona Davis is second to none at writing historical fiction that is female-centric and insanely entertaining, and this was absolutely no exception. The setting of Radio City and the bombings (inspired by true events, which I find crazy!) and the era were just a perfect match. The characters were wonderful too. I bought a hard copy of this one so I could give it to my mother, because I knew she would love it too.

I loved this story - in part because it was part historical fiction/part romance/part mystery; but also because my mother lived in NYC in the early 40's and wanted to be a Rockette (she was too short!). I love Fiona Davis' writing on any day, but enjoyed this glimpse into the past. Will be featuring on my blog, Beth's Book-Nook, soon.

This was another great story by Fiona Davis. So much history to enjoy, especially since I live close to NYC and have been to Radio City.
It’s the year 1956 and Marion Brooks is searching for her purpose in life. At 19, she decides to become a Rockett and leave all of her father’s dreams for her behind including the young man who was courting her.
When Marion discovers there is a bomber in NYC, what will this do to her decision to remain dutiful to her commitment to her aspiring career?
Fiona Davis has crafted a skillfully plotted historical drama that will keep you engrossed until the last page. I was thoroughly invested in these characters from the past. Especially Marion as a young woman from this era summons the courage to seek her truth.

The Spectacular by Fiona Davis centers around Marion Brooks in two different eras of her life: in 1956 as a 19-year-old Rockette and in 1992 as she heads to a Rockette alumni reunion.

In the 1950s, Marion lives with her father, Simon (an executive at an NYC Power company) and sister, Judy (her fathers secretary). Marion is a children’s dance teacher and gets fired for not being strict enough with the children.

Against her father’s wishes, Marion auditions for the Rockettes the day after she’s fired and gains a spot. Her father, furious with her decision to pursue arts and leave security behind, disowns her and so Marion moves to a boarding house for young women in the arts. Her roommate and fellow Rockette, Bunny, introduces her to a young psychiatrist named Peter while on a double date.

Peter, able to analyze the personality of anyone he comes into contact with, becomes an integral part of the story when there is a bombing at Radio City during one of Marion’s Christmas performances, killing an audience member close to her heart. Peter aids the police in criminal profiling to help find the bomber who has been terrorizing NYC for 16 years.

This story sweeps you away - the setting, imagery, and mood of the novel are transportive and I really felt like I was at Radio City Music Hall watching rehearsals and shows of the girls dancing in beautiful, mesmerizing unison.

This novel featured a good mystery, a budding romance, and deep character development from the main cast of characters. I felt like I got to know the characters as friends and really understand them.

Overall, I loved the book and am so sad it’s over. For an extra treat, listen to the audiobook: the two narrators are fantastic and truly bring the story to life.

Thank you to Net Galley and Penguin Group Dutton for an e-ARC of The Spectacular in exchange for an honest review.

Fiona Davis can do no wrong. I have fond memories of Radio City Music Hall as I worked in it for 5 years while helping coordinate university graduation. It was a fun book to learn about Rockettes and the mystery.