Book Blurb:
New York City, 1956: Nineteen-year-old Marion is over the moon to have been selected to be one of the Rockettes, Radio City Music Hall’s glamorous precision-dancing troupe. It’s an honor to perform in the world’s most spectacular theater, an art deco masterpiece. But with four shows a day as well as grueling rehearsals, not to mention exacting standards of perfection to live up to, Marion quickly realizes that the life of a Rockette has both extraordinary highs and devastating lows. Then one night a bomb explodes in the theater. It’s only the latest in a string of explosions around the city orchestrated by a person the press has nicknamed the “Big Apple Bomber.” They have 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, at Marion’s urging, turn in desperation to a radical new technique: psychological profiling.
My Review: 4.5 stars
The Spectacular by Fiona Davis is a book every New Yorker should read because the history that she brings to life is amazing. Davis is known for her historical fiction novels that each surround a different New York building. FYI: I read this six months ago, right after release date, and just realized that I never reviewed it. Obviously, the book stuck with me as I can still review it with ease.
In this one, she brought the Radio City Music Hall, the history of the Rockettes and the real Big Apple Bomber to the page. I knew little about any of these subjects, so I was completely entranced from start to finish. I’m for sure going to a Radio City for a Rockettes show next time I visit NYC.
Marion, the main protagonist, gives the reader an insider’s look into life into the 1950s, the life of a Rockette and what’s it’s like to live with a mad serial bomber in your midst. Her relationship with her sister and father also added an interesting dynamic. I also thought the forced relationship between her and her boyfriend was well played out. Marion didn’t want to conform to the ideals of the 1950s. She was a young woman ahead of her time.
The book offers mystery, romance, dance, suspense, sleuthing and societal expectations all woven into a great story. Loved learning about the new concept of pychological profiling. Very interesting. This would be a great pick for book clubs.
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