The Spectacular by Fiona Davis

 

Hello everyone. I hope your day is perfection.

When you are from New York State (notice I capitalize "state" as we consider it a specific place) and we say we're going to the city it doesn't mean Buffalo or Syracuse.  Going to the city means New York City. When I was a kid, we got all "the city" TV channels, along with small town locals. There is a downside to that...Crazy Eddie commercials.  Don't know what they are?  Count yourself lucky!  They were commercials for this guy that sold small appliances.  He was loud, gruff, and screamed at the camera.  He ended each commercial with "Crazy Eddie, his prices are insane!" You can see them on YouTube, but don't say I didn't warn you. 

My parents went to the city often, leaving us kids at home.  Sometimes we would go as a family. One time I went alone with my parents, no sisters. They wanted me to experience something very special, The Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular.  The building itself is amazing, but I don't remember it.  What I do remember is the music, beautiful, room filling, and live.  I remember the stage actually being three stages and they moved up and down.  Most of all, I remember the Rockettes.  They were so pretty and smiling.  They danced perfectly in sync. The costumes were like the best Christmas decoration you could ever imagine, full of color and sparkle. It was wonderful and many decades later, I still remember it.  What a fantastic tribute to those women, that decades later, a little girl (now practically old lady) still remembers them.

I recently read The Spectacular by Fiona Davis. This is the story of a young dancer, Marion, in 1956 who goes through the exhaustive audition process to win a spot as a Radio City Rockette.  She is shunned by her father who wants her to have the life of a lady, married, at home, having a family.  Marion wants to dance and experience independence.  The book includes a cast of interesting characters including a young doctor specializing in mental health.  He believes he has developed a way to profile criminals by their behavior and the clues they leave behind.  This proves useful as he and Marion are pulled into an investigation of a bomber who has been terrorizing the city for 16 years yet remains at large.

This book is historic fiction, but don't let that scare you off. The story is completely engrossing.  Loads of research has been done into Radio City's workings and what it takes to be a Rockette.  In addition, the history of the bomber is real.  This adds a mystery/thriller component to the tale of a young woman trying to follow her heart and live her life and not the one that others want for her. The book reads smoothly and moves along with just the right amount of description to transport you to 1956 Manhattan. You'll cheer for Marion and cry for her, this is the complete storytelling package.  You can kick up your heels for this book, a delight from beginning to end.

Now would be the perfect time for Crazy Eddie as this book is insanely good!