Book Review: SONGS IN URSA MAJOR by Emma Brodie

 

Title: SONGS IN URSA MAJOR

Author:  Emma Brodie

Read: September 2021

Expected publication: out now

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

Book Description:

 

The year is 1969, and the Bayleen Island Folk Fest is abuzz with one name: Jesse Reid. Tall and soft-spoken, with eyes blue as stone-washed denim, Jesse Reid's intricate guitar riffs and supple baritone are poised to tip from fame to legend with this one headlining performance. That is, until his motorcycle crashes on the way to the show.

Jane Quinn is a Bayleen Island local whose music flows as naturally as her long blond hair. When she and her bandmates are asked to play in Jesse Reid's place at the festival, it almost doesn't seem real. But Jane plants her bare feet on the Main Stage and delivers the performance of a lifetime, stopping Jesse's disappointed fans in their tracks: A star is born.

Jesse stays on the island to recover from his near-fatal accident and he strikes up a friendship with Jane, coaching her through the production of her first record. As Jane contends with the music industry's sexism, Jesse becomes her advocate, and what starts as a shared calling soon becomes a passionate love affair. On tour with Jesse, Jane is so captivated by the giant stadiums, the late nights, the wild parties, and the media attention, that she is blind-sided when she stumbles on the dark secret beneath Jesse's music. With nowhere to turn, Jane must reckon with the shadows of her own past; what follows is the birth of one of most iconic albums of all time.

Shot through with the lyrics, the icons, the lore, the adrenaline of the early 70s music scene, Songs in Ursa Major pulses with romantic longing and asks the question so many female artists must face: What are we willing to sacrifice for our dreams?

What attracted me to this book:

 

“The year is 1969 ...” I didn’t need to read any further to grab this book off the shelf and settle in for a bit of time travel to the 1960’s. Even though this time period has been described as one of the most tumultuous and divisive decades in world history, for me it always evokes images of long haired youngsters dancing wildly to psychedelic music, summed up in Emma Brodie’s book as “a time of myth, a time of beauty, a time of rock and roll”. It’s the time when my parents came of age, and I tried to picture them bright eyed and happy, dancing at a music festival. And this imagery is exactly what I got whilst reading SONGS IN URSA MAJOR. I am in no way musical and had a few doubts whether this story would be for me, but soon found the backdrop of the music scene fascinating – who ever knew of all the politics involved in making an album?

My musings:

 

SONGS IN URSA MAJOR is a slow burning, character driven book that very quickly drew me in and transported me to another era. I was so utterly entranced by the setting and its characters that I looked forward to every minute I could steal to read a little bit more. Janie Q is a wonderful character who really drove the story for me. But what is a story without a good supporting cast, and Brodie hasn’t neglected her secondary characters, making them just as believable and enigmatic as her lead. Janie’s family, these strong women supporting one another, especially touched my heart.

 

Whilst Brodie perfectly captures the languid 60’s vibes, she doesn’t shy away from darker themes that shaped the era: sexism, drug addiction, mental health, grief and how to stay true to yourself despite fame are just a few of the topics explored here. SONGS IN URSA MAJOR is an incredibly perceptive and touching debut novel by a very talented writer. Even though Brodie states that the book was inspired by the love affair between James Taylor and Joni Mitchell, Jane and Jesse are uniquely her own creation and I loved the way they came to life for me as I was reading this book. I would have loved to listen to the soundtrack of Jesse and Janie’s songs, but found out later that there is a Spotify playlist of 60s songs that inspired Brodie when writing this story.

 

Summary:

 

In summary, I thoroughly enjoyed the virtual time travel to the 60’s music scene and the rich cast of characters who took me by the hand and let me step into their lives for a few hours. Brodie’s writing is evocative and compelling and I can’t wait to read more of her books in future.