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Book Summary and Reviews of The Spectacular by Fiona Davis

The Spectacular by Fiona Davis

The Spectacular

A Novel

by Fiona Davis

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  • Published:
  • Jun 2023, 368 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

From the New York Times Bestselling Author of The Magnolia Palace: A thrilling story about love, sacrifice, and the pursuit of dreams, set amidst the glamour and glitz of Radio City Music Hall in its mid-century heyday.

New York City, 1956: Nineteen-year-old Marion Brooks knows she should be happy. Her high school sweetheart is about to propose and sweep her off to the life everyone has always expected they'd have together: a quiet house in the suburbs, Marion staying home to raise their future children. But instead, Marion finds herself feeling trapped. So when she comes across an opportunity to audition for the famous Radio City Rockettes—the glamorous precision-dancing troupe—she jumps at the chance to exchange her predictable future for the dazzling life of a performer.

Meanwhile, the city is reeling from a string of bombings orchestrated by a person the press has nicknamed the "Big Apple Bomber," who has 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 turn in desperation to Peter Griggs, a young doctor at a local mental hospital who espouses a radical new technique: psychological profiling.

As both Marion and Peter find themselves unexpectedly pulled in to the police search for the bomber, Marion realizes that as much as she's been training herself to blend in—performing in perfect unison with all the other identical Rockettes—if she hopes to catch the bomber, she'll need to stand out and take a terrifying risk. In doing so, she may be forced to sacrifice everything she's worked for, as well as the people she loves the most.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
  1. Discuss Marion's path to Radio City Music Hall. What direction do you think Marion's life would have taken if she hadn't show up to the Rockettes' audition?
  2. What does Marion's pearl necklace symbolize? When Simon confiscates the pearls, what does his actions reveal about him and the relationship he has with his daughters?
  3. In the 1950s, it was unheard of for psychiatrists to be involved in a police case. If you were in the position of the police officers, what would you make of Peter's character analysis of the suspect?
  4. The novel raises questions about the cost of suppressing one's own creativity and individuality for the good of the greater whole, whether as a dancer in a kick line or as an employee of a large ...
Please be aware that this discussion may contain spoilers!

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What is your book club reading in 2025?
...e titles numbers, and pull numbers from a hat. We still have quite a few titles left. :slight_smile: A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW by Amor Towles - July 2024 THE SPECTACULAR by Fiona Davis - August 2024 CLARK & DIVISION by Naomi Hirahara - September 2024 THE BOOK OF LOST FRIENDS by Lisa Wingate - October 2024 THE DAY THE WORLD CAME TO T...
-Elizabeth

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"The novel is rich with historical details, and it comes most vividly to life in the passages about the Rockettes, with all the sweat, agony, and camaraderie that go into those miraculously perfect performances." —Kirkus Reviews

"This propulsive novel is a fast-paced race throughout 1950s New York City to stop a deadly bomber from striking again. Set against the backdrop of the legendary Radio City Music Hall, Fiona Davis brings some of New York City's most memorable landmarks to life as a Rockette is entangled in the mystery of the "Big Apple Bomber" who is terrorizing the city." —CrimeReads

"In The Spectacular, Fiona Davis has created a beautiful, evocative story of old New York. Marion and her fellow characters are fully alive, feeling individuals, who totally inhabit their world right down to the bittersweet ending." —AuthorLink

"Fiona Davis just gets better and better! Nineteen-year-old dance teacher Marion, feeling trapped by her straitlaced father and her upcoming engagement, impulsively auditions for the Rockettes and is soon flung into a sequined world of grueling rehearsals, stage glitter, and four shows per day. When an anonymous bomber targets Radio City Music Hall, Marion's glittering new life reveals a dangerous dark side and she is flung into the search for a killer—but how can a kick-line dancer help save the city she loves? The Spectacular dazzles from start to finish." —Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Diamond Eye

"Fiona Davis once again shines while spotlighting the fascinating yet lesser-known history of a New York City landmark. A propulsive novel packed with mystery, thrills, and long-buried secrets, The Spectacular is a unique, spellbinding read not to be missed. I loved it." —Kristina McMorris, New York Times bestselling author of Sold on a Monday and The Ways We Hide

"Another brilliant book from a brilliant author! This is historical fiction at its finest, combining elements of love, betrayal, and pursuing one's dreams amid the glamor of Radio City Music Hall and the shadow of a madman terrorizing the city."—Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author of The Many Daughters of Afong Moy

This information about The Spectacular was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

Write your own reviewwrite your own review

Bookworm Becky

Historical fiction at its best!
5.0

Dreams, glamour, legacy…

Two 1950s storylines —

Marion has either danced or taught the beginners at the ballet and dance studio for much of her young life. At 19 yo, on a whim , Marion auditions for the Rockettes . Surprisingly, Marion is among the 46 chosen to be hired. Her father is furious with her decision to accept the job - he wants her to quit and marry her boyfriend Nathaniel. Nathaniel finds it hard to believe that she would pass up this opportunity for marriage.

From 1940 - 1956, an unidentified man has placed 31 pipe bombs around NYC public locales. The latest bomb was at Radio City Music Hall during a Rockettes performance, resulting in one fatality. Police investigations for 16 years have not led to an arrest.

An acquaintance , Peter, a resident doctor at a state hospital is interested in the “personality road map” of profiling. His goal is to publish.

How do Marion and Peter become involved in trying to solve the crime?

What does F P mean?

What secret is her father hiding?


Fiona Davis is an auto- buy for me. This is my favorite historical fiction book of hers!

I have read all of her NYC books. I’ve visited NYC 7x and I feel I’ve done a fair amount of sightseeing. I wish now I had gone to Radio City Music Hall!

I bought this book on my recent vacation. Imagine my surprise when I got home & realized I had a signed copy! Maybe from her author event at the store a few weeks earlier???

A dramatic final act of an ending!

Good cast of characters!

A nice mixture of mystery, suspense, romance, & NYC history.

Don’t skip the author’s note at the end! Photos & info online about RCMH history and the real NY bomber. He left bombs in phone booths, restrooms,& lockers in many of the iconic NYC locales.

Highly recommend! Historical fiction devotees will love this one!

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Author Information

Fiona Davis Author Biography

Photo: © Deborah Feingold

Fiona Davis is the New York Times bestselling author of six historical fiction novels set in iconic New York City buildings, including The Magnolia Palace, The Dollhouse, The Address, and The Lions of Fifth Avenue, which was a Good Morning America book club pick. Her novels have been chosen as "One Book, One Community" reads and her articles have appeared in publications like The Wall Street Journal and O the Oprah magazine.

She first came to New York as an actress, but fell in love with writing after getting a master's degree at Columbia Journalism School. Her books have been translated into over twenty languages and she's based in New York City.

Link to Fiona Davis's Website

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