Songs in Ursa Major is a beautiful, atmospheric, nostalgic story that transported me to the late ‘60s and early ‘70s.  I love novels about music, and this book only solidified this love.

I felt every emotion and every lyric.  I could visualize everything that was transpiring as if I were right there, swaying back and forth to the soothing, mesmerizing sounds that were playing.  I adored the whole vibe that this novel possessed. 

Raised in an all-female household, Jane Quinn, or Janie Q as she was often called, was an electric character.  She was beautiful, musically gifted, and exuded a confidence when she performed.  She was essentially the whole package.  As much as she wanted to be a performer, she didn’t want to be a sellout or give up her artistic freedom to the industry heads.  I loved her perseverance, determination, and her passion. 

Passionate would probably be the best word to describe Jane.  She believed in the music.  She could lose herself to the lyrics, to her audience.  However, Jane could sometimes get in her own way of realizing her dreams.

From the very beginning with her local band to her solo career and album, Jane’s journey into the music industry was both entertaining, eye opening, and utterly spellbinding.

There is a solid love story in the book between Jane and Jesse Reid, another music star who’d had a taste of fame.  I liked Jane and Jesse together.  They seemed to complement and understand each other, both on and off the stage.  While Jane wanted to forge her own way into the musical scene, Jesse’s path was already paved.  Jane craved performing and being in the spotlight, but for Jesse, who was always in the spotlight, his passion for it all seemed to be dimming.

Jane and Jesse had a passionate relationship, one built on attraction, music, and a genuine sense of one another.  While I quietly rooted for them, their relationship had its share of secrets and tumultuous times.  I wouldn’t have expected anything different from a romance in the music industry.


The writing, the characters, and the overall reading experience was wonderful.  Emma Brodie captured the mood perfectly.  She took me back in time, and it felt emotional, authentic, and so groovy.



*5 Stars

 

Songs in Ursa Major
By Emma Brodie


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