Emma Brodie

Songs in Ursa Major

"A scintillating debut from a major new voice in fiction, alive with music, sex, and fame, Songs in Ursa Major is a love story set in 1969 at the crossroads of rock and folk, for fans of Daisy Jones & The Six"--

After seeing several people pick this one up recently and hearing nothing but good things I decided that I want to give it a read myself and I have to say that I found this a captivating and eye-opening read given the story at the heart of the book. I have to say that I really enjoyed this debut by Brodie, and I am so interested to see what she rights next. This story covers the nuances of some hot button issues such as addiction, inequality in the entertainment industry, and the toll that infamy can take on a person

Set in Set in the early 1970s, we follow Janie Q and her band the Breakers are given the opportunity of a lifetime when the headline act at the Folk Festival is injured in an accident and fails to turn up. Thrown into the spotlight and thousands of upset Jessie Reid fans, they take their chance, and a star is born. Come on the journey of The Breakers, lead singer Janie Q, as they find their way through the world of professional music. Janie is a woman who knows what he wants, won't take second best and is not afraid to stand up for herself. But despite the very male dominated and sexist environment Janie knows that whatever a man can do she can do be better.

Songs in Ursa Major follows Jane’s pursuit as a musician, where her and her band, The Breakers, first join Jesse on tour. The story is filled with love, lust, sacrifice, and secrets. It’s a beautifully written novel about music, fame, fortune, and misfortune. Janie and Jesse are kindred spirits and together they make beautiful music This novel is an uplifting coming of age story set in the 70's.

Ian Brakspear

After seeing several people pick this one up recently and hearing nothing but good things I decided that I want to give it a read myself and I have to say that I found this a captivating and eye-opening read given the story at the heart of the book. I have to say that I really enjoyed this debut by Brodie, and I am so interested to see what she rights next. This story covers the nuances of some hot button issues such as addiction, inequality in the entertainment industry, and the toll that infamy can take on a person

 

Set in Set in the early 1970s, we follow Janie Q and her band the Breakers are given the opportunity of a lifetime when the headline act at the Folk Festival is injured in an accident and fails to turn up. Thrown into the spotlight and thousands of upset Jessie Reid fans, they take their chance, and a star is born. Come on the journey of The Breakers, lead singer Janie Q, as they find their way through the world of professional music. Janie is a woman who knows what he wants, won't take second best and is not afraid to stand up for herself. But despite the very male dominated and sexist environment Janie knows that whatever a man can do she can do be better.

 

Songs in Ursa Major follows Jane’s pursuit as a musician, where her and her band, The Breakers, first join Jesse on tour. The story is filled with love, lust, sacrifice, and secrets. It’s a beautifully written novel about music, fame, fortune, and misfortune. Janie and Jesse are kindred spirits and together they make beautiful music This novel is an uplifting coming of age story set in the 70's.

Gabby Trupp

this is my first book back into reading and it did not disappoint. i am so sad it’s done and cannot wait for more emma brodie books!

This book’s comparison to Daisy Jones and the Six was to its own demise. I found the writing to be simplistic, the characters unlikable, and the overall experience quite underwhelming. I've awarded it three stars simply because it was an easy-going read, but I wouldn't recommend it to others.

Robyn Claridge

Carli McNaught

Joana da Silva

Well, this was fun. I'm aware that this book has many flaws, especially the fact that the author can't use a verb other than "said" for all the dialogue. However, it managed to take me away from the real world for a couple of hours and sometimes that's all you need from a book. As a hopeless romantic, this book didn't deliver all the clichés I wanted, but I made peace with the ones I did get. A good one to read in between heavier books as a palate cleanser. PS: try not to see Jesse and Jane as Sam Claflin and Riley Keough, I dare you. This book gives soooooo many Daisy Jones & the Six vibes.

A Bustle Must-Read Book • A transporting love story of music, stardom, heartbreak, and a gifted young singer-songwriter who must find her own voice—“pure sun-soaked summer fun” (Kate Quinn, bestselling author of The Alice Network). 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?

A novel

Addie 🌻

** spoiler alert **
           This book was pitched as the next Daisy Jones and The Six but how wrong that was. I honestly felt this should have not been tied to Daisy Jones and instead been allowed to stand in its own light. Sure it has similarities to Daisy, such as the music and touring but that’s about it. I expected this to be a five star read because Daisy was but instead I ended up hating the characters and wanting it to be over. Wasn’t a fan of how Jane acted when she split with Jesse but then we got the albums so I suppose that made up for it. But then later in the book I got annoyed at how she behaved again, and felt that she needed to grow up a bit. She ran away from her problems rather than facing them head on and it was stupid, she acted like it was the end of the world. Jesse was so annoying and I didn’t like him at all. Honestly can’t be bothered spending more time on this review. I didn’t like the book end of, and I shall be leaving at my hotel is not coming back to Scotland with me haha.

bella <3

this book. wow. songs in ursa major is advertised as a love story but it is so much more than that. first and foremost it is the story of jane and her music. from the first chapter you know you’re about to witness something, someone great unravel. the whole book felt like watching a movie. i loved how emma brodie shifted the focus on the characters that were interviewing or photographing, etc. for some chapters. it felt so real and raw. emma brodie’s writing is so metaphorical and i loved how she paralleled things she said in the beginning of the book and things she said at the end, it made everything feel very full circle. the ending was left so open yet somehow made it feel like everything had been tied together. i felt so connected to jane the whole time, if you like taylor swift some situations in this book remind me of her. i cant wait to see what else emma brodie is going to put out because i am absolutely obessed w her writing already.

Wants to be the awesome Daisy Jones & The Six but it is actually A Star Is Born. Nice try though.

Emma Conarroe 

This book was really well written and all the characters were so lovable. I love reading books set in the 60s and 70s so this novel really appealed to me. I went into with high expectations since felt daisy jones vibes but it didn’t meet those expectations. So I would give it a 4.5, I just didn’t get the “wow” feeling after reading it but it was still an amazing book. It had a lot of great subplots and showed how difficult it was to a woman in music back then.

Emma Jacqueline

Anything to do with the 60s / 70s music scene will probably get an automatic three stars from me. This was a quick and breezy read, but at times it felt a little too light given some of the subject matter (industry misogyny, drug abuse, major mental illness, all the touchstones and trials of rock and roll). I wasn't entirely sold on Jane Quinn in the first half of the book—I felt other characters were telling me how fantastic she was without her part of the narration giving me any reason to believe it—but once she became more unmoored in the second half, I started buying into the hype. Special shoutout to the relationship between Jane and her A&R man, Willy. Best part of the book by far.

The romance went about the way you'd expect for two singer-songwriters, though I didn't feel Jesse had all that much personality. Another case of side characters telling me he was a charismatic tortured genius while I really only saw the tortured part.

My biggest issue overall with the book was the prose. Brodie loves her similes and sometimes they intrude on the moment and wrenched me out completely (example: at one point, Jane has just had sex with [redacted] and Brodie described them holding hands in the aftermath as "like two otters" which is just too weird and passionless for the scene that came before). It's not overly dense writing, but I think it could have used some fine tuning.

Still a good beach read and I hope the Daisy Jones trend of more band / music novels continues. I will buy all of them.

Heather Harrington

Bayleen Island is best known for its yearly Folk Fest, and the biggest draw for the 1969 concert is Jesse Reid. The tall, handsome, soft-spoken guitar god is sure to rocket to stardom after this major performance, but a motorcycle crash on the way to the venue leads to an unknown local band taking over his spot. Jane Quinn and her band, The Breakers, take the stage to boo's and jeering, but the moment Jane opens her mouth and the band starts rocking, everyone is mystified by what's unfolding before them: a star in the making. The performance was just the beginning. Soon, Jane and the band find themselves on a label making an album and touring the country with Jesse. Between the blur of stadiums, partying, and media attention, Jane and Jesse strike up a whirlwind romance. But when the pressures of fame and the music industry start weighing on Jane, she must face a past she's long since tried to bury before she fades into the background.

I'm a sucker for a "Behind the Music" trope and this one did it fantastically. Brodie's writing has this gritty quality to it that feels very true to the era. She fully embraces that hard lifestyle that was running rampant during the 1970s where everything was sex, drugs, and rock and roll. I loved how she weaved all these different viewpoints together from Jane's relationship with her family to Jesse to the sexism she faced in the music industry. Everything flowed so nicely into one another which made for such a compelling and captivating story. Jane was so resilient and I admired how she wasn't one to back down from situations where someone was trying to stifle her. She and Jesse had such a tumultuous relationship so there are a lot of ups and downs throughout the book, with each having their demons to conquer. I think Brodie did a great job of handling their issues and making them feel real. The emotions are supercharged from beginning to end and there were times I felt just as drained as Jane. My favorite part of this was all the interactions between Jane and her band and getting insight into the recording process/songwriting. Jane's treatment is so different than her male bandmates and it's sad how that's still prevalent today, but she always faced down every obstacle that was thrown her way. If you're looking for the perfect beach read, or if you're a fan of Daisy Jones & The Six, this is the one to pick up.

Joanna Rosenwink 

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an audiobook for review purposes.

I was interested in this title as I’d seen it compared to Daisy Jones and the Six and obviously the historical and musical setting does have some similarities.

However Songs in Ursa Major surprised me by also dealing with serious mental illness. I don’t feel that this is something we see represented in fiction very often. It also draws attention to the stigma that mental health problems can still attract and the impact it can have on families is a really important issue which needs more recognition. The book also calls out the rampant sexism in the music industry which is still affecting artists now.

Although some parts of the storyline could be seen as predictable, they are also commonplace in the lives of people in the industry so this didn’t bother me.

Overall this was an interesting story set in the folk rock scene of the early 1970s. I liked the musical elements and the setting was very atmospheric. The mental health rep was important but I’m not sure how realistic the description of symptoms was, as it was unlike what I’ve witnessed having lived with someone with a similar condition.

Beth Bartholomew

Kweh Quiambao

TODAS LAS GRANDES CANCIONES SON HISTORIAS DE AMOR. Música, pasión y fama en un debut brillante y atmosférico ambientado en los embriagadores años setenta que te encantará si te gustaron Ha nacido una estrella o Todos quieren a Daisy Jones. ***Mejor Libro para el verano según el Wall Street Journal*** ***En la lista New & Noteworthy de The New York Times*** ***Mejor Libro de junio de 2021 en Amazon*** Verano de 1969. Jane Quinn se sube al escenario del festival de Bayleen y, en ese momento, nacen una estrella y una apasionada historia de amor. De gira con Jesse Reid, el músico cuyos infames ojos azules han roto multitud de corazones, los meses estivales se convierten en un torbellino de conciertos, atardeceres llenos de color y noches salvajes que absorben a Jane. Sin embargo, no tarda en descubrir que tras la música de Jesse se esconde un oscuro secreto, y esto la empuja a coger su guitarra y volcar todo lo que siente en el disco que la convertirá en una estrella o la destruirá para siempre: Canciones desde la Osa Mayor. La crítica ha dicho: «Profundamente evocadora». Stylist «Al igual que Todos quieren a Daisy Jones, Canciones desde la Osa Mayor es una crónica embriagadora de la industria musical inspirada, en su mayor parte, por el apasionado romance entre Joni Mitchell y James Taylor». Elle «Fascinante. Este debut sumerge a los lectores en una historia sobre la familia, el amor y la música desde la primera página... Sería una película perfecta; los lectores echarán de menos no tenerel disco de Jane con la lectura». Library Journal «Una incisiva reflexión sobre doble rasero de la industria musical: a ellos los cuidan y protegen de sus errores mientras a ellas (y especialmente a las rebeldes como Jane) las denigran y menosprecian. La impecable escritura de la autora (sobre la música, la familia y la tristeza) eleva aún más la novela». Kirkus «Desde Nueva York a Los Ángeles, pasando por Grecia y por los Grammys, Canciones desde la Osa Mayor es una lectura frenética y furiosa que retrata el brillante monstruo que es la fama». Booklist «Inspirado en la colaboración y en el romance que vivieron Joni Mitchell y James Taylor, este seductor debut tiene un aire a Casi famosos y explora el lado más incómodo (y machista) de la industria musical». People «Mantiene el equilibrio entre los acordes poderosos de un himno de rock and roll y la nostalgia conmovedora de una balada de blues». Kate Quinn, autora de La red de Alice «Como sucedería con la banda sonora perfecta del verano, Canciones desde la Osa mayor le insufla vida a una melodía familiar y se abre camino en tu corazón para no soltarte». Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, autora de De buena familia «Aunque puede que Jane Quinn y Jesse Reid les resulten familiares a los fans de Joni Mitchell y James Taylor, también son únicos, originales y deslumbrantes a su manera. Un debut delicioso e impresionante». Paula Mclain, autora de Mrs. Hemingway en París «Nunca he leído un libro que capture de esta manera tan única la experiencia de crear ni lo increíble que es estar en un estudio de grabación y sentir que estás haciendo historia... Muchos de los pasajes de Canciones desde la Osa Mayor son de una poesía tan pura que me estremecí al leerlos». Kevin Kwan, autor de Locos, ricos y asiáticos «Increíblemente sexy, atmosférica y entretenida, leerla es un placer». Christina Baker Kline, autora de El tren de los huérfanos

Songs in Ursa Major

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