The Spectacular
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- Create Date：2021-08-25 10:51:46
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Zoe Whittall
- ISBN：1443455245
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Summary
It’s taboo to regret motherhood。 But what would happen if you did？ Shifting perspectives and time periods， The Spectacular is a multi-generational story exploring sexuality， gender and the weight of reproductive freedoms， from the author of The Best Kind of People。
It’s 1997 and Missy’s band has finally hit the big time as they tour across America。 At twenty-two years old， Missy gets on stage every night and plays the song about her absent mother that made the band famous。 Missy is the only girl in the band and she’s determined to party just as hard as everyone else， loving and leaving someone in every town。 But then a forgotten party favour strands her at the border。
Forty-something Carola is just surfacing from a sex scandal at the yoga centre where she has been living， when she sees her daughter， Missy， for the first time in ten years—on the cover of a music magazine。
Ruth is eighty-three and planning her return to the Turkish seaside village where she spent her childhood。 But when her granddaughter Missy winds up crashing at her house， she decides it’s time that the strong and stubborn women in her family find a way to understand each other again。
In her new book， by turns sharp and provocative， Zoe Whittall captures three generations of very different women who struggle to build an authentic life in the absence of traditional familial and marital structures。 Definitions of family， romance， gender and love will radically change as they seek out lives that are nothing less than spectacular。
Praise for The Spectacular:
“Zoe Whittall has this incredible ability to go straight at the honest emotional heart of a story， and yet even with that ferocity， her writing is always graceful， a total joy to read。 It makes it so easy to love her characters。 In the best books characters feel like my friends， but with the mothers of The Spectacular， they came to feel like my family。” - Torrey Peters， author of Detransition， Baby
“The Spectacular gives us three brilliantly distinct voices of women challenging the societal expectations of who they should be。 This is a novel about how we learn to define who we are， about the courage to make decisions nobody will understand， and about the profound complexities of maternal ambivalence。 Zoe Whittall has a gift for vividly capturing our human behaviours， and for dialogue that will grab your heart。 Both expansive and intimate， wild and tender， I loved it。” Ashley Audrain， author of The Push
“What an honor and privilege to read a book that so fiercely wants to be read。 Zoe Whittall's THE SPECTACULAR is rangy and deft， weaving three character threads together in a dextrous series of twists that left me excited for more。 I found myself deeply attached to the women of this book and their relationships with one another。 Whiitall addresses motherhood and autonomy in ways I've never seen done before。 A fascinating stunner of a novel， THE SPECTACULAR is exactly that: spectacular！” - Kristen Arnett
"Both raw and refined， The Spectacular is an insightful， poignant exploration of family and relationships from one of my favourite writers working today。 A multi-generational story that's fully alive。" - Iain Reid， author of I’m Thinking of Ending Things
“Birth， identity， sex， what a woman wants， the vagaries of desire， love nibbling at the heart， independence， forfeiture of self， mother。 Zoe Whittall carves at all of this with her pen and lays it out on the page in this fierce and tender novel。” David Bergen
“Zoe Whittall's engrossing and epic novel paints an indelible portrait of three women， each of them navigating the complex constraints of their bodies， their families， their obligations， and their desires。 A daring and beautiful examination of motherhood， The Spectacular left me breathless。” Robin Wasserman
“Fearless， challenging， epic—these are all words I have been using to describe The Spectacular， Zoe Whittall’s latest novel about three generations of women who are tied together by family obligations and a crooked connection to motherhood。 Ruth， Carola， and especially Missy crackle off the pages， sometimes prickly， often uncertain， but always searching for a happiness that is bound by the expectations of becoming a mother and the resentments that follow。 Fiction often teaches us truths， and The Spectacular does just that， laying bare the ways in which women are defined and the ways in which women can define themselves。” Jen Sookfong Lee
“Zoe Whittall's The Spectacular is such a fun read。 It sizzles with women's desire -- for success， fulfillment， distraction， drugs， sex， love， care。 The worlds Whittall's characters inhabit - a former ashram， a commune， the indie rock scene of the 1990s - are alive with meaning。 Witnessing the women in this novel connect， miss each other， and try to figure one another out is a joyful and tender experience。 The Spectacular is。。。 what can I say， spectacular！” - Ilana Masad
It’s 1997 and Missy’s band has finally hit the big time as they tour across America。 At twenty-two years old， Missy gets on stage every night and plays the song about her absent mother that made the band famous。 Missy is the only girl in the band and she’s determined to party just as hard as everyone else， loving and leaving someone in every town。 But then a forgotten party favour strands her at the border。
Forty-something Carola is just surfacing from a sex scandal at the yoga centre where she has been living， when she sees her daughter， Missy， for the first time in ten years—on the cover of a music magazine。
Ruth is eighty-three and planning her return to the Turkish seaside village where she spent her childhood。 But when her granddaughter Missy winds up crashing at her house， she decides it’s time that the strong and stubborn women in her family find a way to understand each other again。
In her new book， by turns sharp and provocative， Zoe Whittall captures three generations of very different women who struggle to build an authentic life in the absence of traditional familial and marital structures。 Definitions of family， romance， gender and love will radically change as they seek out lives that are nothing less than spectacular。
Praise for The Spectacular:
“Zoe Whittall has this incredible ability to go straight at the honest emotional heart of a story， and yet even with that ferocity， her writing is always graceful， a total joy to read。 It makes it so easy to love her characters。 In the best books characters feel like my friends， but with the mothers of The Spectacular， they came to feel like my family。” - Torrey Peters， author of Detransition， Baby
“The Spectacular gives us three brilliantly distinct voices of women challenging the societal expectations of who they should be。 This is a novel about how we learn to define who we are， about the courage to make decisions nobody will understand， and about the profound complexities of maternal ambivalence。 Zoe Whittall has a gift for vividly capturing our human behaviours， and for dialogue that will grab your heart。 Both expansive and intimate， wild and tender， I loved it。” Ashley Audrain， author of The Push
“What an honor and privilege to read a book that so fiercely wants to be read。 Zoe Whittall's THE SPECTACULAR is rangy and deft， weaving three character threads together in a dextrous series of twists that left me excited for more。 I found myself deeply attached to the women of this book and their relationships with one another。 Whiitall addresses motherhood and autonomy in ways I've never seen done before。 A fascinating stunner of a novel， THE SPECTACULAR is exactly that: spectacular！” - Kristen Arnett
"Both raw and refined， The Spectacular is an insightful， poignant exploration of family and relationships from one of my favourite writers working today。 A multi-generational story that's fully alive。" - Iain Reid， author of I’m Thinking of Ending Things
“Birth， identity， sex， what a woman wants， the vagaries of desire， love nibbling at the heart， independence， forfeiture of self， mother。 Zoe Whittall carves at all of this with her pen and lays it out on the page in this fierce and tender novel。” David Bergen
“Zoe Whittall's engrossing and epic novel paints an indelible portrait of three women， each of them navigating the complex constraints of their bodies， their families， their obligations， and their desires。 A daring and beautiful examination of motherhood， The Spectacular left me breathless。” Robin Wasserman
“Fearless， challenging， epic—these are all words I have been using to describe The Spectacular， Zoe Whittall’s latest novel about three generations of women who are tied together by family obligations and a crooked connection to motherhood。 Ruth， Carola， and especially Missy crackle off the pages， sometimes prickly， often uncertain， but always searching for a happiness that is bound by the expectations of becoming a mother and the resentments that follow。 Fiction often teaches us truths， and The Spectacular does just that， laying bare the ways in which women are defined and the ways in which women can define themselves。” Jen Sookfong Lee
“Zoe Whittall's The Spectacular is such a fun read。 It sizzles with women's desire -- for success， fulfillment， distraction， drugs， sex， love， care。 The worlds Whittall's characters inhabit - a former ashram， a commune， the indie rock scene of the 1990s - are alive with meaning。 Witnessing the women in this novel connect， miss each other， and try to figure one another out is a joyful and tender experience。 The Spectacular is。。。 what can I say， spectacular！” - Ilana Masad
Reviews
Bettys Book Club
，
Daisy Jones meets The MothersThis is the first book I’ve read from Whittal and it won’t be my last！ In The Spectacular， she ambitiously tackles motherhood from 3 multi-generational POVs。 Her characters are wrapped in turmoil and doubt， and struggle to find their identity in motherhood。 In each one of her character’s story， Whittall examines abortion， infidelity and women’s rights as they pertain to their generation。The book is told from the following POVs:Ruth - she was born in Turkey and immigr Daisy Jones meets The MothersThis is the first book I’ve read from Whittal and it won’t be my last！ In The Spectacular， she ambitiously tackles motherhood from 3 multi-generational POVs。 Her characters are wrapped in turmoil and doubt， and struggle to find their identity in motherhood。 In each one of her character’s story， Whittall examines abortion， infidelity and women’s rights as they pertain to their generation。The book is told from the following POVs:Ruth - she was born in Turkey and immigrated to the U。S。 in the 50s with her husband。 She discovers her husband cheating on her in Turkey， and the bastard brought his mistress with him on the boat ride over！！ She had one son with him， Bryce。 Carola - is a character you will love to hate。 She left her alcoholic father and religious mother and fled to college in the U。S。 from Canada。 She met and married Bryce in college and they started a commune in the 70s。 They had a daughter Missy and when she was 12， Carola abandoned her family and joined an ashram。 Missy - she grew up with her grandma Ruth and her dad。 In the early 90s she started a punk rock band and toured the U。S。 She is VERY promiscuous on tour and debates her career， sexuality and motherhood choices throughout the novel。 This book has everything:🏳️🌈 LGBQT+ romance🧘♀️ Lots of yoga🥃 Drug and alcohol abuse💇♀️ Bad haircuts🤦♂️ Shitty men👯♀️ Female friendship🔥 Lots of sex🤗 Forgiveness👩🌾 Farming🩺 Women’s health🦮 Dog walkingThis is one of the best family dramas I’ve ever read because it’s so layered and complex。 Every character does things you will hate and love which leads to a gripping read。My criticism of this book is its format。 Ruth is a short section of the book in the middle where Missy and Carola get most of the chapters。 I wish it was more balanced so it felt more like a real ensemble。 I would option this book in a heartbeat for a series。 It could easily run 5 seasons with the amount of drama included。Thank you Harper Collins for this advanced copy！ 。。。more
Maria
，
Thank you Harper Collins Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review！ I couldn’t put this novel down， it was just compulsively readable and so engrossing， pulling you in different directions。 What starts out as a kick-ass novel ends in a different kind of kick-ass life。 This book is told with mostly two POVs （but at one point， we get a third POV）。 We learn about how these three women have been affected just because of the time they’re born in。 We see the different societal expectations an Thank you Harper Collins Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review！ I couldn’t put this novel down， it was just compulsively readable and so engrossing， pulling you in different directions。 What starts out as a kick-ass novel ends in a different kind of kick-ass life。 This book is told with mostly two POVs （but at one point， we get a third POV）。 We learn about how these three women have been affected just because of the time they’re born in。 We see the different societal expectations and how they must each live up to them 。。。 and how they fail。 The parallels between Missy， her mom Carola， and Missy’s grandmother is beautiful to read about， but also sad。 This book might not end in the way you expect it to， but I think we get a great ending with a lot of character development， love， and acceptance。 Definitely a must-read！ 。。。more
Debbie Richardson
，
Closer to 31/2 stars。 Good。 Not really my type of read but I’m branching out
Tonstant Weader
，
The Spectacular， by Zoe Whittal， is the story of three women who struggle with the demands placed on women as mothers。 The story begins with Missy， a cellist and rock band musician who is desperately seeing a tubal ligation before heading out on her first tour when she is twenty-two。 She wants to be sexually free and free of the fear of pregnancy。 The second woman is Carola， living at an ashram as it’s collapsing into a public sex scandal。 She sees the daughter she left behind when she fled her The Spectacular， by Zoe Whittal， is the story of three women who struggle with the demands placed on women as mothers。 The story begins with Missy， a cellist and rock band musician who is desperately seeing a tubal ligation before heading out on her first tour when she is twenty-two。 She wants to be sexually free and free of the fear of pregnancy。 The second woman is Carola， living at an ashram as it’s collapsing into a public sex scandal。 She sees the daughter she left behind when she fled her marriage and commune on the cover of a music magazine。 Then there is Ruth， Carola’s mother-in-law and Missy’s grandmother who at the age of 83 discovers what all the fuss is about with sex。 She is diagnosed with cancer and wants to fight it on her own terms by returning to Turkey to die。 Like Missy， all the women face the question of whether to have a child or have an abortion， even when it was illegal in Canada。The story progresses like a beaded necklace， alternating the narrative between Missy and Nicola， first in the late 90s with a centerpiece， a lavalier of chapters about Ruth， and then another string of alternating chapters about Nicola and Missy in the present。 It follows their journey as they find themselves and each other。I enjoyed The Spectacular。 I cared about the women， even though at times they seemed determined to ruin their lives。 The underlying theme of what it means to be a woman in a world with certain expectation is fertile ground。 Missy， Nicola， and Ruth are not your typical women， in fiction or reality， but their dilemmas are all too common。 Clearly， these three generations of women struggle to liberate themselves from expectations， each in their own way。These are deeply realized and individual characters。 Perhaps that is why I sruggled a bit to keep reading at the beginning。 Missy is just so determined to be as free as the men in the band， she is a jerk， reckless with other’s feelings， determined to reject intimacy， and heedless of the consequences。 In a way， she acted like a stereotype。 The Missy in the present is so much nicer。 It might seem easy to judge Nicola at first， a mother leaving behind a six-year-old child， but Whittal deftly makes her decision understandable。The Spectacular is the second book by Whittal I have read。 She seems to be drawn to the deeply volatile issues of modern society and writes about them in ways that fill in the black and white political fault lines with all the shades of gray。The Spectacular will be released on September 14th。 I received an e-galley through NetGalley。The Spectacular at Ballantine Books | Penguin Random HouseReview of The Best Kind of PeopleZoe Whittal author sitehttps://tonstantweaderreviews。wordpre。。。 。。。more
Victoria Carbol
，
4。5 ⭐️s rounded up to 5！Thank you so much to Harper Collins Canada for sending me an ARC in exchange for review。 The Spectacular follows three women as they grapple with questions of gender， sexuality， and motherhood。 Always gripping， often challenging， and finally beautiful， I found this book to be a refreshingly blunt look at womanhood。 While I was sometimes scandalized by the characters’ frank depictions of their sex lives， failures， and dark emotions， I felt it was a worthwhile adventure int 4。5 ⭐️s rounded up to 5！Thank you so much to Harper Collins Canada for sending me an ARC in exchange for review。 The Spectacular follows three women as they grapple with questions of gender， sexuality， and motherhood。 Always gripping， often challenging， and finally beautiful， I found this book to be a refreshingly blunt look at womanhood。 While I was sometimes scandalized by the characters’ frank depictions of their sex lives， failures， and dark emotions， I felt it was a worthwhile adventure into spaces many women aren’t able to comfortably speak about （but that most of us experience）。 With three POV characters， this book was able to tackle some intense and controversial topics with nuance as each woman responded to similar （or the same） experiences in her own way。 While the plot follows ordinary life， the title points to what we are all searching for in the mundane: the spectacular。 My only complaint is that I felt the middle （particularly after a significant time jump） was a little slow。 Otherwise it would have been five stars for me！The Spectacular comes out August 24， 2021。 。。。more
Terry ~ Huntress of Erudition
，
Spectacular is the perfect title for this book！The story of a refugee grandmother， a hippie mother and a rock star daughter， each very different from the other。 Abandoning， coming together and pushing each other away， living apart， yet each one was always on their minds。I loved each character's story。 Very believable narrative and so well written！I felt totally engaged and fascinated the whole time I was reading。The last section dragged a bit for me， but not enough to tear myself away and get on Spectacular is the perfect title for this book！The story of a refugee grandmother， a hippie mother and a rock star daughter， each very different from the other。 Abandoning， coming together and pushing each other away， living apart， yet each one was always on their minds。I loved each character's story。 Very believable narrative and so well written！I felt totally engaged and fascinated the whole time I was reading。The last section dragged a bit for me， but not enough to tear myself away and get on with my life， until I finished reading。 。。。more
Tina
，
THE SPECTACULAR by Zoe Whittall is an amazing novel that I loved！！ It’s about Missy， who’s in a band， and her mother， Carola。 I loved the strong female voice in the writing and the exploration of the mother and daughter relationship。 I also loved the queer and trans representation and the expansive timeline and age range in the characters。 I found myself completely taken away with these characters and got kinda emotional reading the ending。 I really enjoyed all the themes brought up in this book THE SPECTACULAR by Zoe Whittall is an amazing novel that I loved！！ It’s about Missy， who’s in a band， and her mother， Carola。 I loved the strong female voice in the writing and the exploration of the mother and daughter relationship。 I also loved the queer and trans representation and the expansive timeline and age range in the characters。 I found myself completely taken away with these characters and got kinda emotional reading the ending。 I really enjoyed all the themes brought up in this book including feminism， womanhood， motherhood， coming of age and finding yourself。 I liked the way this story was told in parts moving forward through time and switching between points of view。 I really recommend this one and I love the colourful cover！。Thank you to Harper Collins Canada for my uncorrected proof！ 。。。more
Lauren Drake
，
The idea behind this book was spectacular， but sadly the execution didn't live up to it's name。 I love the idea of alternating points of view from three generations of women defying tradition and going about things their own way。 From the beginning I connected with Missy， but I had a hard time getting into her mother's tale。 The connection between the two felt disjointed （perhaps because the characters themselves weren't in contact） and it took me a little while to get into the story。 It felt li The idea behind this book was spectacular， but sadly the execution didn't live up to it's name。 I love the idea of alternating points of view from three generations of women defying tradition and going about things their own way。 From the beginning I connected with Missy， but I had a hard time getting into her mother's tale。 The connection between the two felt disjointed （perhaps because the characters themselves weren't in contact） and it took me a little while to get into the story。 It felt like just when I got into things， Ruth's voice kicked in and I was starting over。 I think this book could have been great， and could have made some powerful points about women's expectations。 However， it felt like motherhood was the most important topic on all these women's minds and they all ultimately centered their lives around their children。 A book aimed at defying tradition falls short when it shows women fulfilling the most traditional duty of their sex。 Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC。 。。。more
Julia | gameofreading
，
This was an interesting story about 3 generations of women and the shifting views of feminism throughout time。 While it tried hard to be feminist， it felt lacking in a major way at the end （no spoilers here）。 I wish the ending was different。Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review。
Andrea Dinan
，
A generational novel featuring a young musician， a strong grandmother with a diagnosis and a mother extricating herself from a cult。 I really enjoyed the first third of the book and was quite taken with the band scenes and stories。 Personally though， I do not think life revolves around pregnancy and babies and I was quite tired of the back and forth on the topic by the end。 Missy was well drawn and interesting but I did sometimes confuses mom and grandma's chapters as they did not seem to have d A generational novel featuring a young musician， a strong grandmother with a diagnosis and a mother extricating herself from a cult。 I really enjoyed the first third of the book and was quite taken with the band scenes and stories。 Personally though， I do not think life revolves around pregnancy and babies and I was quite tired of the back and forth on the topic by the end。 Missy was well drawn and interesting but I did sometimes confuses mom and grandma's chapters as they did not seem to have distinct voices。 I think this book would be a great read for those in their early thirties considering motherhood - those that enjoy multigenerational stories and contemporary flavor。 For me， the initial setting and ideas behind the novel were quite engaging but it really distilled down to motherhood and that's just not for me。 。。。more
3 Things About This Book
，
Three women。。。。 They all tried to establish themselves and their needs in the different ways that were best for each。 One decided to end things in her own terms， somewhere that was near and dear to her heart。 The other made the hardest decision knowing that staying might be worst than leaving。 And the last one thought she knew what to do after seeing two different examples。 All these women had legitimate reasons to make the decisions they made， and it wasn't up to anyone to judge them for doing Three women。。。。 They all tried to establish themselves and their needs in the different ways that were best for each。 One decided to end things in her own terms， somewhere that was near and dear to her heart。 The other made the hardest decision knowing that staying might be worst than leaving。 And the last one thought she knew what to do after seeing two different examples。 All these women had legitimate reasons to make the decisions they made， and it wasn't up to anyone to judge them for doing what's best for them。Ruth wanted to go back to Turkey instead of going under chemotherapy。 She wanted to see her childhood home before it was too late。 Carola left Melissa with her husband and departed from the commune for good。 Melissa， Missy， knew that she should be the indie rock star with no attachments （those attachments being family） and live a rockstar life。 First one got her wish。 Second one questioned her losses but still was okay with her decision。 Third one。。。 this was more of her story of going through same steps that her grandmother and mother did。I liked the way the story and the chapters were structured: mother-daughter duo's stories were intertwined， while grandmother's story was a turning point in the middle without being interfered with anyone else's story。 If you like multigenerational stories that were heavily influenced by historical events and/or eras， this is highly recommended。 。。。more
Carly-Ann Rigby
，
There’s a lot to the synopsis， but it also only scrapes the surface of this book。When we meet our characters， they are as above， young adult and 40-something in the 90s。 As mother and daughter， they have totally different experiences of the lives they’ve chosen in that era， but the perspective of the book allows a reader like me a unique experience。 I don’t generally feel a lot of nostalgia， but when I read about the music scene in the 90s， there is a part of me that comes alive again。 Memories There’s a lot to the synopsis， but it also only scrapes the surface of this book。When we meet our characters， they are as above， young adult and 40-something in the 90s。 As mother and daughter， they have totally different experiences of the lives they’ve chosen in that era， but the perspective of the book allows a reader like me a unique experience。 I don’t generally feel a lot of nostalgia， but when I read about the music scene in the 90s， there is a part of me that comes alive again。 Memories are refreshed and I’m reminded of people I knew， venues I frequented， relationships I had。 I knew Missy。 And parts of me were like her， too。 Simultaneously， reading Carola’s experience of being in her forties at the same time， and as I am now， the self-realization that comes with being her/my age is extremely relatable。What isn’t included in the synopsis is that a good portion of the book is set in 2013 and later when Missy is now approaching the age her mother was when we were first introduced to her and experiencing some of the same personal growth that Carola did。 Like many of us， she is wading through her evolving expectations for her life and trying to balance the person her younger self envisioned she would be with the reality of her feelings and choices。The Spectacular is a book that thoroughly explores female relationships in family， love， friendship and especially self while also tackling real topics head on。 Sexuality， reproductive freedom and gender identity are strong themes throughout and Zoe Whittall does not back down from any of them。 For me， that’s what makes The Spectacular， well， spectacular。 。。。more
Liz
，
This story is a look back at the changing gender revolutions going on in the 1980s and 90s。 It looks at three generations of women and how their lives have played out。 Missy is 22， the lead singer in a band out on tour。 She’s not managing her life particularly well - pregnant， doing drugs， having sex with all and sundry。 Her mother， Carola， had walked out of her life on a commune when her daughter was just a child， leaving Missy behind。 In 1997， she’s caught up in a sex scandal at an ashram。 Rut This story is a look back at the changing gender revolutions going on in the 1980s and 90s。 It looks at three generations of women and how their lives have played out。 Missy is 22， the lead singer in a band out on tour。 She’s not managing her life particularly well - pregnant， doing drugs， having sex with all and sundry。 Her mother， Carola， had walked out of her life on a commune when her daughter was just a child， leaving Missy behind。 In 1997， she’s caught up in a sex scandal at an ashram。 Ruth is 83， having been a real presence in Missy’s life and having introduced her to the cello。 I wasn’t sure what to make of any of these women。 All are trying to find their “authentic lives”， to quote the book description。 But what happens when seeking your best life means hurting others？ All at various times are called on to make decisions about being a mother。 The book felt divided in half and I much preferred the first half。 The second half moves to 2013。 Ruth is dead， Carola is some sort of self awareness guru， Missy all of a sudden wants to be a mother。 The first half of the book seemed much edgier。 It tackled the idea that not everyone wants to or should be a mother。 Now， we’re subjected to Missy’s ticking biological clock。 It seemed to meander more in the second half。 The problem I had was that I never quite connected with any of the women for long periods of time。 Having never wanted my own children， I expected to connect， given the way the book started。 But the second half of the book was such an about face， it threw me。 This was just an ok story。 Nothing special。 Nothing to deserve the title。 It didn’t live up to my expectations after what I thought was a really strong opening。 My thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an advance copy of this book。 。。。more
Katherina Martin
，
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review。 This was a very good book， centering around three generations of women。 Missy， the main character， grows up in a commune （ although it is called an intentional community） in the book。 Her mother， Carola， leaves when Missy is thirteen。 Her paternal grandmother plays an important role in the story as Missy navigates life with her mother’s leaving always being an issue。 The book follows Missy through adulthood as she rockets to st Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review。 This was a very good book， centering around three generations of women。 Missy， the main character， grows up in a commune （ although it is called an intentional community） in the book。 Her mother， Carola， leaves when Missy is thirteen。 Her paternal grandmother plays an important role in the story as Missy navigates life with her mother’s leaving always being an issue。 The book follows Missy through adulthood as she rockets to stardom in a band along with the accompanying stereotypes of sex， drugs and rock and roll （or “punk” rock as the author is quick to remind us throughout the book）。 For those who don’t like a lot of sex scenes in their books， not to worry。 While the book refers to sex， the acts are not depicted。 Well written， the book held my interest even though I almost put it aside at the beginning。 Hang in there。 I recommend it。 。。。more
Ann Marie
，
Special thanks to Random House Publishing， Ball and one Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion。 I really liked this book！ Maybe because I just lost my mother。 Told from 3 points of view， Missy， her mother Carola， and her grandmother Ruth。。 This book covers a lot of things， mostly just stories of the three women。 I felt like it was mostly told by Missy， who became famous due to a song she wrote about her mom。 Missy has a lot of men， one in every town， til s Special thanks to Random House Publishing， Ball and one Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion。 I really liked this book！ Maybe because I just lost my mother。 Told from 3 points of view， Missy， her mother Carola， and her grandmother Ruth。。 This book covers a lot of things， mostly just stories of the three women。 I felt like it was mostly told by Missy， who became famous due to a song she wrote about her mom。 Missy has a lot of men， one in every town， til she falls for tomboy in her band。 This book covers abortion， sex scandal， gender， and starts out spectacularly。 But then it fast forwards 16 yrs forward and I felt the writing became all aboutmenopause， diapers and all the spectacular parts of this book stopped。it had a glorious beginning though。 I loved it because I just lost my mother but I don't see how everyone will love it。 From the middle to the end。 It felt like another author sat in and wrote the rest of the book。 Yes it got more modern， more queerish， but also more like a tick rocking biological clock for me！。 Its perfect for a mother or a mother who you do t know what gift to give。 Give her this book！ 4 stars！ 。。。more
Paula Pugh
，
The tumultuous life of a rock band member is contrasted with the life of her mother who up and left her years ago。 Theirs is a nonexistent relationship until time intervenes to try and prod them into facing each other。I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。
Kendra
，
This is a novel about motherhood in all of its forms， and how important it is for women to control whether and when they become mothers。 Each character rejects and chooses motherhood in different ways， with different support systems， and with very different approaches。 Whittall does a great job of revealing each woman's reasons for abortion， and how they got their abortions， emphasizing the need for safe and legal abortion on demand。 This would be a great selection for book clubs and for parent- This is a novel about motherhood in all of its forms， and how important it is for women to control whether and when they become mothers。 Each character rejects and chooses motherhood in different ways， with different support systems， and with very different approaches。 Whittall does a great job of revealing each woman's reasons for abortion， and how they got their abortions， emphasizing the need for safe and legal abortion on demand。 This would be a great selection for book clubs and for parent-child reading。 。。。more
Cheri
，
As this story begins， it’s 1997 and Missy Alamo is a bit of a wild child at the age of 22， she’s the only female member of an indie rock band， who is at the moment stuck alone in a Vancouver hotel room。 She’s missing the high from being onstage， the adulation。 Now she’s alone， pregnant， with a throbbing ankle， with a hangover。 Since her mother left without much of a goodbye， Missy isn’t interested in repeating the pattern。 She picks up the newspaper left in the room and sees the headline Sex Sca As this story begins， it’s 1997 and Missy Alamo is a bit of a wild child at the age of 22， she’s the only female member of an indie rock band， who is at the moment stuck alone in a Vancouver hotel room。 She’s missing the high from being onstage， the adulation。 Now she’s alone， pregnant， with a throbbing ankle， with a hangover。 Since her mother left without much of a goodbye， Missy isn’t interested in repeating the pattern。 She picks up the newspaper left in the room and sees the headline Sex Scandal at Ashram， along with a photo of a group of ‘hippie ladies’ - a term I’m pretty sure， even at the time， would not have been used。 She scans the photo and finds her mother， Carola， among them。 Her mother， who walked away from Missy’s father and Missy when she was a child for another life。 Later on， Carola’s mother-in-law and Missy’s grandmother， Ruth， enters this story。The story is shared among these three women， their stories are as different as they are。 Missy has never understood her mother’s reasons for leaving， but loves her grandmother。 Their stories are messy。 Life is messy。 Unsurprisingly， this is a story that focuses on the emerging themes associated with each of these generations。 Perhaps the ‘hippie generation’ didn’t invent the concept of ‘free love’ but it is a term attributed to them。 Their parents， slightly less likely to have had sex before marriage， let alone multiple partners before marriage。 After marriage？ That’s another story。 The desire， or lack of desire to have children， and the responsibility that comes with parenthood。 Gender identity/fluidity is another theme as the years pass and we enter a more current time。 These eras， these individual stories are shared separately but the voices aren’t distinct， which works better at times than others。 Sometimes it flows beautifully， more often - for me - it muddles things， leaving me perplexed。 At the heart of this story lies the central concept that life should be lived life on one’s own terms， but each generation creates their own terms， rejecting former mores。 That’s how life evolves。 It’s messy。 Pub Date: 14 Sep 2021Many thanks for the ARC provided by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine 。。。more
Kara
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The Spectacular has several wheels turning at once: those of the three generations of women the story follows。 It feels primarily like Missy's story， the protagonist punk rock musician who we meet when she's at the brink of success in her rebellious 20s。 It makes sense that her mother and grandmother are woven into her story as our other narrators。 Whittall's execution of this is masterful: she manages to give Ruth and Carola/Juniper their own voices， backstories， and depth of personality while The Spectacular has several wheels turning at once: those of the three generations of women the story follows。 It feels primarily like Missy's story， the protagonist punk rock musician who we meet when she's at the brink of success in her rebellious 20s。 It makes sense that her mother and grandmother are woven into her story as our other narrators。 Whittall's execution of this is masterful: she manages to give Ruth and Carola/Juniper their own voices， backstories， and depth of personality while adding to Missy's story （as well as each others）。 The story I read felt slightly different than the summary blurb （on the advanced reader's copy I received from the publisher）， but I thoroughly enjoyed it。 It's a little difficult to pin this story down without spoiling too much of the family's experience。 Each woman led very different lives， yet they were brought together by basic tenets of family and the struggles we often face behind closed doors。 The women struggled with sexuality， relationships， family， finding yourself- a variety of experiences we've all shared despite their differences。 The Spectacular was a slowly addicting read， full of conflicts and love， succeeding and failing， and reexamining the failures we've all made in a new light。 The relatable， complex characters carried their difficult stories not with ease but with strength， which gives any reader something to hold onto。 。。。more
Zachary Houle
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When you call your new novel The Spectacular， you’re setting your readers up for expectations。 If they like the read， they will certainly call it “spectacular，” after all。 And if they don’t like it， they might call it a “spectacular failure。” But what about those readers in the middle who might find the read to be “spectacularly mediocre？” That’s kind of where I sit with this book， a novel that I enjoyed， but found to be narratively uneven。 Despite that criticism， there’s something about The Spe When you call your new novel The Spectacular， you’re setting your readers up for expectations。 If they like the read， they will certainly call it “spectacular，” after all。 And if they don’t like it， they might call it a “spectacular failure。” But what about those readers in the middle who might find the read to be “spectacularly mediocre？” That’s kind of where I sit with this book， a novel that I enjoyed， but found to be narratively uneven。 Despite that criticism， there’s something about The Spectacular that will keep you flipping pages， even if some of the characters might turn you off。 This is a book that is essentially about outsiders， and what it means to be a family when you’re among outsiders， and that’s what makes the book a compelling one to read — even with its liabilities。The book begins in the late 1990s。 We meet twentysomething Missy， who is a cellist in an “indie rock” band （signed to a major label， natch）， who， upon introduction， declares that she wants to get her tubes tied so she can have as much indiscriminate sex with her groupies and bandmates as possible （and not get pregnant） as she goes on tour across the United States。 However， as drug residue is found in her possession at the Canada-U。S。 border as the band tries to re-enter the States after touring Vancouver， Missy is left stranded in Canada where she is forced to go live with her father’s grandmother， Ruth， near Montreal。 Meanwhile， the book is also told from the viewpoint of Missy’s mother， Carola， who was once a member of a commune in New England but has gone on to join a yoga cult where its leader was having illegal sex with its group members。 After being questioned by the police， we learn that Carola has been estranged from her daughter and， through Ruth， is brought back to her to get reacquainted。 Additionally， the middle part of the novel is told from the perspective of Ruth， who is in her 80s and dying from a terminal illness。 She wants to return to the home she fled in Turkey so she can bury the remains of her sister。 The last part of the book largely recounts Missy’s attempts at reconciliation with her mother in the year 2013， and Missy’s attempts to become a mother herself as she approaches her 40s and couples with a woman who has transitioned into being a man。 （So much for Missy wanting to get her tubes tied in the first place if she ultimately wanted to get pregnant！）Read the rest of the review here: https://zachary-houle。medium。com/a-re。。。 。。。more
Cath （Cather。reads）
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Thank you to Netgalley for the free copy。The Spectacular is a novel that follows the main character， Missy， through her life as a rock star as a young adult， and then jumps to her life as a much older woman living a life different than she thought she would have when she was younger。 There are other perspectives shared through the eyes of her mother and grandmother。 The writing is beautiful and whimsical， describing intergenerational trauma and what it is like to grow up in a cult， but it does n Thank you to Netgalley for the free copy。The Spectacular is a novel that follows the main character， Missy， through her life as a rock star as a young adult， and then jumps to her life as a much older woman living a life different than she thought she would have when she was younger。 There are other perspectives shared through the eyes of her mother and grandmother。 The writing is beautiful and whimsical， describing intergenerational trauma and what it is like to grow up in a cult， but it does not follow a traditional story line。 I finished reading this story and was ready to give it four or even five stars， but the more I thought about it， the more I was duped by the magical writing。There is nothing wrong with the book not having a cohesive message。 It simply follows the lives of humans， and very few of our lives actually follow a traditional story plot。 However， I wish it had addressed the opening and the closing scenes better。 Basically， in the beginning of the book， Missy is turned down from a hysterectomy by a doctor who tells her that she will regret it。 By the end of the book， it is uncertain whether she is grateful to the doctor for turning her down due to the series of events that unfold in the last half of the book。It does have some good trans rep and questioning rep， although I am reluctant to recommend this book as an LGBTQIA+ book since they were minor elements of the story。Overall， this was a beautifully written book， and I hope that you give it a try if it interests you！ 。。。more
Crystal Steele
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3。5 stars！ This book was nothing like I had expected it to be， but I enjoyed it。 The story follows three generations of women who struggle each in their own way， with all the things that womanhood brings。。。 marriage， babies， self care etc。 I felt like I took away a huge lesson from The Spectacular， in that no matter when we as women are/were navigating through life， we all have the same struggles。 Every generation thinks the one before just doesn't get it， but that's not exactly true。 Thank you 3。5 stars！ This book was nothing like I had expected it to be， but I enjoyed it。 The story follows three generations of women who struggle each in their own way， with all the things that womanhood brings。。。 marriage， babies， self care etc。 I felt like I took away a huge lesson from The Spectacular， in that no matter when we as women are/were navigating through life， we all have the same struggles。 Every generation thinks the one before just doesn't get it， but that's not exactly true。 Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC！ 。。。more
Bandit
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Spectacular presupposes its own expectations。 It would be hugely ironic and quite sad for the novel with a title like that to turn out to be a middling mediocrity。 And sure enough， it begins spectacularly…boldly， excitingly， it promises all the spectacular things， poised on a brink of awesomeness like Missy， the protagonist （well， one of them） herself。 It begins like this…a 21 year old musician about to set off on tour with her punk band tries desperately to do the responsible thing and have he Spectacular presupposes its own expectations。 It would be hugely ironic and quite sad for the novel with a title like that to turn out to be a middling mediocrity。 And sure enough， it begins spectacularly…boldly， excitingly， it promises all the spectacular things， poised on a brink of awesomeness like Missy， the protagonist （well， one of them） herself。 It begins like this…a 21 year old musician about to set off on tour with her punk band tries desperately to do the responsible thing and have her tubes tied。 Because she wants to party her way through the tour like a proper punk， because she doesn’t trust the partners she （quite indiscriminately） chooses or herself or condoms， because she hasn’t had the kind of nurturing experience with her own mother and it’s left her convinced she shall never want kinds of her own。 Missy has many very reasonable reasons。 And because it’s 1997 and because our society is then as it is now very patriarchal and sexist and because America in many ways has always been true to its puritanical ways of yore no one is willing to help her and she is constantly and consistently told she will later change her mind and give in to her biology。 And so Missy goes on the tour with her tubes free and untied and promptly gets knocked up。Meanwhile her storyline alternates with that of her estranged mother， Carola， whose hippieesque ways （as a form of her rebellion against her own strict and repressed mother） have led her from city life to a commune to a yoga cult。 Carola is an interesting character， because although she did become a mother at a young age and in spite of her many reservations， she has never quite taken to it naturally and eventually left it altogether， her marriage， her commune， her daughter…in what seems like a profoundly selfish act which in fact for her was pure self preservation。 And then there’s a sidebar of Ruth， Missy’s father’s mother， whose life is briefly （page percentage wise） recollected as she is getting ready to wrap it all up and let it all go。 Ruth has had been married to a blatant cheater and her only joy in life has been her son and then his daughter， Missy。 So the first section of the novel presets the stage for a fascinating multigenerational drama of unhappy marriages and challenging motherhoods。 It’s so well written and engaging that you don’t even need to like or relate to characters to completely immerse yourself in their journeys。 Plus it has such a strikingly original and （it shouldn’t be but it is） bold message of…maybe not everyone is cut out to be a mother and that’s ok。 And then the novel skips time， 16 years of it， and becomes every clichés out of the women’s fiction playbook Sure， it’s more hip， more queer， more challenging than most of those， but the bottom line is babies， babies， babies。 Everyone wants then， everyone needs them， they give life meaning in the way no other thing or person can， etc。 It’s almost as if the author just plopped her ovaries on her keyboard for the second section of the book， set her metronome to biological clock and went to town on it。 All the originality of the initial premise， all the bold subversive dynamics of it…thrown right out of the proverbial window。 It’s so hugely， spectacularly disappointing。 And it pretty much eclipses all other aspects of the novel。 Which is a crying shame， because it’s so good otherwise。 There are such clever parallels between all the female characters in the book， the ways their choices sort of echo each other through the years， from abandoning pursuit of former education to finding love late in life， etc。 But in the end， it’s an estrogen party through and through， with diapers all over it。 What began as such a fun and awesome book， because yet another baby book。 And this novel will work for you in direct proportion to where you are on the babies subject。 Which means for me it didn’t do all that much and certainly not as much as it might have。 Loved the writing， loved the character development， didn’t care for the message。 But if you’re looking for a perfect Mother’s day read about imperfect mothers， this is for you Thanks Netgalley。This and more at https://advancetheplot。weebly。com/ 。。。more
Kat's Book Club
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I loved this compelling character-driven new novel by Zoe Whittall。 The story， told from alternating points of view of Missy， her mother Carola and her grandmother Ruth， explores sexuality and gender， reproductive choices， parenthood， love and other life complexities and challenges in a raw and at times provocative way。 I found all of the characters’ intersecting storylines to be engaging in different ways， and Whittall’s writing enabled seamless transitions between the the three protagonists。 A I loved this compelling character-driven new novel by Zoe Whittall。 The story， told from alternating points of view of Missy， her mother Carola and her grandmother Ruth， explores sexuality and gender， reproductive choices， parenthood， love and other life complexities and challenges in a raw and at times provocative way。 I found all of the characters’ intersecting storylines to be engaging in different ways， and Whittall’s writing enabled seamless transitions between the the three protagonists。 A must read！ Thank you to Net Galley， Harper Collins and author Zoe Whittall for this ARC in exchange for my honest review。 Save the date - “The Spectacular” will be released on August 24， 2021。 。。。more
Brianna
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What a tour de force！ From page one I was sucked in and it took everything in my bones to not devour this in a short period of time， but savor it。 The complexity of the relationships （Missy and Andi/Andy and Missy and her mom） ebbed and flowed beautifully。 I highly highly encourage picking this one up once it is published。Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting my wish and providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review。
Michelle
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So far everyone else has seemed to love this book， so clearly I'm in the minority here。 I got tired of Missy's back and forth about having a baby， and I wasn't particularly interested in Carola's story。 I wanted more from Ruth， but sadly it didn't happen。 For some reason after reading the current synopsis I thought that this book would be different from what it was。 Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。t So far everyone else has seemed to love this book， so clearly I'm in the minority here。 I got tired of Missy's back and forth about having a baby， and I wasn't particularly interested in Carola's story。 I wanted more from Ruth， but sadly it didn't happen。 For some reason after reading the current synopsis I thought that this book would be different from what it was。 Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。t 。。。more
Geonn Cannon
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3。5 rounded up， because I really wish I'd liked this a lot more than I ended up liking it。 It starts very strong， and I loved the Missy chapters， but by the end I was just kind of。。。 I don't know， the steam ran out and I didn't really care about anyone as much as I had at the beginning。 The excitement dwindled until I was finally grateful to just reach the end。 I think one problem was that I felt it skipped too much time at one point， and it never recovered from that fumble。 But rounding it up b 3。5 rounded up， because I really wish I'd liked this a lot more than I ended up liking it。 It starts very strong， and I loved the Missy chapters， but by the end I was just kind of。。。 I don't know， the steam ran out and I didn't really care about anyone as much as I had at the beginning。 The excitement dwindled until I was finally grateful to just reach the end。 I think one problem was that I felt it skipped too much time at one point， and it never recovered from that fumble。 But rounding it up because the writing was good， and the story had potential。 I'm willing to concede I just lost interest because of personal taste。 。。。more
Morgan Schulman
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I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review。 I’ve read a lot of books about fucked up chicks and this one as well crafted without adding anything particularly new to the genre。 If you like reading about girls who do drugs and cut themselves after sex， this book won’t steer you wrong
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Spectacular
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Spectacular&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Spectacular&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0