Songs in Ursa Major
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- Create Date：2022-07-18 08:51:54
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Emma Brodie
- ISBN：0593312376
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Summary
A scintillating debut from a major new voice in fiction， Songs in Ursa Major is a love story set in 1969， alive with music， sex， and the trappings of fame。
Raised on an island off Massachusetts by a mother who wrote songs for famous musicians， Jane Quinn is singing in her own band before she's old enough to even read music。 When folk legend Jesse Reid hears about Jane's performance at the island's music festival， a star is born--and so is a passionate love affair: they become inseparable when her band joins his on tour。 Wary of being cast as his girlfriend--and haunted by her mother's shattered ambitions-- Jane shields her relationship from the public eye， but Jesse's star power pulls her into his orbit of fame。 Caught up in the thrill of the road and the profound and lustful connection she has with Jesse， Jane is blind-sided by the discovery she makes about the dark secret beneath his music。 Heartbroken and blackballed by the industry， Jane is now truly on her own: to make the music she loves， and to make peace with her family 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？
Raised on an island off Massachusetts by a mother who wrote songs for famous musicians， Jane Quinn is singing in her own band before she's old enough to even read music。 When folk legend Jesse Reid hears about Jane's performance at the island's music festival， a star is born--and so is a passionate love affair: they become inseparable when her band joins his on tour。 Wary of being cast as his girlfriend--and haunted by her mother's shattered ambitions-- Jane shields her relationship from the public eye， but Jesse's star power pulls her into his orbit of fame。 Caught up in the thrill of the road and the profound and lustful connection she has with Jesse， Jane is blind-sided by the discovery she makes about the dark secret beneath his music。 Heartbroken and blackballed by the industry， Jane is now truly on her own: to make the music she loves， and to make peace with her family 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？
Reviews
Sammi
，
Review to follow
Flor
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sem palavras
Val
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3'5⭐ 3'5⭐ 。。。more
Karen
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I really， really enjoyed this。 All the comparisons to Daisy and the Six are apt， not because this book follows an unconventional format （I still scratch my head in admiration at how Daisy's author managed to tell that whole story so convincingly in a seeming interview format） but because it's as lush and immersive as Daisy。 For the four or five days it took me to read Ursa Major， I felt totally transported。This might be a perfect beach read: Jane Quinn steps on to stage at her hometown's vaunted I really， really enjoyed this。 All the comparisons to Daisy and the Six are apt， not because this book follows an unconventional format （I still scratch my head in admiration at how Daisy's author managed to tell that whole story so convincingly in a seeming interview format） but because it's as lush and immersive as Daisy。 For the four or five days it took me to read Ursa Major， I felt totally transported。This might be a perfect beach read: Jane Quinn steps on to stage at her hometown's vaunted music festival and before the weekend's over， she's signing a recording contract and about to take the first steps in her music career。 It's inextricably linked to Jesse Reid， a rocketing star who quickly invites Quinn and her band on tour。 Their relationship is all-consuming。 But she's hiding secrets and he's struggling with addiction。It's not high stakes， but it draws you in。 When Brodie writes about music， how it comes together， how it's written， how it sounds， she's probably at her best。 Sex scenes are brief but believable。 The dialogue is on point - Brodie knows when to put words in a characters mouth and when to just explain。 And while the plot is not extensive， and the whole deal with Jane's mother a bit overworked， the book itself feels pretty glorious。 Take it to the beach。 Reapply sunscreen。 Lose yourself in the music。 。。。more
holly gabrielle
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head empty no thoughts。 this books was so incredible idk why i hadn’t read it sooner。 every character was complex and well written， the storyline was incredible。 jane quinn i love you， if only you and daisy jones had existed in the same universe cause god that would of been powerful。 please please please everyone read this books， one of the best i’ve ever read。
Sarah Foster
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4。8/5
Darcé
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I enjoyed this nostalgic look back at the indie folk scene of the late 1960s and early 1970s。 The two main characters were inspired by Joni Mitchell and James Taylor， but Brodie infused them with depth and nuanced histories that portrayed them as complex humans， bound by art， love， and ambition rather than cultural icons。 My only critique is that I would have liked to see the story play out a little longer rather than leap 50 years ahead to an epilogue that rushed to provide closure。
Hailey （Hailey in Bookland）
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This was a quick read with some cool characters that I think a lot of people will enjoy。 I did like it a lot myself， but I just wish it had leaned into the time period a bit more。 It was easy to forget that it was the 70s （well 1969 is when it starts） throughout the story。 I thought it showed a really interesting look at what it was like to be a female in the music industry then， and I’m sure 99% of it is sadly true even now。 Obviously this is going to be compared to Daisy Jones but they’re tota This was a quick read with some cool characters that I think a lot of people will enjoy。 I did like it a lot myself， but I just wish it had leaned into the time period a bit more。 It was easy to forget that it was the 70s （well 1969 is when it starts） throughout the story。 I thought it showed a really interesting look at what it was like to be a female in the music industry then， and I’m sure 99% of it is sadly true even now。 Obviously this is going to be compared to Daisy Jones but they’re totally different stories just with some similarities in setting and subject matter。 I didn’t love this as much as Daisy Jones， with that being said， but I thought it was a really solid read！ 。。。more
Elien
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*2，5 - 3 stars*It was okay but I did not really connect with or care for any of the characters。
E
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 okay so the only reason this wasn’t rated higher is cause it was really getting there but then just became a repeated plot cause they brake up they hookup and then they never see each other again but in between the brake up and hook up there’s like way to much time where nothing happened。 Listen， I love Joni Mitchell but like they could’ve made her downfall before the uprise more interesting， even if nothing happened to her cause I was just waiting for the action to get back。 Also it didn’t even okay so the only reason this wasn’t rated higher is cause it was really getting there but then just became a repeated plot cause they brake up they hookup and then they never see each other again but in between the brake up and hook up there’s like way to much time where nothing happened。 Listen， I love Joni Mitchell but like they could’ve made her downfall before the uprise more interesting， even if nothing happened to her cause I was just waiting for the action to get back。 Also it didn’t even get action again。 Stretch out the action more cause the end got boring。 Anyways I did still love this book 。。。more
A
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'Jane had always believed that her talent would carry her。 But what if Jesse had been right and that wasn't real？ What if talent didn't matter if certain people wouldn't allow it to？' So i went into this thinking it'd be heavier on the romance and i'm kinda glad it wasn't。 I found it was more about what happens after Jane gets her 'a star is born' moment and we follow along as she decides how far she's willing to bend to get the success she wants。 All the while grappling with her family， her n 'Jane had always believed that her talent would carry her。 But what if Jesse had been right and that wasn't real？ What if talent didn't matter if certain people wouldn't allow it to？' So i went into this thinking it'd be heavier on the romance and i'm kinda glad it wasn't。 I found it was more about what happens after Jane gets her 'a star is born' moment and we follow along as she decides how far she's willing to bend to get the success she wants。 All the while grappling with her family， her new love and the rock'n'roll atmosphere of drugs， parties and the wave of fans she gets through her rumored relationship with megastar Jesse Reid。 "that's the Jane I know""Getting us fucked""Oh， so hard" It was a solid debut if you want a story that stands on its own with the atmosphere of Daisy Jones & the Six and A Star is Born。 。。。more
Katie Layton
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4。5！！ A strong female character and captivating prose set in the 70s rock scene is the formula for my ideal book。
holly mileham
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i am so stunned by this wow。 the writing was so beautiful， ive annotaed so many amazing descriptive passages。 cannot believe this is her debut novel。。。 the themes were presented so expertly， the plot twist was really helped by the choice of narration， wasnt expecting it at all。 you go into it expecting celebrity romance and you get that and its done so well， but you also get such emotional journeys of fame， family， addiction， mental illness and loss。 i am biased because i love hollywood glamour i am so stunned by this wow。 the writing was so beautiful， ive annotaed so many amazing descriptive passages。 cannot believe this is her debut novel。。。 the themes were presented so expertly， the plot twist was really helped by the choice of narration， wasnt expecting it at all。 you go into it expecting celebrity romance and you get that and its done so well， but you also get such emotional journeys of fame， family， addiction， mental illness and loss。 i am biased because i love hollywood glamour esque books but this lived up to my expectations and more 💗 i loved it sm 。。。more
Tina
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Good story weaving centered around the music industry of the '60s and '70s。 Good story weaving centered around the music industry of the '60s and '70s。 。。。more
Sue Habib
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3。5 stars rounded up to 4。 It was a bit formulaic for my taste。 But it was an easy and engaging read with characters you cared about even with their flaws。
syd
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i hadn't heard anything about this book until i found it in barnes and noble。 Jane quickly became one of my favorite book characters。 The Breakers， Willy， and the Quinns all quickly captured my heart。 as a lover of 70's music and lifestyle， i absolutely adored this book。if you loved Daisy Jones and The Six， this is something you should read。 i hadn't heard anything about this book until i found it in barnes and noble。 Jane quickly became one of my favorite book characters。 The Breakers， Willy， and the Quinns all quickly captured my heart。 as a lover of 70's music and lifestyle， i absolutely adored this book。if you loved Daisy Jones and The Six， this is something you should read。 。。。more
Carla Gutiérrez
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les juro que estoy llorando horrible， este libro me va a doler en el alma toda la vida
Alex Anderson
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If you had told me this was written by Taylor Jenkins Reid， I would’ve believed you。 It was so similar to Daisy Jones and the Six， but had more of the drama from The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo。 However， I felt it fell short of either of those books， even though it was entertaining。 For one， though I could picture the characters clearly， the “songs” introduced didn’t do anything for me （whereas in Daisy Jones， I legitimately had to google them to confirm they weren’t real）。 The lyrics were bas If you had told me this was written by Taylor Jenkins Reid， I would’ve believed you。 It was so similar to Daisy Jones and the Six， but had more of the drama from The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo。 However， I felt it fell short of either of those books， even though it was entertaining。 For one， though I could picture the characters clearly， the “songs” introduced didn’t do anything for me （whereas in Daisy Jones， I legitimately had to google them to confirm they weren’t real）。 The lyrics were basic and I feel as though fewer of them would have made it less distracting。 I really loved the main character though。 Her flaws felt authentic and I was cheering for her every step of the way。 Also， I didn’t see the twist coming at the end so that’s always impressive！ Would highly recommend for any Jenkins Reid fans as it had the drama， invented celebrity， and love triangle。 Definitely veered on chick lit， but was perfect for a summer weekend。 。。。more
that girl who reads
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I'll admit I read this purely because someone online recommended Songs in Ursa Major for fans of Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid。 I loved Daisy Jones so much and was very much craving more fictional 70s rockstars and this novel certainly served this well。There are definitely similarities to Daisy Jones so I see why the two are compared thematically。 I loved Jane's firery badass woman in music attitude。 And the level of detail from the song lyrics to the descriptions of album cover I'll admit I read this purely because someone online recommended Songs in Ursa Major for fans of Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid。 I loved Daisy Jones so much and was very much craving more fictional 70s rockstars and this novel certainly served this well。There are definitely similarities to Daisy Jones so I see why the two are compared thematically。 I loved Jane's firery badass woman in music attitude。 And the level of detail from the song lyrics to the descriptions of album cover photo shoots was phenomenal。 Like after reading Daisy Jones， I wanted to hear the music and see the performances in real life。 This is what I came for and Brodie definitely delivered。 I was less impressed by the plot， I felt it lost momentum towards the end and never regained the same energy。 One of the pivitol plot moments just didn't make much sense to me。 I would have liked more closure towards the end。 There were also a lot of kind of unnecessary side characters that I struggled to keep up with。 But I liked how Brodie interweaved 3rd person perspectives between the performers， the producers， the journalists and the audience throughout。 This definitely added to the overall music industry theme。 I would definitely recommend to fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid looking for something similar as this definitely ticks that box。 Interested to read any future projects from Brodie though。 。。。more
Zoe
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AmazingDidn't think I would enjoy it but it was well written and flowed really well。 I finished the whole book within a single day！ AmazingDidn't think I would enjoy it but it was well written and flowed really well。 I finished the whole book within a single day！ 。。。more
Debbie Sprague
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This is such a fresh and unique take on the Rock n Roll scene of the late 60s/early 70s which is what makes this story universal and timeless。 It is a beautifully crafted story of Jane Quinn’s tumultuous rise to fame and her complicated relationship with super star Jesse Reid。 Jane is beautiful， and amazingly talented who has this magnetic star quality about her。 But Jane is naive and unprepared for the sexism within the recording industry which almost breaks her。 This is a story of stardom， beh This is such a fresh and unique take on the Rock n Roll scene of the late 60s/early 70s which is what makes this story universal and timeless。 It is a beautifully crafted story of Jane Quinn’s tumultuous rise to fame and her complicated relationship with super star Jesse Reid。 Jane is beautiful， and amazingly talented who has this magnetic star quality about her。 But Jane is naive and unprepared for the sexism within the recording industry which almost breaks her。 This is a story of stardom， behind the scenes on how music is made， the process of song writing， and the commercialism with the record industry。 But this is also a love story， a story of secrets， drug addition and the stigma of mental illness。 Songs in Ursa Major is a beautiful yet complicated lyrical journey。 。。。more
Ellen Taylor
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1- I always imagine myself in these scenarios as a super famous and cool rock star， even as I read these books drinking coffee and planning lunches for the next week。2- this book 1000% should have not bothered with the epilogue。
V
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i’m a whore for books about music
Katie
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Songs in Ursa Major contained so many things I enjoy -- a coming of age story for a band in the industry， an opposite sides of the track love story， and strong female characters。 I tore through the first half of the novel - I enjoyed seeing The Breakers get discovered and then recording their first album。 I also enjoyed Jesse and Jane's relationship even if it did lack a proper buildup（we never really see them fall in love， one day they just are in love）。But then the second half felt like a diff Songs in Ursa Major contained so many things I enjoy -- a coming of age story for a band in the industry， an opposite sides of the track love story， and strong female characters。 I tore through the first half of the novel - I enjoyed seeing The Breakers get discovered and then recording their first album。 I also enjoyed Jesse and Jane's relationship even if it did lack a proper buildup（we never really see them fall in love， one day they just are in love）。But then the second half felt like a different book。 I did like seeing Jane record her own album and claw her way back from grief but then she just disappears （after getting the tour she fought for！） which felt out of left field and out of character。 From that point on， I kept reading to see if the book ended strong but unfortunately， aside from a couple scenes， it didn't resonate with me。Thank you to Knopf Books for my copy of the novel。 。。。more
Betsy
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flawless。 i'd say i'd read anything she ever writes， but i can't believe she could top it。 1969-2022 story of a brilliantly talented island girl whose band gets called to the main stage of a festival and shines， causing her band to get a contract and her to be way over her head professionally and romantically。interspersed with poetry level song lyrics and so much everyone-relatable heart。 flawless。 i'd say i'd read anything she ever writes， but i can't believe she could top it。 1969-2022 story of a brilliantly talented island girl whose band gets called to the main stage of a festival and shines， causing her band to get a contract and her to be way over her head professionally and romantically。interspersed with poetry level song lyrics and so much everyone-relatable heart。 。。。more
Della Davis
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3。5 starsThis was an impulse purchase from our （brilliant） local bookshop's display。 It's the story of Jane Quinn - a talented musician and singer - who shoots to fame when she steps in for， and later falls in love with， the injured star Jesse Reid， at her local festival。 We follow Jane as she navigates the chauvinism of the （60's and 70's） music industry， a love affair with the troubled Jesse， and a decades-old family secret。 This was a good， atmospheric read， with a lot to like。 Jane is a flaw 3。5 starsThis was an impulse purchase from our （brilliant） local bookshop's display。 It's the story of Jane Quinn - a talented musician and singer - who shoots to fame when she steps in for， and later falls in love with， the injured star Jesse Reid， at her local festival。 We follow Jane as she navigates the chauvinism of the （60's and 70's） music industry， a love affair with the troubled Jesse， and a decades-old family secret。 This was a good， atmospheric read， with a lot to like。 Jane is a flawed and likeable heroine， and it's mostly easy to see why she makes the decisions she does。 There's a full cast of characters and some of the nicest bits of the book are in the details - the tenderness of Greg and Maggie's relationship， the tacit support Loretta gives Jane as they both battle to stay afloat in a man's world。 Also， I really liked the ending - poignant and satisfying。 I think it's a really good debut， and I'll be interested to see what the author does next。 。。。more
Jeilen
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Entretenido si es，pero esperaba un poco más de los personajes y la historia。 Algo que me chocó mucho era que tenía que creer en todo momento en la genialidad de Jane y su destreza en todo y en resumen hacía poco。
megan ༺♡༻
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what a shit ending
Jo
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Three and half stars that I rounded up。 Thanks to goodreads for sending me this book。 Until I read a few reviews I had no idea this was loosely based on two real people。Based on Jane and Jesse's relationship and their successes in failures in the music industry。 It points out the strong differences between the treatment men and women received in the industry in the 60's and 70's。It was a quick， fun read。 Three and half stars that I rounded up。 Thanks to goodreads for sending me this book。 Until I read a few reviews I had no idea this was loosely based on two real people。Based on Jane and Jesse's relationship and their successes in failures in the music industry。 It points out the strong differences between the treatment men and women received in the industry in the 60's and 70's。It was a quick， fun read。 。。。more
Megan
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If you loved Daisy Jones and the Six， this book is for you。 I started writing this review before I even finished the book because I just have so many thoughts。 This story of Jane “Janie Quinn”， a musician and songwriter in the 60s/70s is just dreamy。 This book has been on my shelf at home for quite a while。 The beautiful cover caught my eye in the bookstore and I’m never one to turn down a story about musicians （fictional or non）。 Jane has her own vibe， but gets kind of thrown into （and bullied If you loved Daisy Jones and the Six， this book is for you。 I started writing this review before I even finished the book because I just have so many thoughts。 This story of Jane “Janie Quinn”， a musician and songwriter in the 60s/70s is just dreamy。 This book has been on my shelf at home for quite a while。 The beautiful cover caught my eye in the bookstore and I’m never one to turn down a story about musicians （fictional or non）。 Jane has her own vibe， but gets kind of thrown into （and bullied around by） the music industry。 This is interwoven with a love story， complicated family and friend/band dynamics， and mystery about her mother。 I’ve read so many great books lately that I worry you’ll start to think my reviews aren’t genuine， but this book… This。 Book。 You need to read this book。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Songs in Ursa Major
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Songs in Ursa Major&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Songs in Ursa Major&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0