Reviews

Last Dance on the Starlight Pier by Sarah Bird

kielbasi23's review against another edition

3.0

Last Dance on the Starlight Pier is a historical fiction novel based in the depression era. I have been gravitating towards books that are written in this era lately and was excited to receive an e-ARC copy of this book. The book is written from the main character, Evie Grace's perspective and the journey she goes on over a period of time. However, I found her journey to be lackluster at times, despite there being so many things jammed into the novel, such as the mobster scene, the depression and the dance marathons, sexuality, and psychological procedures of that time. It was hard for me to connect with any of the characters and get a sense of who they really were. I give this book a rating of 3 stars because the idea is interesting, especially about the dance marathons as entertainment in the depression era and I could finish the book, as the writing itself was not bad.
Thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the e-ARC edition for an honest review.

bobobuffalo's review against another edition

adventurous reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

bookanonjeff's review against another edition

5.0

Powerful Examination Of Oft-Ignored Areas. Know up front that there is a LOT going on in this book, and to me it absolutely warrants the 400 page length. The book begins and ends in Galveston during the Depression, when one family had absolute control of the island. In between, we see a lot: the burlesque shows of the era - including their seedier sides engaging in open pedophilia, the dance marathons that were cheap entertainment for so many in this pre=television era and the marathoners that endured so much just to stay off the streets, the politics of the era (where your mileage is absolutely going to vary, but was true to the period at minimum), the treatment of homosexuality in the era, a new surgery meant to cure so many mental health issues - including homosexuality - that was just as barbaric as described late in the text here, and so much more. For those that care about precise historical fact in their historical fiction - I personally tend to give authors at least a touch of leeway, depending on particulars including overall story - know that this surgery was real, and the details provided about both it and the doctor that originated it - Dr Walter Freeman - are real. Bird simply moved up the timeline by about 15 years or so, and used it to great effect within the confines of her story. Truly a remarkable work, and very much recommended.

Note: For those seeking more details on the real horrors of the transorbital lobotomy described in this tale, My Lobotomy by Howard Dully - which I first encountered as a late night NPR broadcast - is truly tragically horrifying.

curlyjessreads's review against another edition

3.0

I was provided an advanced copy of this by @netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
Evie Grace Devlin has struggled through life after her father (a famous vaudeville dancer) passes. Her narcissistic mother tries to make money any way she can, even at the expense of her child. But after graduating high school Evie is given an opportunity to turn it all around and become a nurse! During nursing school life seems to be looking up. Until, her plans are thwarted on the night of her pinning ceremony. Left without options in the midst of the great depression, she stumbles upon the dance marathon scene where they don't care if she isn't officially a nurse. However, soon she realizes to get what she really wants, she may have to step out of the shadows and into the spotlight!
This one was just ok for me. It felt a bit long and melodramatic. Evie was sometimes hard to like. She seemed naive and made some big decisions quickly and although tried to rationalize them, they were often not great. It was an interesting look into the world of dance marathons during the great depression, something I didn't know about. And there were a lot of topics covered; poverty, ethics, homosexuality, election of FDR, and gang/mob families... Lots! The story kept my attention and I wanted to find out what would happen, but it did seem to try to do too much.
Because my last book put me in a bit of a slump, I missed this publication date this past Tuesday, but that means if it sounds like a book your like to read, you don't have to wait!
#LastDanceOnTheStarlightPier #NetGalley

thebookwormadventures's review

reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

jmoreman's review against another edition

1.0

I wanted to love this book so very much, but alas- a long winded story that included homosexual lobotomy aversion therapy and creepy dudes watching children “perform” is not my idea of a beach read. I loved the few mentions of Galveston, but how do write a book about 1920/30s Galveston and not mention the glorious Hotel Galvez???

gretel7's review against another edition

2.25

The history is interesting but I never connected with the characters. The story is told in long drawn-out fragments and could maybe suffer through another editing.

nbranca628's review against another edition

4.0

I won a free copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

This is one of my favorite books I’ve read so far this year. The chapters are short, which I find easier to read. I enjoyed learning about dance marathons. I would have given this 5 stars, but couldn’t because of the back and forth feelings Evie has for Zave.

Spoiler

In one sentence she says this is what it feels like to have a brother. Then in the next, she says she hopes they have a real relationship.

I know I read an ARC, but there were a lot of typos. I hope those are fixed for the final version.

blueeyedshook's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

2.0

I wanted to like this book. But I also wanted it to be interesting. We don't always get what we want.
The most I had ever heard about dance marathons game from Gilmore Girls episode where they did one in Stars Hollow. So basically, I knew nothing about them. I thought it would be an interesting topic and take on a historical novel set in the time of the depression. This just isn't something that is regularly talked about from that time period, and I think it had the potential to be GREAT. Instead it was SO BORING and so full of political agendas. Like today's political agendas as much as the time of the depression. I thought because of the topic it would be a lighter take on the time period and not so heavy. But shortly in to the book it brought up WAY under age dancing at burlesque shows, pedophilia, then it led in to genderism (agreed that was an issue) and curing homosexuality, plus the political talks of President Herbert Hoover. It was just a lot of agendas thrown in. And maybe its the time of my life or the season of our own pop and political culture that I just don't want to "escape" into another heavily issued book. 
Plus, did I mention it was boring. So I made it to 75% and skimmed the rest. Because honestly I didn't care, and I figured I already knew what was going to happen. And spoiler alert: I was right in having it figured out. 
So 2 stars felt quite generous. 

**Thank you netgalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy. My opinion is my own.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, and Pedophilia

talesoftammy's review against another edition

I had a really hard time staying interested in this story. I LOVE historical fiction and I know they can sometimes be slow to start in order to relay necessary background to the reader, but after 82pgs there was no picking up the pace for me.

I did not connect to the characters at all, did not find myself really caring where the story went. I was just….bored. Every time I picked it up it was feeling like a chore and I had no desire to continue reading to find out where the story was going to go. I also found the scene when Evie was young and had to go on stage in skimpy clothes disturbing and I don’t want to read scenes like that.

Thank you to St Martins Press, Sarah Bird, and NetGalley for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.