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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
This was interesting I never realized his sister was so famous.
Ecstatic does not even begin to describe how I felt upon hearing about a new book featuring Adele Astaire, the sister and frequent dance partner of Fred.
About the book: “USA Today bestselling author Eliza Knight returns with a story full of glitz and glam as she delves into the life of Adele Astaire, a spirited and talented woman who served up smiles and love both on and off the stage—with and without her also famous brother Fred Astaire— along with a determined young dancer with rags-to-riches dreams.”
Before Fred Astaire danced in movies with Ginger Rogers, his long time dance partner was his older sister, Adele. For decades they danced and performed together on Broadway. They were popular in New York and overseas as well. Their star could not have been any more on the rise when Adele meets Lord Charles Cavendish. With that, she chooses to retire from performing and put family first.
Starring Adele Astaire is also the story of Violet, a friend of Adele’s, who is also a dancer. Adele mentors and teaches her all she knows.
I absolutely loved this delightful book full of the glitz and glamour of the roaring 20s, Broadway, and the classic movies and musicals I love so much from that time. Eliza Knight’s immersive storytelling plucks you right into the lives and loves of these characters. Highly recommended. Now I’m off to google any recorded performances by Adele.
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
About the book: “USA Today bestselling author Eliza Knight returns with a story full of glitz and glam as she delves into the life of Adele Astaire, a spirited and talented woman who served up smiles and love both on and off the stage—with and without her also famous brother Fred Astaire— along with a determined young dancer with rags-to-riches dreams.”
Before Fred Astaire danced in movies with Ginger Rogers, his long time dance partner was his older sister, Adele. For decades they danced and performed together on Broadway. They were popular in New York and overseas as well. Their star could not have been any more on the rise when Adele meets Lord Charles Cavendish. With that, she chooses to retire from performing and put family first.
Starring Adele Astaire is also the story of Violet, a friend of Adele’s, who is also a dancer. Adele mentors and teaches her all she knows.
I absolutely loved this delightful book full of the glitz and glamour of the roaring 20s, Broadway, and the classic movies and musicals I love so much from that time. Eliza Knight’s immersive storytelling plucks you right into the lives and loves of these characters. Highly recommended. Now I’m off to google any recorded performances by Adele.
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
A charming and entertaining read.
Every year I have hummingbirds take up residence in the tree in my backyard. It usually ends up being only a single bird that has fought off all the others to claim the tree as his own. This year, I have a pair that seem to be attached to each other somehow. They flit around the tree and often “dance” among the branches. After reading Starring Adele Astaire by Eliza Knight, I have named them Freddie and Delly.
Starring Adele Astaire recounts the life of the lesser-known Astaire sibling, from her first journey to London in her mid-twenties through her second marriage after WWII. She and her younger brother Fred Astaire danced together from the time they were children on the vaudeville circuit to become one of the most famous dance duos the world has ever known. But, Fred Astaire became the more famous of the pair, with a dance legacy that lives on today.
I must admit, I knew nothing about Adele until reading this novel and I was amazed at the fantastic life she led. She dated princes and socialized with the ultra-elite of American and British society. But, deep down all she wanted was to marry and have a family of her own. She gave up her dance career in 1932 after dancing with Fred for 27 years and married Lord Charles Cavendish. Adele would suffer the death of four children – her first daughter born premature died shortly after birth, twin boys were stillborn two years later, and at age 42 her final pregnancy resulted in a miscarriage. The tragic losses of her children left her depressed and feeling as a failure, often wondering if she should have continued her career instead of trying to have a family. Lord Cavendish was an alcoholic that would lose his life at the age of 38 from long-term alcohol poisoning.
Adele utilized her fame and good fortune to help others during WWII, first opening the Cavendish castle Lismore to act as a convalescent home for wounded service men and then later writing letters home for servicemen and providing dance lessons at the American Red Cross’s Rainbow Corner canteen. She would later marry Colonel Kingman Douglass who had recommended she join the Red Cross effort in London.
In the novel, Adele maintains a life-long friendship with Violet Wood. Violet hailed from the poverty-stricken East End of London and all she ever wanted was to be a dancer. Adele gave Violet her first break when she insisted she be added to the chorus line in her first London show Stop Flirting. Violet’s fame rose along with Adele during that show, but after her mother died, she left dancing to raise her young sister. Adele and Violet go for long periods of time when they don’t speak to each other, often embarrassed by their life circumstances. But when they do write or see each other, their bond remains strong. Eventually, Violet returns to the stage and her fame rises once again. Through all the ups and downs, the friendship between Adele and Violet endures.
I think the reason Adele Astaire has not received the attention of her younger brother Fred must be because she resigned from her dancing career to start a family and Fred continued to become an early film star. Starring Adele Astaire is a lovely tribute to a life well-lived and a woman, who by all accounts, was witty, funny, beautiful, compassionate, and strong-willed.
If you like strong female protagonists and learning about lesser-known historical figures, you will love Starring Adele Astaire.
Many thanks to Eliza Knight, HarperCollins Publishers, and NetGalley for an advanced review copy of this novel.
Every year I have hummingbirds take up residence in the tree in my backyard. It usually ends up being only a single bird that has fought off all the others to claim the tree as his own. This year, I have a pair that seem to be attached to each other somehow. They flit around the tree and often “dance” among the branches. After reading Starring Adele Astaire by Eliza Knight, I have named them Freddie and Delly.
Starring Adele Astaire recounts the life of the lesser-known Astaire sibling, from her first journey to London in her mid-twenties through her second marriage after WWII. She and her younger brother Fred Astaire danced together from the time they were children on the vaudeville circuit to become one of the most famous dance duos the world has ever known. But, Fred Astaire became the more famous of the pair, with a dance legacy that lives on today.
I must admit, I knew nothing about Adele until reading this novel and I was amazed at the fantastic life she led. She dated princes and socialized with the ultra-elite of American and British society. But, deep down all she wanted was to marry and have a family of her own. She gave up her dance career in 1932 after dancing with Fred for 27 years and married Lord Charles Cavendish. Adele would suffer the death of four children – her first daughter born premature died shortly after birth, twin boys were stillborn two years later, and at age 42 her final pregnancy resulted in a miscarriage. The tragic losses of her children left her depressed and feeling as a failure, often wondering if she should have continued her career instead of trying to have a family. Lord Cavendish was an alcoholic that would lose his life at the age of 38 from long-term alcohol poisoning.
Adele utilized her fame and good fortune to help others during WWII, first opening the Cavendish castle Lismore to act as a convalescent home for wounded service men and then later writing letters home for servicemen and providing dance lessons at the American Red Cross’s Rainbow Corner canteen. She would later marry Colonel Kingman Douglass who had recommended she join the Red Cross effort in London.
In the novel, Adele maintains a life-long friendship with Violet Wood. Violet hailed from the poverty-stricken East End of London and all she ever wanted was to be a dancer. Adele gave Violet her first break when she insisted she be added to the chorus line in her first London show Stop Flirting. Violet’s fame rose along with Adele during that show, but after her mother died, she left dancing to raise her young sister. Adele and Violet go for long periods of time when they don’t speak to each other, often embarrassed by their life circumstances. But when they do write or see each other, their bond remains strong. Eventually, Violet returns to the stage and her fame rises once again. Through all the ups and downs, the friendship between Adele and Violet endures.
I think the reason Adele Astaire has not received the attention of her younger brother Fred must be because she resigned from her dancing career to start a family and Fred continued to become an early film star. Starring Adele Astaire is a lovely tribute to a life well-lived and a woman, who by all accounts, was witty, funny, beautiful, compassionate, and strong-willed.
If you like strong female protagonists and learning about lesser-known historical figures, you will love Starring Adele Astaire.
Many thanks to Eliza Knight, HarperCollins Publishers, and NetGalley for an advanced review copy of this novel.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced reader copy of Starring Adele Astaire by Eliza Knight in exchange for a fair review. This will appear on Goodreads.
If you grew up watching classic musical films on Saturday afternoons, you know Fred Astaire. Many people might even know that Fred got his start in vaudeville with his sister Adele, but most probably don't know her story. With a cast of characters from the Royal Family of England, including the Prince of Wales and his brother, Bertie who would be eventually King, Kathleen Kennedy, The Mitford Sisters, and even a baby Queen Elizabeth, we get to take a peek inside Adele's storied life. Through wars, theatrical successes, and personal tragedy, we learn all about the stage, and life in New York and London.
This is a book that anyone with any interest in Fred and Adele would really enjoy. Its a grand historical fiction in its own right, but Adele was described as the 'talented one' in the family and a star who could have shone brighter than her famous brother. The only thing I didn't care for was the inclusion of the second storyline with Violet. There were no authors notes in the galley to explain why the character was there. It just felt like an unnecessary storyline overall. Maybe the book would have been short otherwise. I would have liked to read more of her later years.
I did really enjoy the snippets of newspaper gossip that opened each chapter, really lending the feel of the show business scene to the reader. It was fun.
Overall a solid 4*. Book club-able, clean, enjoyable, fascinating.
If you grew up watching classic musical films on Saturday afternoons, you know Fred Astaire. Many people might even know that Fred got his start in vaudeville with his sister Adele, but most probably don't know her story. With a cast of characters from the Royal Family of England, including the Prince of Wales and his brother, Bertie who would be eventually King, Kathleen Kennedy, The Mitford Sisters, and even a baby Queen Elizabeth, we get to take a peek inside Adele's storied life. Through wars, theatrical successes, and personal tragedy, we learn all about the stage, and life in New York and London.
This is a book that anyone with any interest in Fred and Adele would really enjoy. Its a grand historical fiction in its own right, but Adele was described as the 'talented one' in the family and a star who could have shone brighter than her famous brother. The only thing I didn't care for was the inclusion of the second storyline with Violet. There were no authors notes in the galley to explain why the character was there. It just felt like an unnecessary storyline overall. Maybe the book would have been short otherwise. I would have liked to read more of her later years.
I did really enjoy the snippets of newspaper gossip that opened each chapter, really lending the feel of the show business scene to the reader. It was fun.
Overall a solid 4*. Book club-able, clean, enjoyable, fascinating.
informative
lighthearted
slow-paced
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The challenge with writing historical fiction based on a real person is treading the line between telling a cohesive, compelling story and just listing facts about the person. The first half of Starring Adele Astaire was interesting, getting to know Adele and Violet and being immersed in the world of theatre.
However, the second half of the book felt more like a textbook cramming in stories from historical eras (i.e. the Great Depression and WWII), and jumping in time to include major events in Adele’s life. I lost interest in the book, and also ultimately didn’t understand the point of Violet’s character.
Content warning: miscarriage, stillbirth, infertility
However, the second half of the book felt more like a textbook cramming in stories from historical eras (i.e. the Great Depression and WWII), and jumping in time to include major events in Adele’s life. I lost interest in the book, and also ultimately didn’t understand the point of Violet’s character.
Content warning: miscarriage, stillbirth, infertility
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
As a big fan of old movies, I’ve watched Fred Astaire many times but I had no idea he and his older sister were an act for decades before he ventured out on his own, and in fact she was for a time an even bigger star than he was. A delightful read.