Atmosphere

In her last book, Taylor Jenkins Reid wrote about an aging tennis star making a comeback and I wondered if I’d be bored by the topic.  I ended up completely emotionally invested, fell in love with the story and characters and gave it 5 stars.

In her newest, she writes about the ‘80s space shuttle program and women’s battle to be accepted into NASA. Again I wondered if it would be dry, despite growing up in that era. I should’ve known that, just like the last book, I’d be on the edge of my seat, have all the feels about every character and be emotionally ransacked by the end!  

That’s the particular gift I think TJR possesses: no matter if her characters are likable or awful, she gives each one such dimension and depth that regardless of their choices, good or bad, I feel SOMETHING. If I can see the struggle behind why characters behave the way they do, I can work with that. Humans are complicated!

I loved Joan Goodwin’s journey from associate professor to astronaut, her emotionally-fraught relationship with her sister Beth, her maternal instincts for her niece Frances, and her friendships with her ASCAN (astronaut candidate) classmates Griff, Lydia, Donna, Hank and Vanessa. It’s with Vanessa that Joan discovers who she really is at a time when such relationships could cost both of them their dreams in the male-dominated NASA.

The book opens with an extremely dramatic event that grabbed me from the get-go, then jumped back several years allowing me to get to know Joan and the characters involved from the beginning of their NASA journey. That’s the bulk of the story, but throughout are snippets of the fallout and progression from that initial event to an ending that had me crying rivers!

Along with the nail-biting tension and tears, this also had so many quiet, gentle moments, and I truly loved every moment of it. Joan’s hidden relationship with Vanessa as well as the tender care she showed her precocious but vulnerable niece Frances were high points. I read this on my Kindle while listening to the audio narrated by Kristen DiMercurio, Julia Whelan and the author, who all did a wonderful job. I highly recommend both formats!

If you enjoy character-rich historical fiction, diversity, an exploration of sexual identity and women’s struggles for acceptance in the field of science, and a fascinating look at the workings of NASA and the space program in the 80's, TJR has delivered an excellent choice!

★★★★★

Thanks to Libby and my library for the Kindle and audio copies. This is out now.