Songs in Ursa Major

felt empty and tired.

Curtis had come to see what they d all come to see: Jesse Reid ushering in a new epoch for the dying genre. As if on cue, the dancing girls began to sing Reid s breakout single, their voices tremulous with excitement.

My girl s got beads of red and yellow,

Her eyes are starry bright.

Their feverish giggles recalled Curtis to the time a young Elvis Presley had played his high school in Gladewater, Texas, back in 55. Eighteen-­year-­old Buddy Holly ­obsessed Curtis had watched girls he d known since kindergarten openly weep, swept away by the fantasy that Elvis might choose them. The full Bye Bye Birdie. That was the power of a true rock star.

Soft-­spoken Jesse Reid s persona couldn t have been more different from Elvis s, but Reid seemed to inspire the same devotion in his fans. He had the cowboy baritone of Kris Kristofferson (but Reid s sounded effortless), and the lyrical guitar skills of Paul Simon ­plus, he was taller than both, with blue eyes that, according to Curtis s guilty pleasure Snitch Magazine, were the color of medium stonewash Levi s.

She makes me feel so sweet and mellow,

She makes me feel all right.

Sweet and Mellow was a Snickers bar of a song; to hear it was to crave it. Hands down the hit of the summer, it had been holding in Billboard s top ten for eighteen weeks. Curtis had been tracking Reid since he opened for Fair Play at Wembley Stadium the previous year ­but this single from Reid s self-­titled album had turned him from fringe hero to mainstream sensation overnight.

And tonight, Reid would take his place as the heir apparent to folk rock.

The crowd broke i

other, for performing, and above all for their music makes for splashy, engrossing reading. Songs in Ursa Major is pure sun-soaked summer fun."
Kate Quinn, bestselling author of The Alice Network

"Buzzy... If you re missing live music, look no further than Songs in Ursa Major by Emma Brodie."
Real Simple

"Brodie captures the early- 70s singer/songwriter scene in intricate detail, chronicling the ups and downs of the lives of working musicians the grind of touring, the strain of recording, the joy of performing. But it s also a novel about the inner life of a talented, unique woman determined to maintain her identity, even if it means sacrificing her chance at stardom."
Nanette Donohue, The News-Gazette

"Entrancing This superbly crafted debut novel immerses readers in a story of family, love, and music from the first page. Brodie makes a point about the destructive force of drug abuse, and bears witness to unsavory business practices in the music industry. This book would make a wonderful movie; readers will long for an album of Jane s songs to go with it.
Library Journal, starred

"Inspired by the folk rock scene of the late 1960s and '70s, Brodie s debut novel follows Jane Quinn, an ethereal and talented musician, as she navigates love, loss, and stardom... Brodie thoughtfully probes the different ways men and women were treated in the music industry: the men coddled and protected in the face of their faults while the women (especially rule breakers like Jane) were taken advantage of, undercut, and vilified... Brodie s writing about music, family, and grief elevates the novel. An enjoyable debut that will appeal to fans of this iconic era."
Kirkus

"Moving from New York to Los Angeles to Greece to the Grammys... Brodie's debut is a furious page turner, meditating on the glittering beast of fame."
Booklist

In this spirited and fearless debut, Emma Brodie gets right to the heart of the matter: what and who will we sacrifice for art? Who has power over the stories we tell? What secrets will we keep for the people who love us? Like a perfect summer song, Songs in Ursa Major breathes new life into a familiar tune and will work its way into your heart and not let go.
  Cynthia D Aprix Sweeney, New York Times bestselling author of The Nest and Good Company

"Emma Brodie is a gifted storyteller, taking us from exhilaration to heartbreak and back again, all the while tackling issues of sexism in the music industry, the stigma of mental illness, and the way artistry can cost us fame and vice versa. I loved this book."
Angie Kim, author of Miracle Creek

"Songs in Ursa Major reads like sexy, confessional liner notes to the age of the singer-songwriter. Emma Brodie sieves through history to give us a behind-the-scenes, behind-closed-doors view of an aspiring singer s tumultuous rise to fame. But if Jane Quinn and Jesse Reid will be familiar to fans of Joni Mitchell and James Taylor, they are also intimate and sparklingly original. A drenching, delicious and impressive debut.
Paula McLain, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Wife and When the Stars Go Dark

"I ve never read a book that so uniquely captures the experience of creativity and the shimmering coolness of being in a recording studio as music history is made.  Emma Brodie perfectly channels the languorous romance of the time and the beautiful struggle of an artistic soul trying to break free.  So many of the passages throughout Songs in Ursa Major are such pure poetry, I got chills as I read them.  I could drink a case of this book, and I d still be on my feet."
Kevin Kwan, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Crazy Rich Asians

"Songs in Ursa Major takes us on a propulsive journey: the rocky rise to stardom of a young singer songwriter who is as talented as she is beautiful, as vulnerable as she is ambitious, and as complicated as she is charismatic. Sexy, atmospheric, and entertaining this novel is pure joy on the page.
Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train