Listen free for 30 days
-
The Spectacular
- A Novel
- Narrated by: Rachel L. Jacobs, Kimberly Farr
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for $26.22
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
You may also enjoy...
-
The Chelsea Girls
- A Novel
- Written by: Fiona Davis
- Narrated by: Kirsten Potter, Hillary Huber
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the dramatic redbrick facade to the sweeping staircase dripping with art, the Chelsea Hotel has long been New York City's creative oasis for the many artists, writers, musicians, actors, filmmakers, and poets who have called it home - a scene playwright Hazel Riley and actress Maxine Mead are determined to use to their advantage. Yet they soon discover that the greatest obstacle to putting up a show on Broadway has nothing to do with their art and everything to do with politics. A Red scare is sweeping across America, and Senator McCarthy has started a witch hunt for Communists.
-
-
The Chelsey Girls
- By Sharron padden on 2019-10-26
Written by: Fiona Davis
-
The Address
- A Novel
- Written by: Fiona Davis
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld, Brittany Pressley
- Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When a chance encounter with Theodore Camden, one of the architects of the grand New York apartment house the Dakota, leads to a job offer for Sara Smythe, her world is suddenly awash in possibility - no mean feat for a servant in 1884. The opportunity to move to America. The opportunity to be the female manager of the Dakota. And the opportunity to see more of Theo, who understands Sara like no one else...and is living in the Dakota with his wife and three young children.
-
-
Very intriguing and week written
- By stillalbertaone on 2023-06-05
Written by: Fiona Davis
-
The Phoenix Crown
- A Novel
- Written by: Kate Quinn, Janie Chang
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld, Katharine Chin
- Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
San Francisco, 1906. In a city bustling with newly minted millionaires and scheming upstarts, two very different women hope to change their fortunes: Gemma, a golden-haired, silver-voiced soprano whose career desperately needs rekindling, and Suling, a petite and resolute Chinatown embroideress who is determined to escape an arranged marriage. Their paths cross when they are drawn into the orbit of Henry Thornton, a charming railroad magnate whose extraordinary collection of Chinese antiques includes the fabled Phoenix Crown, a legendary relic of Beijing’s fallen Summer Palace.
-
-
Great Novel
- By Gail Nameth on 2024-02-22
Written by: Kate Quinn, and others
-
Switchboard Soldiers
- A Novel
- Written by: Jennifer Chiaverini
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 14 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Chiaverini, a bold, revelatory novel about one of the great untold stories of World War I—the women of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, who broke down gender barriers in the military and battled a pandemic as they helped lead the Allies to victory.
-
-
History Told
- By Anonymous User on 2024-01-31
Written by: Jennifer Chiaverini
-
Next Year in Havana
- Written by: Chanel Cleeton
- Narrated by: Kyla Garcia, Frankie Maria Corzo
- Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Havana, 1958. The daughter of a sugar baron, 19-year-old Elisa Perez is part of Cuba's high society, where she is largely sheltered from the country's growing political unrest - until she embarks on a clandestine affair with a passionate revolutionary...Miami, 2017. Freelance writer Marisol Ferrera grew up hearing romantic stories of Cuba from her late grandmother Elisa, who was forced to flee during the revolution. Arriving in Havana, Marisol comes face-to-face with the contrast of Cuba's tropical, timeless beauty and its perilous political climate.
-
-
Brought me back to Cuba
- By marcplouffe on 2018-08-03
Written by: Chanel Cleeton
-
The Magnolia Palace
- A Novel
- Written by: Fiona Davis
- Narrated by: Karissa Vacker
- Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Eight months since losing her mother in the Spanish flu outbreak of 1919, 21-year-old Lillian Carter's life has completely fallen apart. For the past six years, under the moniker Angelica, Lillian was one of the most sought-after artists' models in New York City, with statues based on her figure gracing landmarks from the Plaza Hotel to the Brooklyn Bridge
-
-
Pleasant light listening
- By JBR on 2023-02-25
Written by: Fiona Davis
-
The Chelsea Girls
- A Novel
- Written by: Fiona Davis
- Narrated by: Kirsten Potter, Hillary Huber
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the dramatic redbrick facade to the sweeping staircase dripping with art, the Chelsea Hotel has long been New York City's creative oasis for the many artists, writers, musicians, actors, filmmakers, and poets who have called it home - a scene playwright Hazel Riley and actress Maxine Mead are determined to use to their advantage. Yet they soon discover that the greatest obstacle to putting up a show on Broadway has nothing to do with their art and everything to do with politics. A Red scare is sweeping across America, and Senator McCarthy has started a witch hunt for Communists.
-
-
The Chelsey Girls
- By Sharron padden on 2019-10-26
Written by: Fiona Davis
-
The Address
- A Novel
- Written by: Fiona Davis
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld, Brittany Pressley
- Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When a chance encounter with Theodore Camden, one of the architects of the grand New York apartment house the Dakota, leads to a job offer for Sara Smythe, her world is suddenly awash in possibility - no mean feat for a servant in 1884. The opportunity to move to America. The opportunity to be the female manager of the Dakota. And the opportunity to see more of Theo, who understands Sara like no one else...and is living in the Dakota with his wife and three young children.
-
-
Very intriguing and week written
- By stillalbertaone on 2023-06-05
Written by: Fiona Davis
-
The Phoenix Crown
- A Novel
- Written by: Kate Quinn, Janie Chang
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld, Katharine Chin
- Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
San Francisco, 1906. In a city bustling with newly minted millionaires and scheming upstarts, two very different women hope to change their fortunes: Gemma, a golden-haired, silver-voiced soprano whose career desperately needs rekindling, and Suling, a petite and resolute Chinatown embroideress who is determined to escape an arranged marriage. Their paths cross when they are drawn into the orbit of Henry Thornton, a charming railroad magnate whose extraordinary collection of Chinese antiques includes the fabled Phoenix Crown, a legendary relic of Beijing’s fallen Summer Palace.
-
-
Great Novel
- By Gail Nameth on 2024-02-22
Written by: Kate Quinn, and others
-
Switchboard Soldiers
- A Novel
- Written by: Jennifer Chiaverini
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 14 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Chiaverini, a bold, revelatory novel about one of the great untold stories of World War I—the women of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, who broke down gender barriers in the military and battled a pandemic as they helped lead the Allies to victory.
-
-
History Told
- By Anonymous User on 2024-01-31
Written by: Jennifer Chiaverini
-
Next Year in Havana
- Written by: Chanel Cleeton
- Narrated by: Kyla Garcia, Frankie Maria Corzo
- Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Havana, 1958. The daughter of a sugar baron, 19-year-old Elisa Perez is part of Cuba's high society, where she is largely sheltered from the country's growing political unrest - until she embarks on a clandestine affair with a passionate revolutionary...Miami, 2017. Freelance writer Marisol Ferrera grew up hearing romantic stories of Cuba from her late grandmother Elisa, who was forced to flee during the revolution. Arriving in Havana, Marisol comes face-to-face with the contrast of Cuba's tropical, timeless beauty and its perilous political climate.
-
-
Brought me back to Cuba
- By marcplouffe on 2018-08-03
Written by: Chanel Cleeton
-
The Magnolia Palace
- A Novel
- Written by: Fiona Davis
- Narrated by: Karissa Vacker
- Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Eight months since losing her mother in the Spanish flu outbreak of 1919, 21-year-old Lillian Carter's life has completely fallen apart. For the past six years, under the moniker Angelica, Lillian was one of the most sought-after artists' models in New York City, with statues based on her figure gracing landmarks from the Plaza Hotel to the Brooklyn Bridge
-
-
Pleasant light listening
- By JBR on 2023-02-25
Written by: Fiona Davis
Publisher's Summary
From the New York Times Bestselling Author of The Magnolia Palace: A thrilling story about love, sacrifice, and the pursuit of dreams, set amidst the glamour and glitz of Radio City Music Hall in its mid-century heyday.
New York City, 1956: Nineteen-year-old Marion Brooks knows she should be happy. Her high school sweetheart is about to propose and sweep her off to the life everyone has always expected they’d have together: a quiet house in the suburbs, Marion staying home to raise their future children. But instead, Marion finds herself feeling trapped. So when she comes across an opportunity to audition for the famous Radio City Rockettes—the glamorous precision-dancing troupe—she jumps at the chance to exchange her predictable future for the dazzling life of a performer.
Meanwhile, the city is reeling from a string of bombings orchestrated by a person the press has nicknamed the “Big Apple Bomber,” who has been terrorizing the citizens of New York for sixteen years by planting bombs in popular, crowded spaces. With the public in an uproar over the lack of any real leads after a yearslong manhunt, the police turn in desperation to Peter Griggs, a young doctor at a local mental hospital who espouses a radical new technique: psychological profiling.
As both Marion and Peter find themselves unexpectedly pulled in to the police search for the bomber, Marion realizes that as much as she’s been training herself to blend in—performing in perfect unison with all the other identical Rockettes—if she hopes to catch the bomber, she’ll need to stand out and take a terrifying risk. In doing so, she may be forced to sacrifice everything she’s worked for, as well as the people she loves the most.
What the critics say
“This propulsive novel is a fast-paced race throughout 1950s New York City to stop a deadly bomber from striking again. Set against the backdrop of the legendary Radio City Music Hall, Fiona Davis brings some of New York City’s most memorable landmarks to life as a Rockette is entangled in the mystery of the “Big Apple Bomber” who is terrorizing the city.” —CrimeReads
"An engaging story…the novel is rich with historical details, and it comes most vividly to life in the passages about the Rockettes, with all the sweat, agony, and camaraderie that go into those miraculously perfect performances.” —Kirkus
"Fiona Davis just gets better and better! Nineteen-year-old dance teacher Marion, feeling trapped by her straitlaced father and her upcoming engagement, impulsively auditions for the Rockettes and is soon flung into a sequined world of grueling rehearsals, stage glitter, and four shows per day. When an anonymous bomber targets Radio City Music Hall, Marion's glittering new life reveals a dangerous dark side and she is flung into the search for a killer—but how can a kick-line dancer help save the city she loves? The Spectacular dazzles from start to finish." —Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Diamond Eye
More from the same
What listeners say about The Spectacular
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- melt72
- 2023-07-18
Excellent
I thoroughly enjoyed this story, as well as the historic NYC references. I like that at the end, an explanation of the inspirations for the story are discussed. I had never heard about this story before!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!