In 1969, all eyes were on the Bayleen Island Folk Fest as Jesse Reid was getting ready to perform. His star was already on the rise but the festival performance was expected to launch him into the stratosphere. But when a motorcycle accident renders him unable to perform, local girl Jane Quinn and her band, The Breakers, get their break on the main stage.
While at first the crowd is angry that Jesse isn’t performing, Jane captures the crowd within the first few notes. She gives a star-making performance that quickly catches the eye of the music industry.
Jesse stays on Bayleen Island to recover from his injuries, and he and Jane become friends. As she and her band work on their first album and she encounters the sexism and capriciousness of the music industry, Jesse and Jane inspire each other musically and deeply connect on a personal and romantic level.
When Jane and The Breakers get the opportunity to open for Jesse on tour, the music they play is electric, and Jane’s star rises, both because of her talent and her proximity to Jesse. But both have dark secrets they are keeping from one another, and when it all becomes too much for Jane, she walks away, only to be inspired to create some iconic music.
I loved this book. I wondered if it would be similar to Daisy Jones and the Six, and while there are some parallels, this is a story all its own. Books about the music business and musicians hook me completely, and I tried so hard to imagine what the music must’ve sounded like.
Just excellent and atmospheric.
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