Eliza Knight brought the charismatic personality of Adele Astaire to life in this read. Loved reading about her meteoric rise to fame with her brother and her close relationship with her mom. Her vivacious approach to life endeared her fans, and me, many years later. The way she cared for people was so very evident … especially Violet, her mom, Freddie, and the wounded soldiers at the end.
The toll her dancing took on her body caused her much heartbreak and loss, yet certainly brought her joy as well. Her fame brought her back and forth from England to New York City frequently. So interesting reading about their grueling lengthy practices, their hopes that the audience will respond favorably, and their happiness when they have a new show to start was fascinating to me.
Reading about her relationships with the princes, the cad who followed, and finally Lord Charles Cavendish made her so very real to me. Juggling marriage with the career she had and wishing for children was such a challenge. She was the life of the party anytime she was out and definitely seemed to live her life to the fullest. Charle’s downward slide was so very painful, as was their last farewell. Her mother was an absolute Angel to care for him in Adele’s absence.
Loved the inclusion of other historical figures within the story - the princes, Kick Kennedy, Noel Coward, and others but my favorite by far was her dance with Shirley Temple.
Many many thanks to Eliza Knight, William Morrow, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this fascinating glimpse into the life of Adele Astaire. Please keep writing Eliza Knight!

Growing up watching movies with the talented Fred Astaire, made me excited to read this story of his sister Adele. I do not remember hearing of her, but she was as talented if not more than Fred if that is possible!

Eliza brings the era alive with historical tidbits pulled in as Adele goes from New York to London. With the event of the war and all the tragedies of that time, you are pulled through a journey of love and loss and all that entails...

This is a fascinating historical fiction novel about the sister of Fred Astaire. They rose to fame together, dancing and acting their way into the hearts of people internationally, before Adele chose to step out of the spotlight in order to have a family. I had never heard of Adele Astaire before, and I found this fascinating. The author did an excellent job researching the subject, and bringing her to life. If you are a fan of historical fiction, then this is one you will definitely want to check out.

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.

Book: Starring Adele Astaire
Author: Eliza Knight
Publisher: Harper Collins
Page Length: 395
Release Date: 06/06/2023
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars
Blog Rating: 5/5 Saltire Flags

This book is filled with glitz, ritz and glamour yet during so many historical events for our nation. This is during the century where the law was passed where women could finally vote in America. However, Americans suffered during the great stock market crash of 1929 which caused the Great Depression of the 1930’s. Furthermore, there was prohibition in the states which caused some bar-owners to look the other way and had people sneaking out for an illegal cocktail and a dance. It was soon the beginning of the second world war and a horrifying and frightening time for being brutally attacked by a Nazi dictator named Adolf Hitler! It was also a time when people were dancing dances that had names like the charleston, foxtrot and the jitterbug. People were also dancing at clubs called speakeasies with a group of well known socialites called the bright young things who were a bit flamboyant, outrageous, rebellious and decadent and oozed for attention!

1923 New York, USA/London, UK

This is a historical stand alone book that centers on Adele Astaire. She is the elder sister of the famous dancer, singer and actor Fred Astaire, whom most called Delly. What people did not realize is that they were a talented duo starting with vaudeville and Adele was originally the more famous and more in demand of the pair where most producers and directors just wanted Adele Astaire! She would not accept jobs unless her younger brother was included.The Astaire’s began to dance professionally Fred was five and Adele was eight years old, doing vaudeville and from there doing Broadway and the London stage. Fred was the more serious of the pair, where he paid much detail to rehearsals and being on time etc. This is where Adele gives him the name Moaning Minnie and she being so easygoing he called her Good-Time Charlie! He even gives her this credit in 1981 for his career claiming she was the real shining star shortly after her death with his lifetime achievement award.

Ms. Knight also centers this novel on her fictional character Violet Wood, who is practicing her heart out with dance moves and unsuccessfully trying to get into show business while she works as a cocktail waitress. Her mother is very unsupportive of her career, yet when she finally gets her first big break-it is all due to Adele Astaire’s support! The problem is Violet is kicked out of her home at age eighteen,’’ but worries about her six year old sister Pris. Violet still sends them money due from guilt and her love for her baby sister. Her mother feared Violet would make the same mistakes she herself had made as a young teenage girl herself. Not to say her mother was wrong as many producers and managers did take advantage of younger women in show business. Luckily Adele could avoid this since she had Fred, who was also her protector as they got older and their mother was not around. Adele luckily never had to deal with producers and managers much with empty promises or to take advantage of her. However one cannot not say one never tried to grab or pinch her inappropriately, as this was part of the business they were in unfortunately.

At the point where Adele and Violet meet, the Astaire’s are rich successful stars and were served everything they wanted on a silver platter. Where Violet was living in poverty, and hoping no one recognized her worn stockings, sleepless nights and how Violet kept being rejected at dance auditions. It also shows how Adele helps her career and how they truly had a sisterly love for each other and had this extremely close friendship their entire lives. The problem with Adele is she had been feeling something was missing from her life even though she was so successful in her show business career. She secretly wanted what most women want which was a husband and children but did not know how to voice her opinion. She thought why can't she have it all but she is ready to start a new chapter when she falls head over heels for an English aristocrat . My favorite part of this book is when Adele Astaire meets Shirley Temple!

I won't go into specific details but it is definitely another emotional, gripping, action packed, Eliza Knight book that made me cry. I don’t cry easily, but this novel is definitely a touching, heartstring puller! It shows how sometimes wealth and fame is not enough to keep a woman satisfied while still feeling something is missing in her desires. Yet with so many roadblocks in life for both Adele and Violet and in both of their lives. As with anyone there are good times along with bad times, though I sometimes wonder how Adele held on without a good therapist, but I think her close relationship with her brother and mother helped in that area.

It is an unforgettable book that every reader will absolutely love, but it will stay with you long after you have read it from cover to cover! Definitely expect many heart strings to be pulled in this dazzling gripping stand alone book that I definitely will read again! It is not an autobiography, but follows the Astaire's life pretty closely as the research Knight did for this novel was superb. Of course the fictional parts were excellent too and I love the two opposites one of wealth and one penniless and how they both reach for the stars though it is a very slippery slope. I highly recommend this novel as I hope you will be dazzled and swept away into the twentieth century as I was!

Disclaimer: I received an advance readers copy from the publisher. I voluntarily agreed to do an honest, fair, review and blog through netgalley. This reviewer always follows Amazon’s guidelines to help other reviewers. All words, thoughts and ideas are my own.

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I can’t hold back and I have to start by saying that this one has already topped my list of the “best of 2023,” and not because I know the author personally. No, it’s because if you can make me cry – not once, not twice, but FOUR times – plus make me truly laugh out loud – once while crying and the second time at a perfect pun in the epilogue’s title – then you deserve to be my #1 favorite of the year. Yes, I know the year isn’t over yet, and who knows but maybe another book will usurp this title, but it will have to be really outstanding to do so! And yes, I know, I could end my review right here, but don’t you want to know what else I thought of this book? Of course, you do, so…

Again, it isn’t because I know the author personally that I wanted to read this novel. You see, I grew up on musical theater, which my dearly departed mother instilled it in me from a very young age (together with a love of opera, but that’s another story), especially Broadway musicals. She even had an extensive collection of original Broadway cast vinyl albums, that she played all the time. Together with that, she also loved watching film musicals whenever they were on TV or she could get to a movie theater to see one. Obviously, that meant that I saw many Fred Astaire films, and to my mind, to this day, no other male dancer can hold a candle to his creativity and talent, from any genre. Added to this, I adore a biographical fiction novel that focuses on the lesser-known women. You may recall that in 2020 I read the book “Adele” by Nicola Cassidy, which was good but… not great for me. So, you can imagine how glad I was to find there was going to be another book about her.

The biggest difference between these two books is that Cassidy’s book really focuses on when Adele is a very little girl and her growing up, and then she includes two more timelines. Knight, thankfully, tells her story chronologically, starting from a place where Adele and Fred are already stars. Then she adds any needed flashbacks within the narrative. Yes, Knight does have alternating story lines – one with Adele and one with the fictional dancer/singer/actress Violet Wood – but they’re told in parallel and chronologically. What I like about this mechanic is that we don’t have to wonder if Adele is a reliable narrator or not, since Violet’s story helps to corroborate or dispel any questionable aspects of Adele’s narrative. The overall effect here is that as the story unfolds, we are able witness how Adele approaches her life, discovers who she really is, and what she really wants. That makes this a far more personal, and in-depth version of Adele. Plus, we see her go through both triumphs and tragedies, which makes her all the more human.

Overall, I’m glad I read Cassidy’s novel, as that gave me some background to build upon. But Knight uses this foundation and turns it into a truly three-dimensional structure. I’m not saying that Cassidy’s novel was flat, but it just didn’t pull on my heartstrings, whereas Knight got me involved hook, line, and sinker! As I already said, if you can make me cry (and this was some true bawling for me), and laugh as well, there’s no way I can reduce my star rating by even a quarter of a star. If you like musical theater, if you like rags to riches stories, if you like romance, if you like biographical women’s fiction, and if you like a good historical fiction novel (and yes, we do get some WWII here), at this moment, there just isn’t a new book I could recommend more than this one!

Set in the early part of the 20th Century, the story follows Fred and Adele Astaire as they rise to international stardom. Surrounded by the glitz and glam of New York and Hollywood this is a fun ride with this brother and sister team as they dance their way into the hearts of fans in two countries. There are famous friends and over the top parties and colorful supporting characters. We learn that while close, brother and sister had very different approaches to performing and increasingly different goals for life. Adele wants more than a life on stage and marries an English man, but life doesn't always turn out the way we'd like...even for someone like Adele Astaire.

Adele Astair has a famous brother, Fred. She dances with Fred and becomes the toast of the town. However, she dreams of a loving husband and a houseful of children. When she meets a man she thinks could fill that bill, can she find happiness? She and her friend Violet Wood dance their way into fame. The story follows the two women as they dance their way into fame and through the ages.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and WIlliam Morrow for my copy of Starring Adele Astaire by Eliza Knight in exchange for an honest review. It publishes June 6, 2023.
First off, I didn't even know Adele Astaire existed! When I first heard about this title, I thought it would be about his wife! Much to my surprise, (not to mention delight), I found out it was about his wonderful and talented older sister, Adele. Oh, how I just adored this book. I loved the way the writing was done, between two characters. I loved all the history I learned from this book, I loved that it had me researching related topics!
This was just one of the best historical fiction books I've read in awhile. I am very bored of most books that have WWII but I felt like this was a fresh take, as it was only part of the timeline.
The only thing I felt was lacking was an author's note, or historical note, those are so fun to read from the author!

I’m a big lover of movie musicals, and especially of dancers like Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire, so I knew a bit of history going into this book. According to a biography I read of Adele’s famous brother, she was the real talent who could have gone just as far as Fred in the movies if she wanted to. The problem was, she didn’t want that.

Told in two different narratives, Adele’s first-person narrative, and a third person narrative of an East End dancer named Violet, I found that I didn’t like the format much even though I was enjoying the story. Violet’s story was interesting, but sometimes I didn’t feel like it belonged in a book about Astele Astaire; it felt like padding out the story. Later on in the story it made more sense, but in the beginning Violet seemed superfluous.

As I’d mentioned, Adele was the better dancer, and was funny and vivacious and real showstopper in real life, yet there were only a few times I felt that personality come through in the book.

Adele had been dancing with her brother since they were little kids on the vaudeville stage and wanted to settle down and have kids. As she neared age thirty, she wondered if she’d ever have the opportunity to meet a suitable man. As she and Fred travelled from Broadway to London and everywhere in-between, she realized how much she loved England. Through the course of the book, she falls in love with two men, but you could tell William, her first beau, wasn’t going to last. Much more interesting was the man that became her husband, with all the complexities a real relationship has.

While I overall enjoyed this story, I sure wish there had been some author’s notes at the end of the book to get to know Adele better; I feel like the story just scratched the surface of her character at times. And in case you’re wondering, Fred only makes brief appearances, which is fine, because enough is known about him, and this is his sister’s story.

I received an advanced reader’s copy from NetGalley and William Morrow in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

STARRING ADELE ASTAIRE
BY: ELIZA KNIGHT

I grew up watching old black and white movies featuring Fred Astaire dancing with Ginger Rogers. I never knew until reading, "Starring Adele Astaire," written by Eliza Knight that Fred had an older sister named Adele. She calls him Freddie, throughout this historical novel, and Fred calls his older sister Adele the nickname "Delly." The novel begins in the 1920's with both Fred Astaire, Adele Astaire, and their mother boarding an ocean liner heading for London. All three of them arrive in London where Freddie, and Delly will perform in the theater their dancing performances with both of them as the main attraction.

Violet is a poor girl from the slums in the East end, who also wants to dance and be a part of the show. Adele helps Violet get hired as one of the chorus girls in their show, and a life long friendship is born. Violet has a young sister who she adores, who is much younger. All three of them live in a rundown tenement, until Violet's mother, who isn't very nice to her kicks Violet out. She shares an apartment with another young woman.

Adele has a romantic relationship with the Prince of Wales, but it doesn't last. Fred is a stickler for Adele, and himself to rehearse quite frequently, when him and Adele aren't performing with the rest of the dancers at night. Frequently, Adele and Fred would be out until the early hours of the next day socializing, and drinking alcoholic beverages, since in London there isn't Prohibition like the United States.

Adele often talks of doing so much rehearsing, and actually performing with Fred until her bones ache. There is only one question of one time throughout that Adele asks about Ginger. During at least the 1920's, their shows featured the brother and sister duet as just Fred, and Adele as the main attraction, with the chorus dancers performing together in the theater. They go back and forth between London, and New York City to perform, and are quite successful. Their mother accompanied them.

Adele dreams of retiring from their dancing and shows to wanting to settle down getting married, and having children. She finally meets the love of her life Lord Charles Cavendish. He treats Adele with kindness, and respect. He ends up coming to New York City, where the two of them go out on dates, and he pays for their dinners out, and Adele's brother Fred, and their mother approve of the two as a couple, unlike Adele's former fiance who expected her to pay for everything.

Lord Charles Cavendish's father is a Duke, and his mother doesn't approve of Adele, but that doesn't stop the two of them from getting married. Adele is the one who proposed. They end up living in Ireland in a family owned estate. Charlie drinks alcohol putting his health at risk. Their first child together only lived for a few hours. They tried continuously to have more children together, but it was not to be. They had a very loving marriage.

I don't want to say too much more, and spoil it for those who are considering reading this. I will say that I loved it, and it was engrossing, as well as fascinating. It took me two sittings to finish it, reading approximately 50% each time I picked it up. I learned a lot that I hadn't known, so I was compelled to want to continue reading, not wanting to put it down. Don't worry there is a lot of material to discover for yourself. This author's writing style was to switch from first person to third person, but it's easy to understand when this happens. I really enjoyed this historical novel. and at no point during reading this was it slow, nor was I ever bored. I highly recommend this to those interested in historical fiction or famous people.

Publication Date: June 6, 2023

Thank you to Net Galley, Eliza Knight and William Morrow--William Morrow Paperbacks for generously providing me with my ARC, in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are entirely my own.

#StarringAdeleAstaire #ElizaKnight #WilliamMorrowWilliamMorrowPaperbacks #NetGalley

I really enjoyed this historical fiction novel. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this as an ARC. Of course I had heard of Fred Astaire- even if I had never actually seen any of his performances. However, it is sadly all too typical that I had never heard of his sister, Adele. That could be due to her being female, or due to the fact that she chose not to go the Hollywood route while he did- or it’s most likely a mixture of both. This was an enjoyable story, focusing on Adele Astaire (and to a lesser degree Fred and their mother) and also has a storyline involving a successful star of the London stage, Violet Wood. I found the friendship between Adele and Violet to be interesting. Adele and Violet both worked very hard for their success, and sacrificed much to get to the top. I learned a lot about how performing and fame worked in the era before movies.
I also enjoyed reading about how each woman passed WW2 in the UK and their efforts to help the war effort. It did seem perhaps slightly too long. However, it wasn’t an issue and overall the storyline kept my attention. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction based on real characters, or who enjoys learning about dance and theater in bygone eras.

This is a fabulous book. It is a historical fiction story that has so many true events woven throughout. It does have a bit of a slow start to give you the background on Adele and her brother Freddie. It is so well researched that I found myself wanting to know more certain events and people, especially during the war. The characters go through so many highs and lows. A good reminder that even the famous have devastating events happen to them that they struggle over come. It is a sign of a well written story that when you close the book, your mind is still replaying it.

I hadn’t known much about Adele Astaire other than she married a British aristocrat. Since this is a novel, I have to wonder how accurate Adele’s feelings are portrayed. I did Google her to learn a few basics.
In the story, she felt her parents pushed her and brother Fred to perform. Her mother controlled her even as a married adult. She questioned whether she wanted to perform.
Interesting tidbits are included, such as her daily need of new stockings, or weekly new shoes, because hers wore out so fast. Her husband’s alcoholism led to his early death. She lost three babies. She lived in London during the Blitz. Her life was certainly unique.

I really enjoyed this book. I didn't know a lot about Adele Astaire beforehand, but I found her character well-rounded and evoking sympathy. The story was engrossing and I wanted more.

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.

Starring Adele Astaire by Eliza Knight - Adele was born in Omaha 3 year before her brother. At the urging of her dance instructors, eight year old Adele and her five-year-old brother, Freddie, moved to New York to pursue a career on stage. As young adults, they hit Broadway and began a whirlwind career on the stage. Much more outgoing than her brother Fred, her charisma and stage presence made her a popular star, both in the US and in London where they burst onto the scene in the 1920s. Knight is a fabulous writer who weaves together a fascinating tale of family, dedication, the relentless pursuit of dreams, friendship and love. I absolutely loved this book!

Thank you to William Morrow and to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Where should I start? I love old musicals and Historical Fiction, so when I saw this book I knew it was a must read. My Grandmother was a big Fred Astaire fan and she told me that "before he danced with Ginger Rogers he danced with his sister, Adele". I didn't know anything about her other than that.

This book was great. I loved learning about Adele and her life, I also enjoyed learning about her relationship with Lord Charles Cavendish.

This book was really fun. I am sure I will read it again, and reccomend it to the Historical Fiction readers that come into the library.

What a delight! Adele Astaire danced her way into my heart in this juicy historical fiction by Eliza Knight. As a child, I loved watching elegant and lavish old musicals featuring Fred Astaire dancing with Ginger Rogers. But I never knew about his first dance partner, his sister Adele. Since she danced before the Hollywood era of films, her beautiful work is lost forever. And though I never saw her dance, I have NO doubts it was indeed beautiful. She was considered more of a star than Fred, so I can’t imagine how dazzling she must have been.

From the Roaring ‘20s to the early 1950s, I loved learning about Adele as a person. Dipping into the Astaires' magical world of fame and fortune was sheer fun. I felt like I had a front-row seat to remarkable talent that soared from rags to riches, eventually earning elite advantages, including friendships with royalty.

The story of Adele’s relationship with Lord Charles Cavendish was romantic, frustrating, and heartbreaking. So many of her dreams and desires shattered while she stood helplessly by. No matter how successful she was, she couldn’t succeed in overcoming the poor choices of others.

The storyline about her friendship with a rising young dance star, Violet, was intriguing too. Both women are fearless and determined, willing to make serious sacrifices for what they love. Both have to weigh their priorities many times along the way and sometimes I was surprised by their choices.

Fame, friendship, sacrifices, sibling relationships, motherhood, dysfunctional relationships, sexual discrimination, and the advantages of wealth and talent all make appearances on the stage of this book. It is transporting. And you’ll want to watch an old Fred Astaire musical before you finish its pages.

Fantastic book! I was given an ARC and really enjoyed the story. The characters were well written and I felt like they were well developed. It is a time period I read often, but this was a different viewpoint. Highly recommend.