My B*tches read Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid for our October selection. If you’re not familiar with this new novel, here’s a blurb from Amazon:
Joan Goodwin has been obsessed with the stars for as long as she can remember. Thoughtful and reserved, Joan is content with her life as a professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University and as aunt to her precocious niece, Frances. That is, until she comes across an advertisement seeking the first women scientists to join NASA’s space shuttle program. Suddenly, Joan burns to be one of the few people to go to space.
Selected from a pool of thousands of applicants in the summer of 1980, Joan begins training at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, alongside an exceptional group of fellow candidates: Top Gun pilot Hank Redmond and scientist John Griffin, who are kind and easygoing even when the stakes are highest; mission specialist Lydia Danes, who has worked too hard to play nice; warmhearted Donna Fitzgerald, who is navigating her own secrets; and Vanessa Ford, the magnetic and mysterious aeronautical engineer, who can fix any engine and fly any plane.
As the new astronauts become unlikely friends and prepare for their first flights, Joan finds a passion and a love she never imagined. In this new light, Joan begins to question everything she thinks she knows about her place in the observable universe.
Then, in December of 1984, on mission STS-LR9, it all changes in an instant.
Fast-paced, thrilling, and emotional, Atmosphere is Taylor Jenkins Reid at her best: transporting readers to iconic times and places, creating complex protagonists, and telling a passionate and soaring story about the transformative power of love—this time among the stars.
Taylor Jenkins Reid completely amazes me. She writes fiction in a way that is so convincing I often find myself believing these are actual events. She’s brilliant.
Without giving anything away, I can share that my book club girls all love Joan, Vanessa and Grif. We strongly dislike Barbara. All of the characters are incredibly well developed. Again, I had to Google these names to make sure they are not actual people. I believe Joan is loosely based on Sally Ride.
Keri served a delicious dinner of bbq, which is mentioned in the book, with “The Vanessa” for dessert: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches dipped in strawberry milkshakes. Sounds wacky, but it’s delicious.
Keri and I are kindred spirits. We organically dressed as Joan and Vanessa for our meeting. Nobody else dressed up, but apparently neither of us could resist. The characters are THAT memorable. Keri had a pair of aviators at each of our place settings. Goodness I love my B*tches!
I’m honestly not sure if I would have read this book if it weren’t for book club, which is one of the reasons I love being in my book club so much. I was a little skeptical about all of the space jargon and storyline. Outer space isn’t my jam. Or so I thought. Turns out I like learning about space exploration when TJR writes about it. I highly recommend. It made for a great discussion. Purchase here: https://amzn.to/4nzUNgc
