BOOK CLUB KIT
Knopf
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Explore the family dynamic in the Quinn household. How does the tragedy of her mother’s story affect Jane’s relationships with Elsie, Grace, and Maggie? Why do you think the Quinn women choose not to marry? 2. Discuss the social fabric of Bayleen Island. How is the world of the locals different from that of the vacationers? In what ways is Jane able to move back and forth between these two spheres? 3. What does Willy see in Jane? How does her talent, in his view, compare to Jesse’s? What does his willingness to bet on her suggest about his understanding of the music industry? Is he successful in this gamble? Why or why not? 4. Examine the power dynamics at Pegasus, paying close attention to Jane’s first encounter with Vincent Ray in New York. Why is Vincent Ray so dismissive of the Breakers, and how does Jane react? How is his opinion reflective of attitudes within the industry as a whole? 5. Explore Jane’s experience on tour with Jesse, his band, and the Breakers. What does the tour teach her about navigating life as a celebrity? How does the spotlight both deepen and test her relationship with Jesse? 6. Discuss Jane’s creative process. How does it change after the tour? What mental blocks must she overcome in order to move to the next stage of her career? 7. Explore the theme of success in the novel. What risks does one take in the pursuit of fame? To what extent is success a corrupting influence? What are the “shortcuts” to success, and do these shortcuts render success any less legitimate? Why or why not? Consider, as you answer this question, Jane’s assertion that she does not “want to depend on reflected glory” (217).
8. Compare and contrast Jane’s, Morgan’s, and Loretta’s attitudes toward self-promotion. How do their different approaches affect their respective careers? How do the avenues of self-promotion available to these women reflect the music industry’s gendered expectations? 9. Explore the boundary between the personal and professional realms of Jane’s life. How do her personal relationships interfere with–or advance—her career? Conversely, how do her professional choices affect her relationships? Consider, as you answer this question, her unwillingness to record her first album as a solo artist, the professional opportunities that emerge as a result of her relationship with Jesse, and her decision to remove Rich’s tracks from Ursa Major. 10. On page 189, Rich explains his feelings about Ursa Major by saying, “I don’t hate the record. . . . Sometimes it just makes me . . . ashamed . . . of myself. Of the things I’ve never been able to say.” Why do you think Rich responds this way to Jane’s lyrics? What insight does this reaction provide into his inner life? 11. Discuss Jane’s rejection of Jesse’s proposal. Do you think she’s more afraid of his addiction or of always being in his shadow? To what extent is she able to make peace with this decision? Do you think she made the right choice? Why or why not? 12. Why is Jane unable to tell Jesse the truth about her mother? What does her omission reveal about her ongoing struggle to make sense of this part of her history? Why might Brodie have chosen to withhold this information from the reader as well? 13. Examine Jane’s decision to go to Greece. What does she hope to find there, and how do her expectations compare to her actual experience? How does her time away allow her to process her career decisions, her relationship with Jesse, and her grief about her mother? 14. Explore the conclusion of the novel. What does it suggest about each character’s personal growth? About the nature of fame? Is this the ending you expected? Why or why not?
Q&A WITH
How did SONGS IN URSA MAJOR start, for you? I was reading Carly Simon’s autobiography, and at one point, she mentions meeting James Taylor backstage at a concert with Joni Mitchell…his then girlfriend. This totally blew my mind—I could not believe that James and Joni had dated. Both of them have always been a part of my pantheon—how could I not know this? The reason is because there is very little left over from their one-year relationship that hasn’t been eclipsed by JT’s subsequent decade-long super-marriage to Carly: a handful of photographs from the Newport Folk Fest, Laurel Canyon, and A&M Records; an audio track from a live concert at Royal Albert Hall in 1970; and the two seminal 1971 albums they collaborated on and largely inspired for each other: Blue and Mudslide Slim and the Blue Horizon. The more I listened to these albums, the more I began to ask “what if…”, until I found myself in the middle of a completely made up story of my own.
You interlace lyrics from Jane Quinn’s songs throughout the books - lyrics you penned for her, of course. What was writing those like for you? I loved writing the lyrics for this book. When I wrote the first draft, I just used placeholder text around Jane’s repertoire—I’d literally say “lyric x” or “SONG Y.” Between my first and second draft, I rested the manuscript for 8 weeks; but before I put the book away, I went back and made an inventory of all the songs I’d need for each performer. Whenever I’d get the urge to go look at the manuscript, I’d take a crack at one of the songs instead. By this point, I knew
Kelley DeBettencourt
mma Brodie what each one would need to accomplish for the story’s sake and had a vague idea of real songs they should mirror. I wrote a lot of the lyrics at 5 am, in the blue early morning—the Breakers’s song “Indigo” is actually about that.
Jane struggles to stay true to her artistic vision while being swept up in Jesse’s fame. What made you want to investigate the tension between two artists’ careers—one trying to establish herself with someone more established, while navigating a romantic relationship? I’m fascinated by the contrast between the legend of American stardom—talented kid pulls herself up by her bootstraps—vs. the machine of American stardom—nepotism and capitalism. Jesse is attracted to Jane’s raw talent; Jane is attracted to Jesse’s star power. But Jane learns fast that the standards are different for her and Jesse; Jesse is going to get a million chances as a moneyed male member of societies’ elite class. Jane comes from nowhere, and is disposable in the eyes of the label, who only value her in terms of what she means for Jesse. And a lot of the tension in the book and in their relationship comes from something women experience every day; men encouraging women to act in ways that will backfire for them because they’re not men.
PLAYLIST “Songs in Ursa Major lilts easily between the power chords of a rock anthem and the soulful nostalgia of a blues ballad, evoking the seventies rock scene through two compelling protagonists: Jesse Reid, charismatic rock star on the rise, and Jane Quinn, electrically gifted songstress struggling to get her foot on the ladder of the music world. Their passion for each 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 Shot through with the lyrics, the icons, the lore, and the adrenaline of the early 70s folk music scene, Songs in Ursa Major is the ultimate sun-soaked rock & roll love story. Listen along as you read!
“Carry On”.........................Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young “Blossom”...................................................James Taylor “White Rabbit”..................................Jefferson Airplane “Yellow Submarine”.....................................The Beatles “Summerlong”...................................Kathleen Edwards “A Case of You”..........................................Joni Mitchell “Build Me Up From Bones”......................Sarah Jarosz “Scarborough Fair”..........................Simon & Garfunkel “A Sunday Kind of Love”.............................Etta James “Sympathy for the Devil”.................The Rolling Stones