Under a Dancing Star Book Review

Under a Dancing Star by Laura Wood

From Goodreads: In grey, 1930s England, Bea has grown up kicking against the conventions of the time, all the while knowing that she will one day have to marry someone her parents choose – someone rich enough to keep the family estate alive. But she longs for so much more – for adventure, excitement, travel, and maybe even romance.

When she gets the chance to spend the summer in Italy with her bohemian uncle and his fiancée, a whole world is opened up to Bea – a world that includes Ben, a cocky young artist who just happens to be infuriatingly handsome too. Sparks fly between the quick-witted pair until one night, under the stars, a challenge is set: can Bea and Ben put aside their teasing and have the perfect summer romance?

With their new friends gleefully setting the rules for their fling, Bea and Ben can agree on one thing at least: they absolutely, positively will not, cannot fall in love…

A long, hot summer of kisses and mischief unfolds – but storm clouds are gathering across Europe, and home is calling. Every summer has to end – but for Bea, this might be just the beginning.

Thanks to Book Box Club for including this book in the July box.

I absolutely adored A Sky Painted Gold. It was one of my favourite books of last year, and it was just amazing. So I was very excited when I got this book in my BBC box.

First up, I want to talk about the cover, because oh my goodness it is just straight up gorgeous. Although I think I prefer the cover of ASPG because the dark blue fits well with the gold, I really like this one too. It fits with the sunny Italy setting of the novel, and I like that it matches Laura’s other YA book even though they’re both stand alones. It’s so satisfying seeing the two side by side on the shelf.

I really liked Bea. I thought she was an interesting and well-developed character, and she was a bit quirky and intelligent without striding too far into ‘I’m not like other girls’ territory. She feels realistic. Ben was also a well fleshed out character. I loved that he painted and that he was quite mischievous and amusing. However, I had a few problems with him and Bea’s relationship with him, mostly because although there were some sweet moments between the two throughout the novel, I feel like there’s not quite enough chemistry between the two, and the start of the relationship is rushed, making it feel a little insta-love. To be fair, this book is clearly based on Much Ado About Nothing,which I am unfortunately not familiar with. So I don’t know how quickly the romance develops in the play. However, I do feel that, as a retelling, the book could have played around with some of the elements of Shakespeare’s play, including potentially drawing out the relationship in a way that makes the romance a touch slower.

I did like some of the side characters, including Bea’s quirky friend Ursula. She was cool, a bit like a flapper, and I liked that she obviously had strong emotions and a rebellious streak. She was definitely the cool side friend. I did struggle a little bit with some of the other side characters, and I felt like some of them kind of faded into the background or could have done with a bit more development, however they’re reasonably okay.

The other thing I appreciated about this book is how it attempts to engage with the politics of the era. The novel is set to the backdrop of Italy in the 30’s, meaning Mussolini is rising to power and fascism is becoming popular. A lot of the older characters buy into this, but I like that Bea and her friends were always very vocal about their dislike of fascism and their determination to stand up against it. This is particularly interesting because women are treated as utterly incapable of understanding politics, and so Bea’s vocal and intelligent comments about how the country is run are very much appreciated. There’s also the social position of upper-class women in England, which is vaguely touched upon at the start of the novel and then kind of mentioned infrequently throughout the book. I liked that Bea is clearly an intellectual thinker, and she knows what she wants, even though it pits her against her old-fashioned family who expect her simply to get married off to a rich husband. I think this not only serves as an interesting conflict, but also to immediately allow the reader to sympathise with Bea. Furthermore, it gives the romance and friendships she develops in Italy a bittersweet feeling, because we know as readers that the whole thing is only temporary, and that her family expect her to return to her life in England after the summer.

In conclusion, I’m giving Under a Dancing Star:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I thought the main characters were really interesting, and I like that the book mixed Mmuch Ado About Nothing with debates about politics in 1930’s Italy. However, I felt some of the side characters were a touch underdeveloped and the romance between Bea and Ben wasn’t present enough and felt a little rushed, making it a bit insta-lovey.

Has anyone else read this book already or plans to? What do you all think of it? Let me know in the comment section down below ❤