Goodreads Choice Awards Book Club discussion

Winner of the Historical Fiction award



Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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.

Kristie wrote: "Winner of the Historical Fiction award



Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Joan Goodwin has been obsessed with the stars for as l..."

This is actually annoying to me. I thought this book was only OK. Go read The Calculating Stars instead

Oh, that's interesting, Kateblue. I loved this one. I listened to the audio and literally cried. I thought it was so good.

I read it for a face-to-face book club a couple of month's ago and everyone liked it, but of course some more than others. The one complaint about it was that some people didn't like that the book started with a scene later in the book then went backwards and built up to it. They felt it was a spoiler. I thought it was a great hook.

Also, the one thing I think a lot of people don't expect is that this is a love story at its heart. Most of the story is not in space. It is about relationships on earth. It even says, "Atmosphere: A Love Story" in the title.

I'll have to check out The Calculating Stars. That looks like a very different kind of book from this one, but very interesting.

Kristie wrote: "Also, the one thing I think a lot of people don't expect is that this is a love story at its heart. Most of the story is not in space. It is about relationships on earth. It even says, "Atmosphere:..."

I expected it to have more space than it did, even though I knew it was a romance. and I really liked The Calculating Stars--this was not nearly as good.

The Calculating Stars is actually in this group's ambit because it was a Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Readers' Favorite Science Fiction in 2018.

Also, I loved Reid's Daisy Jones & The Six and felt that this one want not nearly as good. There's a Prime Video version of Daisy Jones out, which is also really good.

I also enjoyed Daisy Jones & The Six. Again, I had the audio and preferred that format. It sounded like an old school behind-the-scenes band documentary. It was a little nostalgic in that way. I still preferred this story though.

I'll also have to check out the video version of Daisy Jones. I bet that's really good. I haven't seen it.

I love The Calculating Stars - Lady Astronaut Universe is one of my all time favourite series.

However I feel it's unfair to compare. TCS is Science Fiction, Atmosphere is Historical Romance. Completely different genres and aims to the stories.

I loved this book. Knowing that is a love story set during the 80's (which I also love anything 80's) released the expectation of it being a story about the Challenger disaster. I did love the space stuff and would have loved even more space stuff, but that would have a been a different kind of book. The human aspect of the story was excellent. I also listened on audio and thought the narration was excellent.
I listened to Daisy Jones on audio and thought the narration was excellent too and really enjoyed that one as well.
But like you, Kristie, this one touched my heart and made me cry.
I haven't heard of the other one you mentioned, but will go check it out. I do like a good book about space.

It’s been a while since I read this book but I absolutely loved it! There was a description in one of the chapters about what the character felt God was and I thought it was so beautiful. It moved me to literal tears and I had to immediately read it to my husband too.