“Atmosphere: A Love Story” by Taylor Jenkins Reid is two stories in one. It is the story of Joan Goodwin, who has loved astronomy since she was a child, and her journey to become an astronaut at NASA. It is also the story of friendships formed between those astronauts and a special, but hidden love between two of those women.
Joan Goodwin dreams of joining the 1980’s shuttle program, even though no women have ever been chosen as astronauts before. She is good at her job as a professor of physics and astronomy but when she joins NASA, there are challenges that she never expected. Joan’s fellow astronauts are prominent characters in the story – Griff, Hank, Lydia, Donna, Steve and Vanessa – they all have flaws, but are part of a terrific team. The details of astronaut training were SO interesting! Joan is also juggling family drama with her sister, Barbara and niece, Francis. That relationship is a major part of the story and gives lots of insight into Joan’s character. When a disaster on the shuttle occurs, Joan and her team face the risks that they always knew were part of ‘astronaut reality’ and having the courage to reach for the stars. Will anyone survive?
I am so glad that I checked out “Atmosphere: A Love Story” this week! This was an easy to read novel – describing the NASA trainings and information in easy to understand language but keeping the research/scientific details intact. I really enjoyed the adventure in the novel, as well as the relationship building. There are lots of layers to this book but in the end, they all came together to touch my heart. (This novel is a Good Morning America Book Club pick as well.)
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