Book Review: The Aviator’s Wife by Melanie Benjamin

The Aviator’s Wife by Melanie Benjamin
ARC, e-Book, 417 pages
Delacorte Press
January 15, 2013
★★★★☆

Genre: Historical Fiction

Source: Received via Netgalley from publisher for review

For much of her life, Anne Morrow, the shy daughter of the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, has stood in the shadows of those around her, including her millionaire father and vibrant older sister, who often steals the spotlight. Then Anne, a college senior with hidden literary aspirations, travels to Mexico City to spend Christmas with her family. There she meets Colonel Charles Lindbergh, fresh off his celebrated 1927 solo flight across the Atlantic. Enthralled by Charles’s assurance and fame, Anne is certain the celebrated aviator has scarcely noticed her. But she is wrong.

Charles sees in Anne a kindred spirit, a fellow adventurer, and her world will be changed forever. The two marry in a headline-making wedding. Hounded by adoring crowds and hunted by an insatiable press, Charles shields himself and his new bride from prying eyes, leaving Anne to feel her life falling back into the shadows. In the years that follow, despite her own major achievements—she becomes the first licensed female glider pilot in the United States—Anne is viewed merely as the aviator’s wife. The fairy-tale life she once longed for will bring heartbreak and hardships, ultimately pushing her to reconcile her need for love and her desire for independence, and to embrace, at last, life’s infinite possibilities for change and happiness.

Drawing on the rich history of the twentieth century—from the late twenties to the mid-sixties—and featuring cameos from such notable characters as Joseph Kennedy and Amelia Earhart, The Aviator’s Wife is a vividly imagined novel of a complicated marriage—revealing both its dizzying highs and its devastating lows. With stunning power and grace, Melanie Benjamin provides new insight into what made this remarkable relationship endure.

I have been fascinated by the Lindbergh’s since I first saw a story about them and their kidnapped child in my READ magazine in 6^th grade. It wasn’t something I learned about in school otherwise and not in history class; I’m confident that if that outdated magazine had not come into my possession, I would likely have made it through school without ever learning about them. Of course Charles Lindbergh is known most for his historic flight across the Atlantic Ocean, but what does the world know about Anne Morrow Lindbergh. I knew virtually nothing.

I love that Benjamin chose to tell the story of Anne. She was always the child in the family that stayed in the shadow, but upon her engagement and marriage she was thrust immediately into the spotlight. She did an amazing job of creating the woman who had to walk a line of identity trying to figure out who she was for the public, for Charles, for her children, and finally for herself. The struggle is palpable and really the heart of the story. I found Charles to be a very dislikable character most of the time which is the exact opposite of the heroic image that is and was portrayed to the media.

The most interesting element for me was the way the story was structured. It bounces back and forth between the “present” which is with Anne accompanying Charles to Hawaii as he is dying, and the past of her life with Charles from the time they met. During my time reading I hated this structuring. I already didn’t like Charles and I really didn’t care that he was dying and I felt like I should. But as I look back on the experience a week or so after reading it I do appreciate the structure more. It showed how much Anne had grown and changed from when we first met her and when her time being in Charles shadow was coming to an end. I also think that the times that were chosen to break into the narrative and jump to the “present” were well chosen to flow with either the emotions or events transpiring between both times. I also really liked how more recent revelations about Charles Lindbergh were woven into that “present” storyline.

Overall this story pulled at the heartstrings and told a compelling story of a woman who lived her life in the spotlight while at the same time was not seen.

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• Flashlight Commentary

• The Good Book Fairy

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

Also by Melanie Benjamin:

The Swans of Fifth Avenue

Alice I Have Been

Mrs. Tom Thumb

The Girls in the Picture

Find Melanie Benjamin: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Copyright © 2017 by The Maiden’s Court

Book Review: Lindbergh by A. Scott Berg

Lindbergh by A. Scott Berg
Unabridged, 31 hr. 8 min.
Simon & Schuster Audio
Lloyd James (Narrator)
September 10, 2013
★★★★½☆

Genre: Biography, Non-Fiction

Source: Received from the publisher for review

Few American icons provoke more enduring fascination than Charles Lindbergh - renowned for his one-man transatlantic flight in 1927, remembered for the sorrow surrounding the kidnapping and death of his firstborn son in 1932, and reviled by many for his opposition to America's entry into World War II.

Lindbergh's is "a dramatic and disturbing American story," says the Los Angeles Times Book Review, and this biography - the first to be written with unrestricted access to the Lindbergh archives and extensive interviews of his friends, colleagues, and close family members - is "the definitive account."

Lindbergh is one of those people who has always fascinated me – however after reading this book I realized just how little I actually knew about him. I pretty much started out just knowing the headlines – his trans-Atlantic flight and the kidnapping/murder of his first child. I learned that he was a prolific writer, very political, and had an interesting family dynamic. And he lived an oh-so-fascinating life of travel! He made so many contributions to different areas of society – from medicine, to the development of the airline industry, and more.

Berg does a great job of bringing Lindbergh the untouchable hero down to the accessible man. We see the things that shaped who he was and what drove him. We are given an in-depth look into his relationship with his wife, kids, and other various family members. Berg isn’t afraid to delve into the not-perfect person that Lindbergh was. He shows the good as well as the bad. And this book is not just about Charles – but is just as much about Anne Morrow Lindbergh, the aviator’s wife. She is certainly not just a periphery character here and we learn a lot about her emotions, passions in life, and how she handled being Mrs. Lindbergh.

While that iconic flight and the kidnapping are of course featured events, they are neither the focus nor the bulk of this book. As in life, they are just stops along the way.

There was only one point in the book where it felt slow to me and that was toward the beginning. In establishing the familial roots for Charles Lindbergh, Berg spent possibly a little too much time in getting his ancestors to the US from Sweden. Once young Lindy came into the picture it took off from there (pun intended).

It is obvious that this book was written prior to the revelation in 2003 that Lindbergh had fathered 7 children out of wedlock because there is no mention of this.

★★★★☆

The audio narration here was great. While non-fiction can be difficult to put emotion or emphasis into, the narrator kept the story moving forward and not dry in his tone. My interest never waned because of the narration.

Author A. Scott Berg also has written Kate Remembered, Wilson, Goldwyn, and Max Perkins. You can visit Berg’s website for additional information about the book. If you would like to preview the story before reading it, why not try out this excerpt of the book?

My reviews of other books by this author:

• Wilson

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• The Sheila Variations
• Turn the Page

Here are some choices for purchasing the book: Amazon, B&N, RJ Julia (my fav indie bookstore).

Other posts as part of Charles Lindbergh Week:

• Speeches Made by Charles Lindbergh
• The Lindberghs in Print
• Lindbergh in Song

 

Copyright © 2014 by The Maiden’s Court

Speeches Made by Charles Lindbergh

Following his successful arrival in Paris after crossing the Atlantic, Charles Lindbergh was much sought after by all types of groups to give speeches. He started out with speeches about his flight and the future of flying. As World War II began and then came to the USA, Lindbergh gave speeches about maintaining neutrality and America First. You can read transcripts of many of these speeches, but I think that listening to them has more of an impact. Check out some of these below:

President Calvin Coolidge honoring Lindbergh home following his crossing of the Atlantic, presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross, and Lindbergh addressing the crowd on June 11, 1927:

Charles Lindbergh speaking on attempting to prevent the horrors befalling Europe and WWII on October 13, 1939:

Lindbergh speaking at an America’s First meeting on September 11, 1941 encouraging neutrality:

I can tell you, he doesn’t sound anything like I imagined he would but he is an interesting speaker.

Other posts as part of Charles Lindbergh Week:

• Review of Lindbergh by A. Scott Berg
• The Lindberghs in Print
• Lindbergh in Song

 

Copyright © 2014 by The Maiden’s Court

The Lindberghs in Print

I knew a little about the Lindbergh’s prior to reading Lindbergh by A. Scott Berg; however, I had no idea that either Charles or Anne had written anything. Apparently they were quite prolific!!! Charles wrote on a wide variety of subjects – his iconic flight, of course, but also everything from science to the war. Anne actually wrote more on their flight experiences than Charles did, and wrote more works. So I wanted to share their writing endeavors – because I am interested in reading some of them!

Charles’ Books:

• We – The first of Charles’ books, written shortly after his iconic flight – he discusses his life, flight, and future of aviation
• The Spirit of St. Louis – A description of his trans-Atlantic flight – written in an adventure style
• The Culture of Organs (coauthored with Dr. Alexis Carrel) – writing about their work devising a pump to keep organs alive and sterile while outside the body during surgery – their work on the “Lindbergh pump”.
• Of Flight and Life – his reminiscences on flight and life
• The Wartime Journals of Charles A. Lindbergh – the name pretty much describes it – it is journal entries
• Boyhood on the Upper Mississippi – here Charles looks back on his childhood and times prior to WWI
• Autobiography of Values – published following his death, a collection of Lindbergh’s writings

Anne’s Books:

• North to the Orient – Anne’s account of the duo’s flight to Asia
• Listen! The Wind – Anne’s account of their flight from Africa to South America
• The Wave of the Future: A Confession of Faith – written prior to the outbreak of WWII, this is Anne’s foreboding of what could happen if a war breaks out – a lot of harsh criticism came out about this book
• The Steep Ascent - A fictional account (novel) of an actual incident which occurred over the Alps during a flight to India.
• Gift from the Sea – this is a series of vignettes, based on shells, where Anne muses on the lives of women
• The Unicorn and other Poems – the only collection of poems that Anne compiled
• Dearly Beloved – Another novel by Anne about a June wedding
• Earth Shine – A meditation of Earth and man’s trip to the moon
• Bring Me a Unicorn: Diaries and Letters of Anne Morrow Lindbergh, 1922–1928 – Anne’s diaries of the years indicated
• Hour of Gold, Hour of Lead: Diaries And Letters Of Anne Morrow Lindbergh, 1929–1932 - Anne’s diaries of the years indicated
• Locked Rooms and Open Doors: Diaries And Letters Of Anne Morrow Lindbergh, 1933–1935 - Anne’s diaries of the years indicated
• The Flower and the Nettle: Diaries And Letters Of Anne Morrow Lindbergh, 1936–1939 - Anne’s diaries of the years indicated
• War Without and Within: Diaries And Letters Of Anne Morrow Lindbergh, 1939–1944 - Anne’s diaries of the years indicated

I am most interested in reading We and The Spirit of St. Louis by Charles Lindbergh and North to the Orient and Listen! The Wind by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. I am interested in hearing in their own words about their expeditions.

Have you read any of these books? What did you think?

Other posts as part of Charles Lindbergh Week:

• Speeches Made by Charles Lindbergh
• Review of Lindbergh by A. Scott Berg
• Lindbergh in Song

 

Copyright © 2014 by The Maiden’s Court

Lindbergh in Song

Many events in history inspire songs – and Charles Lindbergh’s historic flight across the Atlantic Ocean is no exception.  Within 2 days of his landing in Paris several songs were already on the market – the first being “Lucky Lindy” by L. Wolfe Gilbert and Abel Baer.  Within a short period of time, over 300 songs came out of Tin Pan Alley commemorating Lindbergh’s flight. 

Other events in Lindbergh’s life inspired songs too – such as his marriage to Anne Morrow in 1929.  Among these were: “Anne and Lindy” and “We Know You’ll Take Good Care of Lindy”.  The kidnapping and loss of his child, Charles Lindbergh Jr. also inspired the songs “Charles A. Lindbergh, Jr” and “There’s A New Star Up in Heaven (Baby Lindy is Up There” by Bob Miller – recorded just one day following the discovery of the deceased baby.

Below I have included a playlist with a few of the songs I could find in their early recording. 

Have you heard any of these, or others about Lindbergh?  What do you think?

Other posts as part of Charles Lindbergh Week:

• Speeches Made by Charles Lindbergh
• The Lindberghs in Print
• Book Review of Lindbergh by A. Scott Berg

 

Copyright © 2014 by The Maiden’s Court