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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
I enjoyed reading this book. There were many things I had only heard about but never put in context. It seems so long ago and yet it really wasn't. We often complain about the paparazzi now but I was stunned by how much the press interfered in the lives of the Lindberghs. It was a pleasant, sometimes compelling, read. I love Gifts From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh so it was nice to get a better picture of her life. My biggest complaint was that I felt this was a very one dimensional view of Charles and Anne. She seemed the long suffering wife and he the cold domineering man. In the discussion at the end of the book, the author describes the kidnapping of the baby as "the" influence of Charles life. I think there is always more than that for anyone. But this is fiction and not biography.
There were some beautiful phrases that made me think. Not sure I agreed with all of them (is betrayal really greater than forgiveness?) but they made me think.
There were some beautiful phrases that made me think. Not sure I agreed with all of them (is betrayal really greater than forgiveness?) but they made me think.
I felt like it got off to a bumpy start and the voice of the narrator grated on me because it seemed so sentimentally cliched and unrealistic. That ended once the story got underway and I really enjoyed the novel.
I didn't know anything about the Lindberghs before so I couldn't put the book down.
I didn't know anything about the Lindberghs before so I couldn't put the book down.
I didn't know a whole lot about the Lindberghs so I enjoyed the historical detail. Anne lived a fascinating life. The relationship between Charles and Anne however was oftentimes very sad. A good book, but don't start this if you are already feeling a little down.
I never knew Charles was such an ass! This book opened my eyes to things about Lindburg that I did not know before. I can’t say I *loved* the book but the author did an incredible job creating a work of fiction from the life of this family.
We all deserve a better spouse than Charles.
We all deserve a better spouse than Charles.
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 6th 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 It wasn’t something I learned about in school otherwise and not in history class; I’m confident that if that outdated magazine had not come into my possession, I would likely have made it through school without ever learning about them.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.
This review was previously posted on The Maiden's Court blog and a copy was received for review.
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.
This review was previously posted on The Maiden's Court blog and a copy was received for review.
This book was a quick read for me. I didn't know much about the Lindberghs going into this novel, and I'm glad a friend told me what was fiction and nonfiction in it early on (from the author's note) so that I could take that into account while reading. I found the entire history fascinating - the aviator and the aviatrix both equally fascinating as well. I found themes and people from the book infiltrating my dreams also. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys that mix of fiction/nonfiction.
I have strange feelings about this book. It seems like alot of excuses for Anne Lindburgh. But I do think she was married to a man who was a real bastard by nature but who was also somewhat a productof his life (through the press and kidnapping death of their child). No, I have to be honest here. The things he did: isolate her, completely control her and the kids, his complete superiority; these things lead me to suspect he was a wife beater. I've just seen to much of that professionally to not suspect it. So the burning question to me throughout the book was: who were you Anne? Did you agree with him or were you trapped and had to go his way? I think her decision not to follow his last order probably tells her real thoughts. In the end, I am glad she escaped him in the method of the times, and I am glad that I don't live in such times.
Very easy book to read- Author kept the history interesting. It was nice to hear the feminine perspective.
A fascinating, if not fantastically written, novel about the Lindbergs. I really enjoy learning more than the history books teach in cases like this.
A wonderful historical fiction story that perfectly embodies the mindset, feelings, and politics of the era in which the story is set. Author does an amazing job tying in historical events with fictionalized emotions and interactions within relationships.