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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
Where do I begin with this book? I have to admit, I'm reading it from the perspective of a 2018 Feminist, and I know a lot has changed in the last 100 years of women's history. I also admit that I knew nothing about the Lindberghs going into this, and didn't even realize it was based on a true story. If they were heroes, I can see that... but this book did nothing for me to want to believe that or even love them.
This was written from Anne's perspective, but she didn't do anything for herself... only things to appease her husband, and this book did nothing for me to even like her as a person. I couldn't even gather why she fell in love with Charles and wanted to marry him (or even if she loved him at all). This is actually addressed a few times in the book, but we never get clarity.
Also the nauseating privileges of their life that permeated throughout the book just made me roll my eyes. A perfect example of white privilege at its best even when the Lindbergh's are accused of being Nazi sympathizers, and Charles is clearly anti-Semitic. I wonder how they would have reacted if they encounter a person of color.
Even though I read the entire thing, I would tell someone to skip this book if a friend was asking me about it. At the surface it seems an interesting tale, but looking at the lives of the Lindbergh's through 21st century eyes, it's hard to sympathize or relate to them.
This was written from Anne's perspective, but she didn't do anything for herself... only things to appease her husband, and this book did nothing for me to even like her as a person. I couldn't even gather why she fell in love with Charles and wanted to marry him (or even if she loved him at all). This is actually addressed a few times in the book, but we never get clarity.
Also the nauseating privileges of their life that permeated throughout the book just made me roll my eyes. A perfect example of white privilege at its best even when the Lindbergh's are accused of being Nazi sympathizers, and Charles is clearly anti-Semitic. I wonder how they would have reacted if they encounter a person of color.
Even though I read the entire thing, I would tell someone to skip this book if a friend was asking me about it. At the surface it seems an interesting tale, but looking at the lives of the Lindbergh's through 21st century eyes, it's hard to sympathize or relate to them.
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The 75% of the book where Anne idolizes Charles is agonizing. But the last 25% was wonderful.
In all honesty, I am quite mixed about this book. I recently read The Paris Wife by Paula McLain which I very much enjoyed, so I thought I might try this one. I didn't enjoy this book as much at The Paris Wife. The Hemingway marriage only lasted 4 years, so the story was more intimate and succinct, whereas this novel attempted to span the entirety of the Lindbergh. The problem with this is that it needed to cover a long amount of time from their courtship in the 20's to Charles' death in the 70's. Because of this the story got tedious at times. It wasn't a book that I wanted to read in a few sittings, but spanned out over a week or so. I also disliked the way that Benjamin wasn't loyal to fact. I like leaving a historical fiction books with a deeper and richer understanding of the people involved, however with this book I'm not sure what was fact and what was fiction, which makes me a little uncomfortable.
There a lot of huge positive things about this novel, that shouldn't be discredited. Anne is a wonderfully complex character, perhaps mostly because the real Anne was a very complicated woman. I was impressed with the way that the author wove together the different facets of Anne: a daring aviatrix, an aspiring author, a fiercely protective mother, a loyal wife- into one cohesive person. Charles himself was just as complex, though never really likable. The characters and story were intriguing and it is only now that I'm finished reading that I realize how much I will miss their world.
There a lot of huge positive things about this novel, that shouldn't be discredited. Anne is a wonderfully complex character, perhaps mostly because the real Anne was a very complicated woman. I was impressed with the way that the author wove together the different facets of Anne: a daring aviatrix, an aspiring author, a fiercely protective mother, a loyal wife- into one cohesive person. Charles himself was just as complex, though never really likable. The characters and story were intriguing and it is only now that I'm finished reading that I realize how much I will miss their world.
I went into this book not knowing much about Charles Lindberg other than he was the first man to fly solo across the Atlantic. I didn't know much about Anne Morrow Lindberg other than the quotes about the sea that show up on greeting cards. I didn't know anything about their marriage other than the kidnapping and murder of their baby.
I still don't know that much about them. I gave up on this book because it just dragged and dragged.
I still don't know that much about them. I gave up on this book because it just dragged and dragged.
I enjoyed using the lense of this book to look at history through one couple's life - the beginning of aviation, the Depression, World War II, and beyond. However, I did not enjoy the overly flourished and wordy narrative. I got tired of the protagonist's voice, mostly because she blames all her shortcomings, failures, actions, and essentially her own life on her husband. I know the author was trying to show the course of a weak woman becoming strong through her plot and its narrative, but it was mostly just annoying. A woman is not justified in having an affair because of her husband's actions, for example.
The book did make me curious to learn more about the man Charles Lindberg was, about his wife, and about their lives - but historical fiction and its speculations were not the way to do it. I would prefer to read a nonfiction biography written about the Lindberghs by Erik Larson or Laura Hillenbrand.
Additionally, this book made me wonder - what do the Lindbergh's children think of the book?
The book did make me curious to learn more about the man Charles Lindberg was, about his wife, and about their lives - but historical fiction and its speculations were not the way to do it. I would prefer to read a nonfiction biography written about the Lindberghs by Erik Larson or Laura Hillenbrand.
Additionally, this book made me wonder - what do the Lindbergh's children think of the book?
I'm very torn regarding this book. While Anne Lindbergh's life is fascinating enough in itself to guarantee an interesting read, I didn't find myself gripped by the story. The book seemed to go on and on and I was in parts angry and broken-hearted and despairing with the behaviour of people, mostly Charles Lindbergh. It is mostly a sorrowful book and even the happiest parts seem to have a pressage (evident or not) of bad times to come. I enjoyed the parts with Anne's family, especially in her youth, the most: they were a bunch of lively, interesting people. But along came Charles Lindbergh, the hero that everyone loved to love, and he wasn't exactly husband-material, to put it lightly. In an era where marriages were for life and the wife's role was to take care of the children, Anne did manage to become a lot more than that, at least for a while, but there were always things she never had the courage to say, things she didn't have the courage to be and that is frustrating for a modern-day reader. You want to shake her but you know that she was already miles ahead of many women of her time, braver and smarter.
I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway. The story (and writing) drew me in from the start. I did have a few moments where I could have punched Charles Lindburgh in the throat! It was his character that made me dislike this book the first time I read it. However, I forced myself to re-read this story, and I am so glad that I did! It was fascinating to read about their world and that time period. There was something about the newness of the "paparazzi" (so to speak) that had me very interested. Anne Morrow is an amazing character, and I believe that Melania Benjamin did an excellent job protraying her--in all facets. I saw the unsure Anne, so different from her sisters; the intelligent Anne; the awkwardly outspoken Anne; the flawed, wifely, duty-bound Anne; and so on. I liked that Anne became a quiet hero to me, in the way that she performed her duties but still dared to use her intellect. Although there were multiple times where I was exasperated beyond words at this couple, I was overall fascinated and even a little inspired. Wonderfully written, compelling story, but GEEZ is that Charles Lindburgh a jerk!
It was fine, but Anne Morrow was not as intricately drawn a character as other wives in this particular genre could be and have been (like in The Paris Wife of Loving Frank). However, it was certainly engaging, educational, and frustrating (until about the last 50 pages).
It's incredibly well written and the author really brought Anne and Charles to life for me; unfortunately, I just hate their personalities. Also, the author didn't address a HUGE confession Charles made, just casually dropped it in one line in the novel and then moved onto something less significant and never came back to it.
I found it very difficult to read this book, at first. Though primarily the story of Anne Morrow Lindbergh, the first third of this book is dominated by Charles, and he was not easy to admire or even tolerate. As Anne developed as a woman apart from her famous husband, I was able to settle into the story and appreciate her strengths and sensitivities.