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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
I’m predicting that this will be my FAVORITE book of 2021. WOW. I loved it. Is it any surprise though because my favorite genre is based on true stories? This is a novel- but the author did SO much research that most everything actually happened- she just extrapolated the emotions. I think my favorite thing about this book was how HUMAN she was able to portray both Charles and Anne. She didn’t vilify Charles and didn’t sanctify Anne- they both had their faults and their mistakes and she didn’t try to hide anything. Both were portrayed so unapologetically HUMAN that I just walk away feeling like I understand and empathize with both so much- and that is soooo hard to do in a book. Wow wow wow I loved this and now I want to go read everything about Anne and Charles Lindbergh.
I really had a hard time liking the main character at first. She was annoyingly meek and insecure for reasons that weren't clear to me. The book did seem to show personal growth however and I learned a lot about Anne Lindbergh I didn't know.
Boring, boring, boring!! I LOVE historical novels and learning about people, events and places through them but I simply could NOT make it through a quarter of this book. It is a shame since I was really looking forward to reading about this famous family and the events of their lives!
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed the feminine stretch and view of history, I just thought the writing style was boring
Very few books lately have left me in a book coma after the end of them, wondering what I could possibly read next that would be nearly as good- but this one has. Like most people, I knew a little bit about the Lindhburgs before reading, but this book has opened my eyes to an amazing family that I otherwise would have never known. If you like historical fiction, read this book (and Benjamin's other book, Alice I Have Been.) Amazing!
Two-Sentence Premise: "The Aviator's Wife" is a fictionalized first-person narrative about the life of Anne Morrow Lindbergh, wife of aviator Charles Lindbergh. The novel takes the reader beyond the general pop culture mythology of this famous couple.
What Worked: Benjamin's talent for historical, biographical fiction serves her well in her latest novel, as the first-person narrative creates a vivid self-portrait of Anne Morrow Lindbergh and her sweepingly complex marriage to aviator Charles Lindbergh. Anne was almost always over-shadowed by her domineering and larger-than-life husband, though she accomplished so much as a writer and aviatrix in her own right. Interestingly, however, the reader also notes that she accomplished so much because of her marriage. He pushed her to do a lot of things she might otherwise have done. Simply put, Anne could not have been who she was and became without Charles.
What Didn't Work: The modern reader will likely label Anne and Charles' marriage abusive, if not physically then emotionally and mentally, which is often uncomfortable. Plus, Anne can come across as a bit of a doormat in a novel that seems to be trying to build her up. I think Benjamin was striving to underscore the complexity of their relationship, but it is frequently hard to take how often Anne excuses Charles' overbearing and selfish behavior.
Overall: regardless of how much you know about the Lindberghs, beyond name recognition and a faint sense of their place in history, "The Aviator's Wife" is a compelling and engaging read. As Benjamin notes in her afterwords, the success of historical fiction can perhaps be measured by whether or not the reader seeks to find out more about the subject. In this instance, I certainly did.
What Worked: Benjamin's talent for historical, biographical fiction serves her well in her latest novel, as the first-person narrative creates a vivid self-portrait of Anne Morrow Lindbergh and her sweepingly complex marriage to aviator Charles Lindbergh. Anne was almost always over-shadowed by her domineering and larger-than-life husband, though she accomplished so much as a writer and aviatrix in her own right. Interestingly, however, the reader also notes that she accomplished so much because of her marriage. He pushed her to do a lot of things she might otherwise have done. Simply put, Anne could not have been who she was and became without Charles.
What Didn't Work: The modern reader will likely label Anne and Charles' marriage abusive, if not physically then emotionally and mentally, which is often uncomfortable. Plus, Anne can come across as a bit of a doormat in a novel that seems to be trying to build her up. I think Benjamin was striving to underscore the complexity of their relationship, but it is frequently hard to take how often Anne excuses Charles' overbearing and selfish behavior.
Overall: regardless of how much you know about the Lindberghs, beyond name recognition and a faint sense of their place in history, "The Aviator's Wife" is a compelling and engaging read. As Benjamin notes in her afterwords, the success of historical fiction can perhaps be measured by whether or not the reader seeks to find out more about the subject. In this instance, I certainly did.
I enjoyed this book; with that being said, I now feel I need to go out and re-read "Hour of Gold, Hour of Lead" (I read it probably 25 years ago) and compare the two. Despite the fact that people either adored or despised the Lindbergh's, one can't deny that the story of their lives and the famous crime of their baby's kidnapping is fascinating.
This historical fiction book absolutely captivated me. There is so much about the Lindberghs that I did not know -- the celebrity and hounding by the public, the kidnapping, the isolationism and anti-Semitism, the affairs. While Anne was at times portrayed in this book in a frustrating way, I think her weakness and inability to stand up for herself (and her children) was a sign of the times. A great book with tremendous insights into marriage; makes me want to learn more about these flawed and complex people.
3.5 stars rounded up. I don't want to like this book, but it's very well-written and a good glimpse into what Charles and Anne were like. Charles Lindbergh really was a pretty awful person. His wife Anne seems a rather mousy person at first, but later finds her own voice and courage. It was eye-opening to read about the level of celebrity they had, heartbreaking to read about the kidnapping and murder of their baby, and sad to realize how lacking their marriage was. It's a book that will stick with me, even if I don't like either Charles or Anne very much. This book has made me want to learn more about the real people and perhaps read some of Anne's books.
I loved this book. I knew a bit about Charles Lindbergh but only the highlights- Spirit of St. Louis, kidnapping, etc. This book gave me a deeper look into other things he did, from a factual level. But obviously, the center of the story is not Charles- it's his wife. He calls her his co-pilot, his crew. She was sort of the driving force behind him and I knew nothing about her. I loved learning about her, him, and them as a couple. It was interesting to read about how the press handled them, even back then. Sometimes you think all the paparazzi is a new thing, but reporters ran them off the road, too. Not quite as dire as the Princess Di situation but it's interesting to know that this is not a new phenomenon. I would highly recommend this book to anyone!