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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
I very much enjoyed reading is book. The nature of needing to be what everyone else wants you to be is inherent in most women I think. Though this is a novel, I enjoyed the historical aspects that had been obviously researched interwoven through the author's portrayal of conversations, emotions and personalities that she had to create. I very much appreciated the author's note at the end of the book giving guidance to what was fact and what she had made up and the suggestions for actual non-fiction to study more. I am always interested in reading about the women behind the men, and look forward to reading more of Ms. Benjamin's works.
3.5. I liked it more than your average book, but not enough to say 4 stars.
http://sessastories.tumblr.com/post/77229322388/book-story-benjamin-is-one-of-the-authors-that
http://sessastories.tumblr.com/post/77229322388/book-story-benjamin-is-one-of-the-authors-that
What a fun read about a woman I didn't know too terribly much about! I loved reading about her journey to find herself. She certainly was more poised and patient than I would have been through the obstacles of her marriage to Charles Lindbergh.
I have waffled back and forth about whether to continue reading this book, I'm nearly to the half way point. I knew very little about the Lindberghs besides the fact that their son was kidnapped prior to beginning this book.
Charles is loathsome and Anne is only barely more likeable. I just don't care what happens to them in the rest of the book. Instead I'll just browse Wikipedia rather than continue to struggle through this one.
Charles is loathsome and Anne is only barely more likeable. I just don't care what happens to them in the rest of the book. Instead I'll just browse Wikipedia rather than continue to struggle through this one.
2.5 stars
The subject matter of The Aviator's Wife is a powerful draw for readers, but the author's approach is unsettling and unsatisfying.
To be fair, I must admit that the I struggle with the paradox of fictional biography. Melanie Benjamin's author's note explains that the "emotional truths" are what she imagines, "the relationships, the reasons these historical figures do the things they do." She goes on to say that she feels "the inner life can be explored only in novels, not histories-- or even diaries and letters. For diaries and letters are self-censored even at the moment of writing them; it's impossible to be honest with oneself" (400). This rationale confuses and disappoints me for reasons other than the glaring sentence fragment. First of all, the Lindbergh family has endured excessive and falsified media attention throughout their lives. The author takes pains to demonstrate the unfair imposition of untrue, unwelcome, and disrespectful narratives upon their lives, yet she perpetuates such behavior by writing a novel that is essentially fan fiction fueled by light research. A small bit of time online reveals a substantial quantity of meaningful facts the author chose not to include. It is perplexing why an author would not feel obligated to read more exhaustively on a historical topic.
Although I consider it deceitful and disrespectful to re-imagine actual people, places, and events and call it fiction, and I feel the writing and editing could have been stronger, I cannot deny that this book appeals to many. Anne Morrow Lindbergh is an appealingly enigmatic character, and I too read this book to discover more about her.
My favorite thought from the book comes near its end: "Unlike men, women got less sentimental as we aged, I was discovering. We cried enough, when we were young; vessels overflowing with the tears of everyone we loved" (391). Though I stumble over the verbs and the sentence structure, I can relate to the observation.
I understand the challenges faced by editors, and realize that many readers are not irritated by the same pet peeves that I nurture, but I could list several problems with grammar, continuity, and consistency.
Instead of complaining ad nauseam, I'll close with one last thought: Charles Lindbergh... what an asshat!
The subject matter of The Aviator's Wife is a powerful draw for readers, but the author's approach is unsettling and unsatisfying.
To be fair, I must admit that the I struggle with the paradox of fictional biography. Melanie Benjamin's author's note explains that the "emotional truths" are what she imagines, "the relationships, the reasons these historical figures do the things they do." She goes on to say that she feels "the inner life can be explored only in novels, not histories-- or even diaries and letters. For diaries and letters are self-censored even at the moment of writing them; it's impossible to be honest with oneself" (400). This rationale confuses and disappoints me for reasons other than the glaring sentence fragment. First of all, the Lindbergh family has endured excessive and falsified media attention throughout their lives. The author takes pains to demonstrate the unfair imposition of untrue, unwelcome, and disrespectful narratives upon their lives, yet she perpetuates such behavior by writing a novel that is essentially fan fiction fueled by light research. A small bit of time online reveals a substantial quantity of meaningful facts the author chose not to include. It is perplexing why an author would not feel obligated to read more exhaustively on a historical topic.
Although I consider it deceitful and disrespectful to re-imagine actual people, places, and events and call it fiction, and I feel the writing and editing could have been stronger, I cannot deny that this book appeals to many. Anne Morrow Lindbergh is an appealingly enigmatic character, and I too read this book to discover more about her.
My favorite thought from the book comes near its end: "Unlike men, women got less sentimental as we aged, I was discovering. We cried enough, when we were young; vessels overflowing with the tears of everyone we loved" (391). Though I stumble over the verbs and the sentence structure, I can relate to the observation.
I understand the challenges faced by editors, and realize that many readers are not irritated by the same pet peeves that I nurture, but I could list several problems with grammar, continuity, and consistency.
Instead of complaining ad nauseam, I'll close with one last thought: Charles Lindbergh... what an asshat!
This novel underscores my distrust of "historical fiction" -- particularly when it assumes opinions and perspectives of known figures. Seems dangerous and irresponsible. But mostly I just found this book slow and dull.
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3 STARS
(I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review).
In The Aviator's Wife Anne Lindbergh is reviewing her life from when she meets Charles Lindbergh and their life together. Anne starts out as the wallflower daughter in between the beauty and wild child. She attends her mother's alma mater and does as an Ambassador's daughter is expected Then she meet Charles Lindbergh who is picked out to be her sister's future husband but it is Anne who enjoys his passion for flying. As the couple marry and Anne enters the public life of a celebrity she realizes she is alone in this marriage and life is not what she expected.
I had heard of the Lindbergh baby kidnapping and that Charles Lindbergh was a great aviator but none of the personal details. Benjamin takes time with the kidnapping but does not let it overtake the novel or spend too much time on details. She let's Anne's heartbreak take the reader inside a mother's grief and how she must deal with it all publicly. We also get to see the strength of Anne outside of her relationship as an Author and a woman who is her husband's equal in flying. I liked this novel but it was not a page turner or something I was looking forward to reading next. I would recommend Benjamin's earlier novel, The Autobiography of Mrs. Thumb if you are looking for a more engrossing read.
(I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review).
In The Aviator's Wife Anne Lindbergh is reviewing her life from when she meets Charles Lindbergh and their life together. Anne starts out as the wallflower daughter in between the beauty and wild child. She attends her mother's alma mater and does as an Ambassador's daughter is expected Then she meet Charles Lindbergh who is picked out to be her sister's future husband but it is Anne who enjoys his passion for flying. As the couple marry and Anne enters the public life of a celebrity she realizes she is alone in this marriage and life is not what she expected.
I had heard of the Lindbergh baby kidnapping and that Charles Lindbergh was a great aviator but none of the personal details. Benjamin takes time with the kidnapping but does not let it overtake the novel or spend too much time on details. She let's Anne's heartbreak take the reader inside a mother's grief and how she must deal with it all publicly. We also get to see the strength of Anne outside of her relationship as an Author and a woman who is her husband's equal in flying. I liked this novel but it was not a page turner or something I was looking forward to reading next. I would recommend Benjamin's earlier novel, The Autobiography of Mrs. Thumb if you are looking for a more engrossing read.
I just couldn't get over how unlikable Anne was in this book. I don't know how the author took such a complex character with such life experiences and made her dull and unintelligent. I also felt like the author filled in the gaps from historical record with some pretty wide conjecture (especially during the WWII Nazi phase of the Lindbergh history. All of this got better as the book went on but overall, I wasn't ever very excited to read this. I give it an extra star because it gave a good overview of the incredible life these two lived and I did really feel for the original paparazzi-stalked couple overall.