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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
This is a fictionalized account of the life of Anne Lindbergh, wife to the aviator Charles Lindbergh. I think I am like the people the author describes in her note: someone who "loves the Lindberghs" but really didn't know much about them besides something about Charles's importance in aviation, that their baby was kidnapped, and that Anne had penned [b:Gift from the Sea|77295|Gift from the Sea|Anne Morrow Lindbergh|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1328312670s/77295.jpg|37467]. This fleshes out more of their story in a completely engaging way.
Rationally speaking, I can't say why I enjoyed this book so much. There was a lot of unhappiness, both because of external circumstances and internal attitudes. I was definitely disappointed by the choices that some of the characters made, especially Anne's decisions toward the end of the book, even if the author was accurately representing the lives of the Lindberghs. Anne seemed moody and angsty on pretty much every page, which you'd think would be annoying.
But no -- somehow, I still really liked this book. Something about the writing just sucked me in. I loved the voice, the pacing. The themes explored in this novel (particularly the role of a wife as a support to her husband) gave me a lot to think about. And regardless of all the wrong turns the characters took, I liked them anyway. I am impressed with this author and will definitely look for more of her books!
A passage I liked (pages 81-82):
"Tell me something about yourself, Anne. What do you want to do?"
"That's quite a large question."
"No, it's simple, really. What do you want to do? The one thing you can't stop thinking about? For me, it was Paris. On all those long flights delivering the mail, I couldn't stop thinking about it, puzzling it over until I had the answer, and when it came to me, I did it. So what do you want to do?"
See the Pyramids. Make my brother healthy and happy. Marry a hero -- so many thoughts to choose from, so many ideas coming to mind, that I had to gather them to me, quickly, before I blurted them all out ...
"I would -- I would like to write a great book. Just one. I would be satisfied with that. To paint pictures with words, to help people see what I see, through my language -- oh, to be able to do that!"
Charles studied me in silence, his face impassive. And the man who had flown across an ocean on the power of his own belief and no one else's told me, "Then you will."
Rationally speaking, I can't say why I enjoyed this book so much. There was a lot of unhappiness, both because of external circumstances and internal attitudes. I was definitely disappointed by the choices that some of the characters made, especially Anne's decisions toward the end of the book, even if the author was accurately representing the lives of the Lindberghs. Anne seemed moody and angsty on pretty much every page, which you'd think would be annoying.
But no -- somehow, I still really liked this book. Something about the writing just sucked me in. I loved the voice, the pacing. The themes explored in this novel (particularly the role of a wife as a support to her husband) gave me a lot to think about. And regardless of all the wrong turns the characters took, I liked them anyway. I am impressed with this author and will definitely look for more of her books!
A passage I liked (pages 81-82):
"Tell me something about yourself, Anne. What do you want to do?"
"That's quite a large question."
"No, it's simple, really. What do you want to do? The one thing you can't stop thinking about? For me, it was Paris. On all those long flights delivering the mail, I couldn't stop thinking about it, puzzling it over until I had the answer, and when it came to me, I did it. So what do you want to do?"
See the Pyramids. Make my brother healthy and happy. Marry a hero -- so many thoughts to choose from, so many ideas coming to mind, that I had to gather them to me, quickly, before I blurted them all out ...
"I would -- I would like to write a great book. Just one. I would be satisfied with that. To paint pictures with words, to help people see what I see, through my language -- oh, to be able to do that!"
Charles studied me in silence, his face impassive. And the man who had flown across an ocean on the power of his own belief and no one else's told me, "Then you will."
The events in this book read like a novel. Wait this is a novel! The historical events are all true, but did Anne Morrow Lindbergh really think the way “The Aviator's Wife” thought?
Are Melanie Benjamin's characters' traits just speculation; a narrative to try to explain Anne’s actions? Making what seemed irrational decisions match with fictional internal dialog? According to Virnell Ann Bruce, who wrote a one-woman play on Mrs. Lindberg, Anne’s thoughts would not have turned out this way.
Several books containing Anne’s reflections, in the form of letters, diaries and journals have been published. As a source of research for The Aviator’s Wife, they would have been of great value. Benjamin read them, but points out in her author's notes that they were "helpfully" formed and edited by Charles himself, and seemed written to keep his legacy alive. Benjamin has written the emotional side of things from her imagination.
I have to remember that [b:The Aviator's Wife|13642950|The Aviator's Wife|Melanie Benjamin|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1345153864s/13642950.jpg|19258153] is a work of historical fiction. The two main characters, Charles and Anne are both studies in the dichotomy of human thought. At times endearing, at others dreadful. All sewn into the chronological fabric of two remarkable lives.
Are Melanie Benjamin's characters' traits just speculation; a narrative to try to explain Anne’s actions? Making what seemed irrational decisions match with fictional internal dialog? According to Virnell Ann Bruce, who wrote a one-woman play on Mrs. Lindberg, Anne’s thoughts would not have turned out this way.
Several books containing Anne’s reflections, in the form of letters, diaries and journals have been published. As a source of research for The Aviator’s Wife, they would have been of great value. Benjamin read them, but points out in her author's notes that they were "helpfully" formed and edited by Charles himself, and seemed written to keep his legacy alive. Benjamin has written the emotional side of things from her imagination.
I have to remember that [b:The Aviator's Wife|13642950|The Aviator's Wife|Melanie Benjamin|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1345153864s/13642950.jpg|19258153] is a work of historical fiction. The two main characters, Charles and Anne are both studies in the dichotomy of human thought. At times endearing, at others dreadful. All sewn into the chronological fabric of two remarkable lives.
A staff favorite of 2013 recommended by staffers Connie, Jo and Andrea.
Read Jo's review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/429027133
Read Andrea's review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/497780854
Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Saviator%27s%20wife%20benjamin__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=pearl
Read Jo's review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/429027133
Read Andrea's review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/497780854
Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Saviator%27s%20wife%20benjamin__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=pearl
3.5 if possible. It was a great read and I loved the history of it as well. To me there were a lot of slow parts in the book that but because of how the story is laid out it made me want to keep reading.
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
This was well written and a fascinating look a the Lindberghs. I was so frustrated with Charles and Anne though, kinda hard to read at times. But I would definitely recommend it!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ugh. I really struggled with this book. I've read a couple of books by Anne Morrow Lindbergh and felt that I had a fairly good understanding of who she was as a person - how she felt about motherhood, her love for her husband, and the sorrows and happiness she felt throughout her life. This book was the complete opposite of all that I felt. At first I was confused and really doubted my own I interpretations of her books that I read. Then I started to feel mad and frustrated as I continued on because I realized what the author had done. She took the facts of Anne's life and correctly portrayed them, but then all else was fiction.....the author's guess as to who the Lindbergh's were and how they acted in their personal lives. I know that that's what authors who write historical fictions do, but when we have the actual journals and books of the person she's writing about, then it just seems wrong to completely rewrite how someone felt. Upon further research of the author, she's done similar things in the two other books she's written and readers weren't happy.
In all, if you want to find out more about Anne and the Lindbergh's, read her own words or those of their children.
In all, if you want to find out more about Anne and the Lindbergh's, read her own words or those of their children.
As historical novels go, Benjamin's novels can't be beat.
Dang. This is great historical fiction. Like a lot of other reviewers, I knew the broad strokes about Charles Lindbergh but none of the details nor anything about his wife. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.