Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.09 AVERAGE
3.09 AVERAGE
This historical fiction book tells the story of Katharine Wright and her life with her brothers', Orville and Wilbur, and her role in their flying is told in letters and a diary written after she married in her 50's.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an arc for my honest review
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an arc for my honest review
slow-paced
This was the type of Historical Fiction book I love to read. Even though I knew the basics of Orville & Wilbur Wright's success in flight at Kittyhawk, this book piqued my interest to know more about the brothers and their sister Katharine, who I knew nothing about. I ended up reading more online about the whole Wright family.
Katharine was a suffragette with strong opinions and beliefs. Very close with her brothers, she had more to do with helping them in their quest for flight and never received the credit she deserved.
The story is told through letters to her brother Orville and journal entries. It was interesting to read what things women worried or thought about in the 1920's. I did think that her relationship with her brother was very odd and wonder how close this was to reality.
Just barely 200 pages, I think this was a quick, but enjoyable read.
Katharine was a suffragette with strong opinions and beliefs. Very close with her brothers, she had more to do with helping them in their quest for flight and never received the credit she deserved.
The story is told through letters to her brother Orville and journal entries. It was interesting to read what things women worried or thought about in the 1920's. I did think that her relationship with her brother was very odd and wonder how close this was to reality.
Just barely 200 pages, I think this was a quick, but enjoyable read.
I would've have liked a more accurate historical fiction type book then this book. It seemed too much fluff rather than have any accurate information from the diaries and letters.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was drawn to read The Wright Sister by Patty Dann because of its epistolary elements and because I love learning more about women history has forgotten. Katharine was sister to the famous Wilbur and Orville but the bulk of this story takes place many years after their inaugural flight. It briefly covers her younger years including attending Oberlin college, working as a teacher, running the family home and especially caring for her father and brother Orville. At the age of 52 she married Harry Haskell, a long time family friend. This novel focuses mostly on that period of her life through a marriage diary and letters, mostly to brother Orville. She comes across as active in feminist causes, bright and vivacious with a wry sense of humour. Her love for her new husband is strong as is the physical aspect of their relationship (although if I were her I’m not sure I’d have included these details in a letter to my brother) but she also discusses the downsides of marriage as an older woman and the realities of being a second wife. Orville resented her marriage, and refused to visit the couple or even reply to her letters. Despite his obvious difficult personality, she clearly pined for him. Unfortunately the book (or at least the audio version) did not include an author’s note meaning it was hard to know what was fact and what was fiction.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Historical fiction account of the last few years of Katharine Wright’s life. No longer living in her brothers’ shadows she ventures out to discover herself. I love the feminist vibes she has, but how she remains true to herself. Overall, it felt a little drier than anticipated, but interesting nonetheless.
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a quick, easy read! This is a unique take on a part of history that I’m fascinated with. Getting the perspective of the Wright sister was interesting! I enjoyed this tale and flew through it in a matter of hours. I liked the diary/letter aspect of it and it allowed for a unique spin. My thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy in exchange for my honest review!
The Wright Sister by Patty Dann was a glimpse into the mind of Katharine Wright, the little known sister of Orville and Wilbur Wright.
Synopsis: On December 17, 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright flew the world’s first airplane at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, establishing the Wright Brothers as world-renowned pioneers of flight. Known to far fewer people was their whip-smart and well-educated sister Katharine, a suffragette and early feminist.
After Wilbur passed away, Katharine lived with and took care of her increasingly reclusive brother Orville, who often turned to his more confident and supportive sister to help him through fame and fortune.As the years went on, the siblings grew further and further apart.
In The Wright Sister, Patty Dann wonderfully imagines the blossoming of Katharine, revealed in her “Marriage Diary”—in which she emerges as a frank, vibrant, intellectually and socially engaged, sexually active woman coming into her own—and her one-sided correspondence with her estranged brother as she hopes to repair their fractured relationship. Even though she pictures “Orv” throwing her letters away, Katharine cannot contain her joie de vivre, her love of married life, her strong advocacy of the suffragette cause, or her abiding affection for her stubborn sibling as she fondly recalls their shared life.
This book was written in a mixture of letters and diary entries in from the viewpoint of Katharine, who recently married and moved away from her brother Orv. While I am not normally one to read a book composed of letters, this was a really sweet insight into the mind of this woman, who had more influence on the invention of airplanes than I was otherwise aware of. While there is no overarching plot to guide you through this story, you really get a sense of the types of things she dealt with as a female inventor in the early 20’s, as well as a woman with the new right to vote. I found myself really sad for her as the entries progressed, because I could feel how much she cared about her family and how much she wanted out of life, and she didn’t get it. It made me want to learn more about this amazing woman!
Synopsis: On December 17, 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright flew the world’s first airplane at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, establishing the Wright Brothers as world-renowned pioneers of flight. Known to far fewer people was their whip-smart and well-educated sister Katharine, a suffragette and early feminist.
After Wilbur passed away, Katharine lived with and took care of her increasingly reclusive brother Orville, who often turned to his more confident and supportive sister to help him through fame and fortune.As the years went on, the siblings grew further and further apart.
In The Wright Sister, Patty Dann wonderfully imagines the blossoming of Katharine, revealed in her “Marriage Diary”—in which she emerges as a frank, vibrant, intellectually and socially engaged, sexually active woman coming into her own—and her one-sided correspondence with her estranged brother as she hopes to repair their fractured relationship. Even though she pictures “Orv” throwing her letters away, Katharine cannot contain her joie de vivre, her love of married life, her strong advocacy of the suffragette cause, or her abiding affection for her stubborn sibling as she fondly recalls their shared life.
This book was written in a mixture of letters and diary entries in from the viewpoint of Katharine, who recently married and moved away from her brother Orv. While I am not normally one to read a book composed of letters, this was a really sweet insight into the mind of this woman, who had more influence on the invention of airplanes than I was otherwise aware of. While there is no overarching plot to guide you through this story, you really get a sense of the types of things she dealt with as a female inventor in the early 20’s, as well as a woman with the new right to vote. I found myself really sad for her as the entries progressed, because I could feel how much she cared about her family and how much she wanted out of life, and she didn’t get it. It made me want to learn more about this amazing woman!