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cher_n_books 's review for:
The Aviator's Wife
by Melanie Benjamin
4.5 stars - Incredible. I really loved it.
Prior to reading this historical fiction novel, I knew very little about the Lindberghs; only that he was a record setting aviator and that they had a child whom had been kidnapped for ransom money...and I knew absolutely nothing about Charles' remarkable wife, Anne. I felt a bit better about this ignorance however, when I read in the author's note that many people today are only vaguely familiar with the Lindbergh story. If that is also the case for you, I recommend NOT familiarizing yourself with the details of their life prior to reading this novel, as it is more enjoyable when you do not already know how everything will end.
This is essentially a story about a fascinating but flawed (how human of him) hero with striking Asperger tendencies that finds Anne and recognizes she will make an effectual martial partner, and how Anne slowly grows and eventually steps out of a perpetual shadow (of her father, sister, husband) to become her own person. The story is compelling, informative, inspiring and heart breaking.
While surely it is a combination, you do wonder how much of Anne's transformation was due to a change in her marital relationship, vs a natural progression and change in one's priorities that comes with age, vs a reflection of an emerging cultural change towards women's equality.
Achieving the golden crown of a thought provoking HF novel, this one sent me on a google spree. Perhaps one of the most fascinating things I found out was that. As always, it was greatly appreciated that the author addressed at the end what was fiction vs fact. She also mentions in the author's note that she was more interested in the emotional side of the story vs a historical blow by blow account, and in that objective, she undoubtedly succeeded.
Anne Lindbergh:
Charles and Anne Lindbergh:
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Favorite Quote: Unlike men, women got less sintimental as we aged, I was discovering. We cried enough, when we were young; vessels overflowing with the tears of everyone we loved.
First Sentences: He is flying. Is this how I will remember him?
Prior to reading this historical fiction novel, I knew very little about the Lindberghs; only that he was a record setting aviator and that they had a child whom had been kidnapped for ransom money...and I knew absolutely nothing about Charles' remarkable wife, Anne. I felt a bit better about this ignorance however, when I read in the author's note that many people today are only vaguely familiar with the Lindbergh story. If that is also the case for you, I recommend NOT familiarizing yourself with the details of their life prior to reading this novel, as it is more enjoyable when you do not already know how everything will end.
This is essentially a story about a fascinating but flawed (how human of him) hero with striking Asperger tendencies that finds Anne and recognizes she will make an effectual martial partner, and how Anne slowly grows and eventually steps out of a perpetual shadow (of her father, sister, husband) to become her own person. The story is compelling, informative, inspiring and heart breaking.
While surely it is a combination, you do wonder how much of Anne's transformation was due to a change in her marital relationship, vs a natural progression and change in one's priorities that comes with age, vs a reflection of an emerging cultural change towards women's equality.
Achieving the golden crown of a thought provoking HF novel, this one sent me on a google spree. Perhaps one of the most fascinating things I found out was that
Spoiler
Lindbergh's illegitimate children did not know he had been their father until they were DNA tested in 2003Anne Lindbergh:
Charles and Anne Lindbergh:
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Favorite Quote: Unlike men, women got less sintimental as we aged, I was discovering. We cried enough, when we were young; vessels overflowing with the tears of everyone we loved.
First Sentences: He is flying. Is this how I will remember him?