The Aviator's Wife

The Aviator's Wife

by Melanie Benjamin

Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis:  For much of her life, Anne Morrow, the shy daughter of the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, has stood in the shadows of those around her, including her millionaire father and vibrant older sister, who often steals the spotlight. Then Anne, a college senior with hidden literary aspirations, travels to Mexico City to spend Christmas with her family. There she meets Colonel Charles Lindbergh, fresh off his celebrated 1927 solo flight across the Atlantic. Enthralled by Charles’s assurance and fame, Anne is certain the celebrated aviator has scarcely noticed her. But she is wrong.

Charles sees in Anne a kindred spirit, a fellow adventurer, and her world will be changed forever. The two marry in a headline-making wedding. Hounded by adoring crowds and hunted by an insatiable press, Charles shields himself and his new bride from prying eyes, leaving Anne to feel her life falling back into the shadows. In the years that follow, despite her own major achievements—she becomes the first licensed female glider pilot in the United States—Anne is viewed merely as the aviator’s wife. The fairy-tale life she once longed for will bring heartbreak and hardships, ultimately pushing her to reconcile her need for love and her desire for independence, and to embrace, at last, life’s infinite possibilities for change and happiness.

Drawing on the rich history of the twentieth century—from the late twenties to the mid-sixties—and featuring cameos from such notable characters as Joseph Kennedy and Amelia Earhart, The Aviator’s Wife is a vividly imagined novel of a complicated marriage—revealing both its dizzying highs and its devastating lows. With stunning power and grace, Melanie Benjamin provides new insight into what made this remarkable relationship endure.

From GoodReads

Review: This book was a deep look into the lives of Anne Morrow Lindbergh and Charles Lindbergh.  It is hard for me to figure out what to rate this book because Charles was portrayed as a not very nice man and Anne was quite timid, meek and fairly weak at the beginning of the book.  I didn't really care for either Charles nor Anne and that always makes me like books less when characters aren't likable.  Anne did eventually learn to stand up to Charles some but not enough for my taste.  I did have to remember that women in that time weren't like women today and that husbands had much more power and control.  The story was captivating enough and flowed well between the time of Charles' death and the beginning of their story and lives together.  I felt heartbroken for Anne at times, especially during the kidnapping of her first son.  You also have to remember while reading that this book is based on Anne's and Charles' lives but it is fiction and that was hard to do at times.

Rating: 3 1/2 stars