The Aviator's Wife Blog Tour

Welcome to the blog tour for The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin!

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.

Praise for the Book:

“Vivid and mesmerizing, The Aviator’s Wife takes us behind the scenes and into the heart of the woman who loved and married Charles Lindbergh.  That was her destiny – a life that took her soaring into the skies and then plunged her to earth, a story of both triumph and pain that will take your breath away.” —Kate Alcott, author of The Dressmaker

Purchase the Book:

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

Melanie Benjamin is the author of the nationally bestselling Alice I Have Been and The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb.

Her latest book is the historical fiction, The Aviator’s Wife.

Benjamin lives in Chicago, where she is at work on her next historical novel.

Visit the Author:

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

Review:

Anne Morrow is used to being in the shadows. The one time she gets noticed is the one time she least expects to get noticed. When the very famous aviator Charles Lindbergh visits her family, Anne is once again prepared to fall back into the shadows. Everything changes for her when Charles Lindbergh not only notices her but wants to spend time with her. Anne is soon caught up in a marriage unlike any other. Spanning many decades, Anne's life is one with many highs and lows. Through it all, Anne must figure out to make herself happy and not just be "Mrs. Lindbergh."

I love books based on real people, so I was excited to read this. It was extremely interesting. Charles and Anne Lindbergh were really like a celebrity couple of today. They had people after them and interested in their every move. The kidnap and murder of their first son is prime evidence of this. Everyone wanted a piece of the Lindbergh's for their own reasons. I can't even begin to imagine being hounded as much as they were. That must have been awful to be hunted down like that. I think this really hurt Anne is ways she couldn't quite measure also. A running theme seems to be Anne's need for independence, something that was impossible under the circumstances. 

Of course, Anne also really was in the shadow of her extremely famous husband. Anne herself was actually very accomplished. However this was always overshadowed by everything her husband did. Charles Lindbergh doesn't come off particularly well here; often he seems very cold and calculating to me at least. I really wanted things to work out better for Anne, especially knowing that Charles Lindbergh was less than faithful. In the end though, this book is a thoroughly fascinating look at what could very well be one of the first modern super-couples. 

Galley provided for review.

Be sure to check out all the stops on the tour. Thanks for stopping by!