The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin

 He was the first one to fly non-stop solo across the Atlantic in 1927. She was the first licensed female glider pilot in the US. This is their life story full of exciting achievements, but not so much of love and warmth.

1927. Anne Morrow, a college student, is visiting her parents and siblings in Mexico City for Christmas break. Her mother is excited to host Colonel Charles Lindbergh and to be able to push the oldest daughter, the beauty, into his arms. But it is the shy Anne that catches his attention.

A year earlier, Anne heard his name for the first time, when he flew across the ocean. Now, she shares the sky with him as he takes her flying. Two shy people break the silence to share their dreams. He wants to improve aviation’s future. She wants to write a book.

Once the ice is broken, he proposes. Her marriage rubbed of feelings is full of structure, charting new paths and navigating. She loves the part of excitement of something different over ordinary dull life. They break the records; take pictures of “the ruins of Chichen Itza (Mexico) for the first time from the air, and in doing so we’d discovered other ruins as well.”

I enjoyed the character of Anne very much. She comes from family who values education highly. She comes from privileged background, but with her siblings they “never were allowed to feel rich or special.” Despite all that, she constantly feels in the shadow, first of her family, and later of her husband. She dreamed of becoming a writer, instead she charts new routes for her husband. She was expecting warmness in her marriage, instead she receives commends from her practical husband, lacking affection. How does she handle what is missing in her life and what overshadows her? She is a complacent wife and caring mother, but at some point she needs to do something for herself. And this classy and resilient woman does it phenomenally.

Charles, the great hero in aviation, is not so much of a hero in his private life. He is pretty cold and very demanding. He is all about structure, without any room for affection and warmth.

I was engrossed by the storyline and prose from the very beginning to the very end. Fully developed characters add much depth to the story. We know what Anne thinks and how she feels. Even those characters on the sidelines or appearing briefly bring something that defines them and add a punch to the story. Incredible and compelling writing.

Release date: 2013

Publisher: Delacorte Press