“Were we women always destined to appear as we were not, as long as we were standing next to our husbands?”
Anne and Charles Lindbergh were America’s favorite couple when they were making strides in the aviation front. Together, they charted new routes and went places no airplane had gone before. They both flew and, without Anne, Charles may not have been able to help take aviation as far down its path as he did. However, Anne always fell into Charles’ shadow and his personality would overpower hers even in their personal life. For most of their married life, she was not Anne, she was The Aviator’s Wife.
I have enjoyed another of Melanie Benjamin’s book and thought The Aviator’s Wifewould be a good choice for the September Online Book Club. I’ve read The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb and found her take on historical fiction to be captivating. I read about Mrs. Tom Thumb before The Greatest Showman came out and it was nice to have some background on P.T. Barnum before that movie came out.
The Aviator’s Wife tells the story of the Lindbergh’s from Anne’s point of view. She easily fell in love with Charles, but then realized he was not always an easy person to deal with. When their firstborn was kidnapped, the foundation of their marriage wasn’t quite strong enough to carry them through the many decades ahead. They did have more children, but as the children grew, Charles spent more and more time away from home. Anne finally wrote a book (Gift from the Sea) and found the strength to become a person in her own right out of Charles’ shadow.
I really enjoyed reading The Aviator’s Wife. I only paused when I realized I had forgot their story involved the kidnapping and death of their child. Melanie Benjamin has a gift of bringing history to life and I feel like I really know Anne Morrow Lindbergh now. Lovers of good fiction and historical fiction should add this book to their to-read list!