jodar's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Well-written and strangely absorbing, but what an odd mix of themes: semi-orphans abandoned to an incapable uncle; a frontier-like childhood; a nasty marriage with liquor-running adventures; wilderness solitude (more than once); a war story; a movie star; an adventure story of long-distance flight.
Scarcely an admirable character appears at all, except perhaps for secondary and tertiary characters. How to think of the MC, her twin brother and closest childhood-then-adult friend? Introverted, certainly, but none to me are attractive. All have their own obsessions (flying, art, wilderness) and seem to care only about their own selfish needs.
There’s sexual promiscuity by the main characters throughout, with barely any consideration for consequences to others. Steps to avoid pregnancy are detailed, but non-historical is the lack of any concern for venereal disease at a time of horrible and inadequate treatment. This ignorance doesn’t even make sense while the characters are young and isolated from society, as the prostitutes the MC befriends would surely be knowledgeable. It’s anachronistic behaviour till after the 1950s–1960s at least, when effective treatments became available and the ‘sexual revolution’ began to take off. The trope of non-heterosexual relationships as some sort of forbidden and secret enlightenment arises, of course; it’s seemingly unavoidable these days.
From time to time throughout the MC’s life and for sure at the end, the futility of existence and a resigned nihilism comes to the fore:
Scarcely an admirable character appears at all, except perhaps for secondary and tertiary characters. How to think of the MC, her twin brother and closest childhood-then-adult friend? Introverted, certainly, but none to me are attractive. All have their own obsessions (flying, art, wilderness) and seem to care only about their own selfish needs.
There’s sexual promiscuity by the main characters throughout, with barely any consideration for consequences to others. Steps to avoid pregnancy are detailed, but non-historical is the lack of any concern for venereal disease at a time of horrible and inadequate treatment. This ignorance doesn’t even make sense while the characters are young and isolated from society, as the prostitutes the MC befriends would surely be knowledgeable. It’s anachronistic behaviour till after the 1950s–1960s at least, when effective treatments became available and the ‘sexual revolution’ began to take off. The trope of non-heterosexual relationships as some sort of forbidden and secret enlightenment arises, of course; it’s seemingly unavoidable these days.
From time to time throughout the MC’s life and for sure at the end, the futility of existence and a resigned nihilism comes to the fore:
All the times she [the MC] has brushed against death, she’s never given much thought to what might come after. Now she considers it. She supposes there will be nothing. She supposes each of us destroys the world. We close our eyes and snuff out all that has existed, all that will ever be. (Final chapter, “The End”)
This is the malignancy that American individualism and its preoccupation with freedom looks like, I suppose, when it is untempered by a wider Christian concern towards others in society or a belief in the ultimate importance of our actions. I doubt this is what the author intends the reader to come away with, however.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Abandonment, Death, Suicidal thoughts, War, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Abortion, Murder, Grief, and Infidelity
hayleyvem's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Gun violence, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Pedophilia, Violence, War, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Rape, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Abandonment, and Pregnancy
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, and Suicidal thoughts
siobhanward's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I don't know why female aviators are one of my favourite subjects to read about, but I've rarely been disappointed by a book about them, fiction or non-fiction. I loved that Shipstead incorporated real life stories of female aviators into the book - it was cool to see elements of reality sprinkled in.
Shipstead creates a great narrative in this book - though it starts a tiny bit clunky with a lot of background, the payoff is worth it as more is revealed about the Graves family. Marian and Jamie are great characters and were well-written. I loved how Shipstead told a story of an era, woven into Marian's life. I would have loved if there had been more about Marian's circumnavigation of the poles - it was such an interesting part and it felt as though it was just kind of rushed. I didn't feel like Hadley's story added a whole lot to the book - I get why Shipstead used her to tell parts of Marian's story, but I could have done with fewer mundane details about her life.
If you don't mind a longer read and enjoy historical fiction, this is a great change from the normal secretary/spy stories that are often told about women in wartime novels and is definitely worth the read.
Shipstead creates a great narrative in this book - though it starts a tiny bit clunky with a lot of background, the payoff is worth it as more is revealed about the Graves family. Marian and Jamie are great characters and were well-written. I loved how Shipstead told a story of an era, woven into Marian's life. I would have loved if there had been more about Marian's circumnavigation of the poles - it was such an interesting part and it felt as though it was just kind of rushed. I didn't feel like Hadley's story added a whole lot to the book - I get why Shipstead used her to tell parts of Marian's story, but I could have done with fewer mundane details about her life.
If you don't mind a longer read and enjoy historical fiction, this is a great change from the normal secretary/spy stories that are often told about women in wartime novels and is definitely worth the read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: War and Death
chloehui106's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Rape, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Alcoholism, War, and Pedophilia
madamelacy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book recounts the life story of a fictional female aviator, Marian Graves. There’s also a dual timeline story with Hadley, an actress who’s playing Marian in a movie based on her life.
I really liked Marian’s story, but there were so many digressions, insertions about aviation history and bits which simply felt irrelevant.
I didn’t like Hadley’s story and I really didn’t feel like she added anything to the story. The denouement could have been done without her.
I really liked Marian’s story, but there were so many digressions, insertions about aviation history and bits which simply felt irrelevant.
I didn’t like Hadley’s story and I really didn’t feel like she added anything to the story. The denouement could have been done without her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Alcoholism, and War
Minor: Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, and Homophobia
rly's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual assault, and War
bookzofonzarelli's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
This book is honestly one of the best I’ve ever read. The blurb and the summaries do not fully explain what you will go through reading this, the entire explanation of Marian’s parents, then her childhood, the characters of Jamie and Caleb, all of it is a perfect illustration of her story.
The story of Hadley echoes this too, all that surrounds her and her personality is also wonderful, showing sides of modern people not often reflected in a way that Maggie writes them.
Marians love of flying, her growing up, girlhood, her marriage, her love and her sexuality is all explored incredibly, and I would really recommend this to ANYBODY.
An absolute work of art. A wonderful book, thank you.
The story of Hadley echoes this too, all that surrounds her and her personality is also wonderful, showing sides of modern people not often reflected in a way that Maggie writes them.
Marians love of flying, her growing up, girlhood, her marriage, her love and her sexuality is all explored incredibly, and I would really recommend this to ANYBODY.
An absolute work of art. A wonderful book, thank you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, War, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Incest
tangleroot_eli's review against another edition
I need to put an indefinite pause on reading non-genre adult fiction by mainstream authors from mainstream publishers. Even the most reputedly "groundbreaking" among them have a resigned conventionality that just... exhausts me, and much of their so-called novelty is authors retreading old ground while trying to one-up each other in how "edgy" they can be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Sexism
Moderate: Xenophobia, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Death, Incest, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault
Minor: Infidelity, War, Drug use, and Fire/Fire injury
Postpartum depressionandrewspink's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
In general, I've never really understood the attraction of the romance of flying in the early stages of the industry. This book changed that for me. It makes much more sense now; the story gave some good insights into what it must have been like at that time. I enjoyed the way that the Marion's character developed along with the development of aviation, and the plot had sufficient twists and surprises right until the end. It was indeed a long road to the end, with a large page count. The book was well enough written that that wasn't such a problem for me, but, like many other reviewers, I found the 20th century sections less good and don't think the book would have been worse if they had been omitted. I guess the idea was to show how a contemporary view of someone from the last century is inevitably distorted and partial (perhaps, especially a Hollywood film), but I'm not sure if it entirely succeeded in that, perhaps because the actress was (imho) rather an irritating character.
Nevertheless, it was a book I really enjoyed, both for the plot and for the diversity of the characters.
Nevertheless, it was a book I really enjoyed, both for the plot and for the diversity of the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: War
jj_99's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: War and Rape