A review by booksbybindu
The Prince of the Skies by Antonio Iturbe

5.0

‘The Prince of the Skies’ is a enthralling, magical tale that weaves the story of Antoine de Saint-Exupér, the author of the Little Prince and aviator extraordinaire, with that of the history of the period. Despite being a Count Antoine comes from humble beginning and finds the joy of the flying whilst in the military forces. He dances through the air, practicing tricks, flying to the limits of his aircraft. But at the same time he falls in love with a rich girl called Lou-Lou who insists he give up flying. Eventually, he returns to his passion and helps to create ‘par Avion where he literally flies to the ends of the world to give people their mail.

The author has such a way with words that is breathtaking. It's stunning in its descriptions, the visual layers it places in your imagination is exquisite. He really does manage to convey the excitement and magic of flying. Some of my favourite scenes were when the Sheikh was up in the air and the delivery of mail to the old woman at the bottom of the world.
The emotion that came through was something special, pure and wonderful.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Considering this was Antoine’s story I was just as captivated with Henri and Mendoza’s tales as well. Three very different characters but ones when they come together created a wonderfully rich narrative. I had absolutely no knowledge of Antoine’s life before reading this book but this is one of the reasons why reading historical fiction is so joyful as it's illuminating and educational. Especially, in this case with the biographical elements of his life.

Don't hesitate with giving this one a chance as it's beautiful.