The Aviator’s Wife
has been on sale for about a minute in a half and it’s already in its 237th
printing. Well, officially it’s in the 6th printing, but that’s a
lot of books sold just out of the gate, man!
My second favorite thing about Melanie Benjamin is that she
is so adept at choosing smart, strong, interesting women that we know very
little about. Her two previous books, Alice
I Have Been and The Autobiography of Mrs.
Tom Thumb are perfect examples of fascinating subjects; while you’re
reading, you can’t help but make lists of friends that you want to talk about
the book with, and if you’re a nice person, perhaps lend the book to your
friend.
The Aviator’s Wife is my favorite of the three Benjamin
novels that I have read; it’s a true page-turner. To be perfectly honest, when I
learned she would be writing about Anne Lindbergh I thought, "This might be less
edgy than her two previous books, and maybe just not in my wheelhouse." I sat
down to dip in, and the next thing I knew, I was a couple hundred pages in and completely
immersed. I actually knew next to nothing about the Lindbergh story, not to
mention Anne, so page after page was a revelation. She was a bad ass. She an aviation pioneer in her own right, too (she was the first American woman to earn a glider
pilot’s license). Melanie Benjamin does a fantastic job painting a portrait of
the insane thirst the public had for anything and everything Lindbergh,
especially after their first baby is born. The tension that leads up to the
actual kidnapping of baby Charles is perfectly captured.  |
| Charles and Anne |
I won’t comment too much on Charles and Anne’s marriage,
which I presumed was a perfect All-American union, but turns out I
didn’t know a single thing about their life together and don’t want to ruin it for
anyone else. Not wanting to ruin something is a rare thing for me.
 |
| Cubs fan |
I know you’re dying to know what my first favorite thing about Melanie Benjamin is. Her eyes, the way
she dances, the way the moon bounces off her hair? No, my favorite thing about her
is that she is a Cubs fan. Its also probably the saddest thing about her. I
know it’s the saddest thing about me. Go Cubs….
