Revew of The Aviator’s Wife

The Aviator’s Wife, Melanie Benjamin

This novel based in part on the diaries and writings of Charles Lindbergh and his wife, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, is a clear-eyed look at one of America’s heroes and his silent partner in the air and in the world.  The story covers the forty-five years of the Lindbergh marriage.  It  chronicles Anne’s reluctant recognition of Charles’s human failings and the late-dawning realization that her hero worship could not sustain her marriage.Benjamin captures convincingly the struggles and emotions of the gentle Anne living in the limelight of her famous husband’s monumental accomplishments and always in his shadow.  This beautifully-written book made me aware of Anne’s life and accomplishments apart from her world-famous husband, and gave me cause to celebrate Anne’s awakenings at the same time I empathized with her long stay in her self-imposed prison.  Benjamin also evoked powerful sympathy for Charles, a feat given his host of unlikable traits and actions.This book is worthy of the larger-than-life characters it portrays.

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