The Aviator's Wife: A Novel

I enjoyed this book, a fantastic account of the life of Charles Lindbergh told through the eyes of his wife Anne. He was a fascinating man, but a deeply flawed one. In the end, he was not the hero his wife Anne, and the world, fell in love with, back when he was the world’s “Lucky Lindy.”But while this is a story of a marriage, it is primarily the story of a woman named Anne; a deeply intelligent, courageous, woman. A timid intellectual who, through marriage to the hero of that time, found she wasn’t so timid, after all. She was fearless; she was the first American woman to earn a glider pilot’s license, she was hurtled off the edge of a mountain like a slingshot, by her husband. Because of her determination, she became a confident navigator, and one of the first licensed radio operators. Anne also became her husband’s copilot, the only person the world’s most famous aviator trusted to steer him around the world on record-breaking exploratory flights. This was the Anne whose story was told. But then there was the tragic, and more familiar, Anne. The woman who, along with her husband, was more hounded by the press than anyone in modern history. She was a person who, after her firstborn was kidnapped and murdered, tragically, and publicly had to suffer, until the end of her life. She was a person who had to grieve over this loss in private, because her husband forbade her to do so in public, or in his presence. The woman who learned to talk back, to say no, to tell her own story, famously, in a book she wrote. Anne who, despite her public image as the model of a docile wife, refused to be buried next to her husband of forty-five years. Her husband who, despite his public image as the hero of his age, had three secret families, including seven additional children. Anne, in discovering this ultimate betrayal, she finally understood her marriage and her husband. She also recognized that she had been the strong one, all along. Whereas Anne, that shy ambassador’s daughter, was the one strong enough to hold her family together. She was the one who survived this epic journey intact, able to love and, ultimately, to

Well written and researched. Based on a true story.

Well written historical fiction about the wife of Charles Lindbergh.

This is a fictional biography of Anne Morrow Lindbergh, the wife of Charles Lindbergh, the first person to fly across the Atlantic. Fictional biography is not my normal genre but "The Aviator's Wife" is unforgettable fictional biography. What makes it even more remarkable is how skillfully Melanie Benjamin told the very personal story of one of the most remarkable women of the 20th Century.Anne Morrow Lindbergh was an extraordinary woman to be able to attract Charles Lindbergh, the greatest US hero of the 1920's. The press flocked after Lindbergh making his public and private life a misery. He was probably hounded by the press throughout his life more than anyone in history than Princess Diana. When Anne married Charles and joined that misery she didn't realise what that would ultimately involve.I didn't realise that Anne was as physically courageous as Lindbergh when she was his "crew" as co-pilot and navigator on many of the pioneering flights that he made after his Atlantic crossing. She was an even more personally courageous person for living with and supporting a person for so many years who was one of the greatest control freaks of all time and continued to make her life a misery right up to the time of his death.Anne's greatest misery was the kidnapping and murder of her first child. This would be catastrophic for any mother, but it was made worse because it happened under intense public spotlight. After the kidnapping she brought up five more children without much support from Lindbergh in a basically dysfunctional home. Despite this she followed and supported Lindbergh through thick and thin as he roamed the globe prior to the war, especially his contentious close association with Germany and his opposition to America getting involved in the war.Eventually and wonderfully, in middle age Anne found herself and discovered a life of love and understanding where she was in no one's shadow.When I read a book on Kindle I highlight parts that I want to remember - this book had more highlights than almost any book I have read. I highly recommend this "true" story of pain and triumph that will remain with you for a long time.

This novel is a fictional biography of Anne Morrow, the wife of the famous aviator, Charles Lindbergh and together they became the world’s first power couple to be relentlessly hounded by the paparazzi. Told in the first person, the story follows Anne’s development from a privileged young Ambassador’s daughter, to a celebrity wife, to a mother of six children, through triumph and tragedy. However it is the intimate portrait of her marriage to a very difficult man, that I found most fascinating. I think the author did a wonderful job of conveying Anne’s inner emotional turmoil. This is an extremely well written and researched book. I highly recommend it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this,based on fact,novel.It is a story of dedication,devotion, and disillusion. One learns that,sometimes we need to take off our "rose colored glasses" if we are to become all that we can. It is a soaring love story filled with love,family,and adventure. If you enjoyed :Above All Things" I am confident you will also enjoy this beautiful,well written,book.

... which made me wish for more.I didn't know much about the Lindberghs before except that he was some aviation hero.I bought the book because I was intrigued to learn from the book information that his wife could also fly.Striving for a pilot's license myself I always was especially interested in the women among the early flight pioneers.I had read the autobiagraphy of Elly Beinhorn (a german aviatrix) before and found it a good read.This one is not so much about flight but more about the somehow difficult relationship between the Lindberghs and her development within this relationship.It is a well researched novel and even if you know some of the outcomes a gripping read which left me wish for more after finishing the book. The emotional insights are comprehensible and well composed.It is a shame that no one knows much about Anne Morrow Lindbergh and what she has been through and what she has accomplished.Everyone only knows something or other about her husband whom by the way I found very well portrayed in the book. You can understand the fascination that surrounds him but you can also see his character flaws.In the end I was fascinated by both; Mr and Mrs Lindbergh! And I'm a new fan of Melanie Benjamin (the author) too.

Well researched and written book. Great to read about a famous person's life through the eyes of his wife. Never knew what a fantastic female role model Anne Lindenburgh is in her own right.

Having read all of Anne Morrow Lindbergh's published diaries and letters I can say that I found that the author was amazing in how she was able to portray and be the voice of AML. I had to keep reminding myself that this wasn't a autobiography but a historical fiction.I remained captivated throughout the novel and realized that I have to read the other historical fiction books Melanie Benjamin wrote ... especially to see how she portrays the other main characters. I have to see if I once again feel like I an reading a autobiography...