August - The Aviator's Wife

Just three of us this month and one of us had read the wrong book - but, hey, she's ahead of the game now! If you've not already read this book, we definitely recommend it. Benjamin has done her homework - we know, because the book had both Lisa and Ann hitting the internet to see how much of what we were reading was based on reality and how much was made up. We'd also certainly recommend it for book clubs. There is, of course, the usual discussion about the writing and story itself as well as the story of the famous couple, the story of a marriage, the specter of World War II, infidelity, mental illness, parenting, homosexuality, and fame.

Charles Lindbergh? We were not fans by the time we finished reading this book. He was a cold fish obsessed with his image, single-minded, and extremely manipulative. To say nothing about his Hitler sympathies and stance against American intervention in Germany's war on Europe.

We had all been aware, certainly, of the celebrity of Charles Lindbergh but agreed that his fame and celebrity was unprecedented and still unequaled. It certainly accounted for the kidnapping of the Lindbergh's son and the crazy reactions of the country in the aftermath. For people like Charles and Anne, it wasn't an easy life to lead.

Ann felt the story was a little slow to get into and Lisa found some of it reading a little like a romance novel early on, but both of us got wrapped up in the story, even as it wound down and slowed down toward the end. We had both known that Anne Morrow Lindbergh had achieved fame on her own but were surprised to see how little she was acknowledged earlier in her life, even by her husband who utterly relied on her as his co-pilot in the plane and in life.

In September, we will meet at the Village Pointe Theater to watch "The Light Between Oceans," which the book club read in 2013 and liked a lot. The cast is excellent so we're looking forward to it. We'll go on our usual book club night which also means that we'll get in for the $5 ticket price.