Holy, wow. This one was long. I was all here for “the unforgettable story of a daredevil female aviator determined to chart her own course in life” before I realized this book was a 600-page brick. In fact, I was very much looking forward to "the two women's fates--and their hunger for self-determination in vastly different geographies and times--collide" but did that ever really happen?
This book has great ratings and there are many reasons to enjoy it. Many of the characters are incredibly faceted and interesting. Shipstead excels at immersing the reader in their mind and perspective. She does it so well that I wish she had made this multiple books. There is so much story here but instead of appreciating it, I'm just frustrated and exhausted. I expect that if this was a series focusing on each POV character I would have enjoyed reading it more.
I would probably enjoy a book from each POV character Hadley. The blurb paints her to be a co-protagonist with Marian, but her storyline lacks the detail and growth of most of the other characters (including secondary characters). This book would have been better without her. Marian's story was compelling enough, and it might not have felt so long.
Overall, the book isn't bad I'm just not convinced it was worth the time investment. If you love a really epic story that literally covers entire lifetimes, then definitely read some of the positive reviews out there. For me, this was just okay.
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