*I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
Title: Crossing the Horizon
Author: Laurie Notaro
Publisher: Gallery Books
Publication Date: October 4, 2016
ISBN: 9781451659405
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Ten thousand feet in the sky, flipping and twirling through the air, aviatrixes from London to Paris to New York—fueled by determination and courage—have their eyes on the century’s biggest prize. The year is 1927, and Amelia Earhart has not yet made her record-breaking cross-Atlantic flight. Who will follow in Charles Lindbergh’s footsteps and make her own history? Three women’s names are splashed daily across the front page: Elsie Mackay, daughter of an Earl, is the first Englishwoman to get her pilot’s license. Mabel Boll, a glamorous society darling and former cigar girl, is ardent to make the historic flight. Beauty pageant contestant Ruth Elder uses her winnings for flying lessons and becomes the preeminent American girl of the sky.
This was a great book about women making their way in the world of aviation at the cusp of the fight for women’s rights and a changing time for women across the world. Inspired by true events and real, brave, incredible women, it’s a race against time, vying for the position of the first women to cross the great Atlantic and achieve the impossible I fell in love with the characters of Ruth and Elsie, who let nobody stand in their way. They give up everything they love and know in the world for an uncertain future and a shot at changing history.
I thought that the characters were a little flat. The story focused more on the action rather than characterization, which for me, is a bit of a mark against a book. I did really love the story. It’s an thrilling time for women and for aviation and it’s not a story that I’ve really read before. It introduces us vaguely to Amelia Earhart and I can only hope that Notaro writes another novel in the future to expand on Earhart’s expedition. By focusing only on the action, it drives the readers focus to the race. It highlights the hopes of the women fighting to be the first women to cross the great ocean and drawn attention to their frustrations and their deep desire to get off the ground. I would have liked to get to know the characters more in depth, but it’s still a good story without that character exploration.
I loved that the story was accompanied by real photos of these women and their pilots. It brought the whole story to a new level, adding that reality to fiction. The stories add faces to the names of each women, showing their spark and pizzazz. Their all vivacious and full of life in their pictures. I thought it was a great way to highlight the story. All in all, I was entertained by Notaro’s novel and really enjoyed reading a new story that I’d not explored before.
Worn Pages and Ink 