Everyone has heard of Charles Lindbergh but few are familiar with his wife, Anne Morrow Lindbergh. In The Aviator’s Wife, author Melanie Benjamin brings us into the lives of the famous couple. Written in Anne’s voice, the story starts in in 1927 when Anne Morrow, the shy daughter of the ambassador to Mexico, first meets famous pilot Charles Lindbergh. The rest of the novel tells the story of their life together including the tragic kidnapping and death of their first son. Benjamin’s achievement in this novel is in capturing the evolution of Anne from her early twenties through her sixties as she changes from a shy, retiring woman who is defined by the men in her life (first her father, then her husband) to confident writer and individual defined by more than her marriage.

This compassionate look at the inner workings of a difficult marriage is reminiscent of The Paris Wife and Loving Frank and is perfect for readers who enjoy stories with complex characters.