Gallery Books, October 4, 2016.
Four Stars
In the 1920s, the field of aviation was exploding
with new innovations, and many pilots joined the race to be first to fly across
the Atlantic. In Notaro’s new novel, Crossing
the Horizon, the focus is on three aviatrixes who compete to be the first
female to make the flight, following Charles Lindbergh’s successful attempt.
The women are very different – Elsie Mackay, daughter of a British Earl, who grew
up in a life of wealth and privilege; Mabel Boll, a glamorous American society
girl with a rich South American husband; and Ruth Elder, a beauty pageant
contestant turned actress who uses her pageant winnings to pay for flying
lessons. The novel is based on the lives of these three real women, who were
eclipsed in fame by Amelia Earhart and Beryl Markham.
These three women were very different, almost to the
point of cliché, yet here their voices all sound similar and indistinct. The
novel is meticulously researched and follows the historical record, but it
doesn’t manage to fully come to life. These women led incredible lives, and their
accomplishments are showcased here, but they didn’t feel real in the same way
that Markham did in Paula McLain’s recent novel, Circling the Sun.
The novel started out slowly, but it did pick up when
the women began to embark on their aviation adventures – their achievements
showed that women could be equally as capable at men even in this dangerous arena,
and at a time when they had only just been given the right to vote. It is
amazing to witness what these women were able to accomplish, in spite of being oppressed
in other areas of their lives – perhaps that is why they were so determined to
succeed and be free in the world of aviation. It was interesting to see how their
relationships with men were affected by their ambitions – each of the women
basically lived separately from their husbands in order to pursue their dreams.
The text of the novel is supplemented by historical
photographs of the Mackay, Boll and Elder, as well as letters and newspaper
articles. These materials did help bring the women to life, although I still
wished for more depth of character – I never felt like I truly understood the
women and their motivations on a deeper level. This was especially true for
Boll, who became a caricature of a spoiled, whiny rich girl. It often seemed like
she was just there for easy laughs, and I felt that she was treated
frivolously. All three were strong, independent women, but they often came
across here as shallow and silly girls.
Regardless of my issues with the novel, it is always exciting
to read a historical novel about women that have not really been explored
before in fiction. These three women challenged female norms and opposed a society
that denied women an equal opportunity for adventure and success. They didn’t
all cross the horizon, but they were able to explore their dreams of flight in
new and exciting ways.
I received this novel from Gallery Books/Simon &
Schuster in exchange for an honest review.
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