Welcome to Litsy!

I spend my reading life searching for books like this one. Books that completely consume me and I can‘t put down. Marian Graves is our main character; an aspiring aviator in the 1930s, who has a complicated and troubled background. Her story is interspersed with that of film star Hadley who is to play Marian in the biopic of her life. That little summary doesn‘t do the epic scope or intensity of the story and characters justice; I loved it!

This book was epic, all 670 pages of it but I‘m so glad I chose it to be a holiday read so that I could be fully absorbed in it. A book with layers like this needs to be given the time it deserves to be truly loved. Marian Graves dreams of being a pilot and to circumnavigate the globe. So the story is set in motion as the author traverses the 20th century through the lives of 2 women predominantly but many other beautifully written characters. 5🌟

What a recommendation this was. If you are looking for where to start with the nominees for the women‘s prize for fiction this year, then I can think of no better place to start. This book is a gem!

Not going to arrive in time to drink out of this during watching the shortlist events this week.

New challenge to see if I've read something by all the winners 🏆?

Manipulation, heartbreak, adventure, love. This epic has it all. I got so lost in the reading, I could swear it was Ken Follet. And Jamie. Swoon. Reminded me of Anne Blythe's Walter. Interspersed between the chapters, you are treated to historical snippets of real aviators. This is my favored contender for #WomensPrize2022 No, wait. I forgot about The Sentence.

Okay, I‘m done with what feels like a very long book. I usually love historical fiction, but I just could not get invested. It‘s beautifully written though.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️,75/5

#WomensPrize #novel #historicalfiction

#airplane #Savvysettings

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

Pretty good book. The last hundred pages were really well written. Beautiful writing.

Happy Sunday!

The epic story of a fictional female aviator Marian Graves. I really enjoyed traveling through history over such a great length of time with characters who became so familiar to me. I loved many sections of the book but there were others I thought were not entirely necessary. It is a long book but it does span a long and interesting life. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I have mixed feelings about this book which contains dual timelines. As is often the case when I read this type of book I am usually drawn to one storyline over another. The story of fictional pilot Marian Graves was compelling as I enjoyed reading her journey and learning of the role of women pilots during WWII. The secondary timeline of a modern day actress playing Marian in a movie about her life was less engaging and felt unnecessary to me.

Such a beast of a book! Marian Graves, fictional female pilot, has a difficult go of things from infancy (1914) and throughout most of her life. Not only do we get the intricate details of her life from birth to the end of her life, but also her parents‘ lives and others in her orbit jump off the page. The time periods and sense of place, just amazing! This epic journey is pierced by present-day chapters about an actress playing Graves in a film.

I‘m giving this one a pick but I have to say that of the 600 pages, it was the last 200 pages that finally connected me to the characters. They had felt very distant before that. I think I‘ll appreciate it more after it settles in a bit. Well researched with great detailed storytelling.

‘Circles are wondrous because they are endless. Anything endless is wondrous. But endlessness is torture, too. I knew the horizon could never be caught but still chased it. What I have done is foolish; I had no choice but to do it.‘

This was extraordinary: spanning continents and centuries, introducing distinctive, wonderful characters. I adored Marian and her twin Jamie, who are real, flawed, and who grow. Most of this novel is set in the past, so the film-making storyline is primarily to complement Marian‘s journey. This didn‘t bother me, as Marian was the character I cared about, but it could bother some. This is such a bold, sweeping novel and a careful character study.

I can see how this is wonderful storytelling. I personally didn‘t really connect with the main characters and so became less and less interested in their stories. But the different story strands are very convincing, and beautifully human.

#September #9thbookof2021 was another month with several amazing reads, but I landed on this as the best of the month.

Honorable mentions: Ace by Angela Chen, The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld

#12Booksof2021

Feels weird to still be dishing about 2021 but I‘m still sharing my #12BooksOf2021
This was my favorite read for September @Andrew65
An epic story of a fictional female aviator spanning 100 years. It was a chunky read but I enjoyed the journey. Audio narration was excellent.

The only book I read for #july this year #12booksof2021

Thank you for the amazing #jolabokaflodswap package @ReadingEnvy The extra bonus books are a great surprise.
Thanks also to @MaleficentBookDragon for hosting the best swap of all

@Cinfhen here's my #top21of21 (including tagged book as I couldn't fit it on the collage 🤣!)

Last one on the bottom is The Strode Ventura by Hammond Innes.

Tagging @Librarybelle (as 9 of these came from #readingasia2021) and anyone else who wants to join in!

Excited to start this epic historical fiction about a female pilot who will disappear Amelia Earhart style.

Finally finished the book! 5 ⭐

#newin2021 #booked2021 @Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft @4thhouseontheleft

I was a little underwhelmed by this book. With the reference to aviation in the title, I think I was expecting more about the the flying. Too much back story on minor characters for my liking, too.

At the Booker Readings 2021. Very excited.

Wow, what a read.
I became rather absorbed in the plot, all the characters were detailed enough to keep me reading.
I'm interested in how much of it might be fact...

I loved this incredible epic novel, definitely making my top 10 list for 2021! Some reviewers didn‘t like the modern thread of the historical/modern dual narrative, and it isn‘t as strong as the historical thread, but I still enjoyed it all. Definitely my favorite of this year‘s Booker nominees. The fictional tale of the lives of aviator Marian Graves and her artist brother Jamie makes for a damn fine yarn. Thanks to Libro.fm for the ALC!

I enjoyed the characters & broad sweep of this dual timelines novel. Interspersed snippets about women in aviation history—which may be fictional; I didn‘t check—added to my pleasure. Still, it doesn‘t seem worthy of a Booker prize. (I feel the same about Bewilderment & A Town Called Solace.) 25 hours in #audio, expertly narrated by Cassandra Campbell & Alex McKenna, who speak so clearly, 1.75 playback didn‘t sacrifice listening comprehension.

There should be an Antiques Roadshow for memories, and I would sit behind a desk and explain that while your memory might be lovely and have tremendous sentimental value, it was worth nothing to anyone but you.

Well written sweeping epic with two dual narratives. Yet it left me unmoved. 3 🌟

This was quite an adventure. The story follows Marion Graves from birth to death. We see her through Prohibition, the Great Depression, WWII, and beyond. Her story is interlaced with that of the actress who is portraying her in modern times, which was engaging but unnecessary. I was engrossed in the plot, and interested in the fully formed characters. This is the first book by Shipstead that I have read, and I look forward to reading more.

While #audiowalking today, I kept a close eye on this coyote, who was more interested in something else.

I finished my reversible housecoat while listening to the tagged audiobook. Many other audiobooks were in my ears while I dyed the pieces of fabric (over the past two years). Sewing pattern is my own design and I am very pleased with the results.

Now this is a good read so far.
Not as keen on the Hollywood star chapters but made up by the Marian chapters.

The Japanese flew over sometimes, strafing and bombing, usually not doing much damage. The tundra swallowed their bullets and bombs. "We do better than that, don't we?" Jamie said to an army photographer after an attack.

The man gazed after the departing planes. “Yeah, their mud is probably much more shot up than ours."

the lipstick in the cockpit was an armouring...

Argh....

A beautiful day in Massachusetts, but I‘m mentally in Montana.

He paused for a second and breathed in so hard his nose flattened, signaling he was about to quote something. "Men at some time are masters of their own fates; the fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings.""
"Men are masters of their own fates."
"Women didn't fit the meter."
"They never do, man."

This was not for me. 😑 I got tired of the characters. I didn‘t dislike them, but I wasn‘t invested in them like one should be in a 25 hour #audiobook. The modern storyline was useless. If this had been a 300 page novel about Marian only, I might have enjoyed it more. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Reading Envy Podcast Episode 230: Iron Bubble with Ross O'Brien

Living in Hong Kong has given Ross a different pandemic perspective, and has shifted his reading life in ways we discuss during this episode, as well as discussing books we've read recently. I'm just a bot, though.

Listen and subscribe:
https://tinyurl.com/ReadingEnvy230

Jogging and audiobooking, before the rain

I didn't say anything. She said, "Have you talked to Oliver yet?"
"No. But, by the way, he cheated, too. I told you about that."
"But it never really leaked. If a tree cheats in the woods and nobody takes its picture...

7 Sep-3 Oct 2021
Booker Longlist 5
A very readable novel. It juxtaposes two storylines: Marian, her twin, Jamie, and childhood friend, Caleb, from children in Montana to adulthood in World War II; and modern day Hadley, a teen actress destined to play Marian in a biopic. The sections recounting the lives and stories of early female pilots and their role in WWII were the highlight; Hadley‘s story was less interesting and a little vacuous.

We listened to more than 3 hours of this book today!

A dual timeline with a main character who is a woman pilot before and during WWII and a current day character who is a famous actor. I really liked this 600 pg chunkster! Marian and Jamie and Caleb‘s timeline was more relatable to me, and I really loved Jamie and Sarah‘s section. I didn‘t mind the more contemporary sections, and actually found it Hadley‘s story to be good contrast. I know some found her part unnecessary. 4 1/2 stars for me!

This book is why I make myself read the Booker nominees when I rarely really enjoy them - because once in a while there is an absolute gem. I love this epic saga of Marian Graves, aviatrix. Well-crafted sentences that keep you reading, even all the details of aircraft and flight were interesting. I have a book hangover now, and am grieving the fact that Marian is not a real perso.

Even though I should be reading Barkskins, this could not be renewed at the library so it was now or never. The story is 90% a female pilot in the 20th century with enough dips into other storylines to want to go back to Marian. Do I think it will win the Booker? I'd be surprised, but I enjoyed the read.