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With everyone onboard harboring dark secrets and at least one person determined to make sure the airship doesn't make the return trip, Flight of Dreams gives an utterly suspenseful, heart-wrenching explanation for one of the most enduring mysteries of the twentieth century. On the evening of May 3, 1937, Emilie Imhof boards the Hindenburg. As the only female crewmember, Emilie has access to the entire airship, from the lavish dining rooms and passenger suites to the gritty engine cars and control room. She hears everything, but with rumors circulating about bomb threats, Emilie's focus is on maintaining a professional air ... and keeping her own plans under wraps. What Emilie can't see is that everyone from the dynamic vaudeville acrobat to the high-standing German officer seems to be hiding something. Giving free rein to countless theories of sabotage, charade, and mishap, Flight of Dreams takes us on the thrilling three-day transatlantic flight through the alternating perspectives of Emilie; Max, the ship's navigator who is sweet on her; Gertrud, a bold female journalist who's been blacklisted in her native Germany; Werner, a thirteen-year-old cabin boy with a bad habit of sneaking up on people; and a brash American who's never without a drink in his hand. Everyone knows more than they initially let on, and as the novel moves inexorably toward its tragic climax, the question of which of the passengers will survive the trip infuses every scene with a deliciously unbearable tension. With enthralling atmospheric details that immediately transport and spellbinding plotting that would make Agatha Christie proud, Flight of Dreams will keep you guessing till the last page. And, as The New York Times Book Review said of her last novel, This book is more meticulously choreographed than a chorus line. It all pays off.
Reviews with the most likes.
I truly enjoyed this book! The author did so much research and used real world events and people in a way that brought them to life, sprinkled with ideas about what might have happened aboard the final voyage of the Hindenburg. I didn't know really anything about the Hindenburg before reading this book, and I didn't need to. At it's heart, this is a story about three days in the lives of a set of people, including love, intrigue, mystery, kindness, work troubles, politics, and more, all woven together with wonderful writing. The book reads as a story where you want to turn the page to find out what happens next. It is told through many viewpoints, but done in such a skilled way that it feels natural, like a shift in perspective and voice in a movie. There is much to discuss about the book, from theories over what really happened on board and how the Hindenburg blew up (which is officially unknown), the world in 1937, the role of women at that time, even the animals that were on board.