Its been a while since I’ve read a historical fiction book and I’m so glad I picked this one up! It was a different historical fiction topic than what I’ve read before. I’m so excited to share my review of Her last flight by Beatriz Williams with you all today.
Synopsis
In 1947, photographer and war correspondent Janey Everett arrives at a remote surfing village on the Hawaiian island of Kauai to research a planned biography of forgotten aviation pioneer Sam Mallory, who joined the loyalist forces in the Spanish Civil War and never returned. Obsessed with Sam’s fate, Janey has tracked down Irene Lindquist, the owner of a local island-hopping airline, whom she believes might actually be the legendary Irene Foster, Mallory’s onetime student and flying partner. Foster’s disappearance during a round-the-world flight in 1937 remains one of the world’s greatest unsolved mysteries.
At first, the flinty Mrs. Lindquist denies any connection to Foster. But Janey informs her that the wreck of Sam Mallory’s airplane has recently been discovered in a Spanish desert, and piece by piece, the details of Foster’s extraordinary life emerge: from the beginnings of her flying career in Southern California, to her complicated, passionate relationship with Mallory, to the collapse of her marriage to her aggressive career manager, the publishing scion George Morrow.
As Irene spins her tale to its searing conclusion, Janey’s past gathers its own power. The duel between the two women takes a heartstopping turn. To whom does Mallory rightfully belong? Can we ever come to terms with the loss of those we love, and the lives we might have lived?
Why did I choose to read this book
I hadn’t read a historical fiction book in a while and I’ve heard great things about Beatriz Williams. This is the first book by her that I read but it won’t be my last!
Rating
4.5 Stars (An Excellent book!)
My Thoughts
I missed reading historical fiction! I went into this book kind of blind and I loved that. This book has the structure that I love which is common in historical fiction. There’s a dual timeline and what’s special about this one is that one of the timelines is the book that the main character, Janey, is trying to write. One timeline is her interviewing Irene and the other timeline is the book she wrote to tell the story. I loved that format.
This book is loosely based on Amelia Earhart’s story which I didn’t know much about so it was very fascinating. This book includes a love story but also a story about friendship and I loved seeing that friendship develop between Irene and Janey. The suspense throughout the book kept me engaged and I couldn’t wait to find out how it ended.
I loved how Beatriz transported us to Hawaii, her writing is spectacular and I felt like I was there. There is a special cat that is a part of the story that I loved and I don’t even love cats! I loved how the cat was incorporated into the story.
This was my first Beatriz Williams book and I can’t wait to read more from her!
Content Warnings
Death, alcoholism, past sexual assault, thoughts of suicide, infidelity, child abandonment, war scenes
Who I recommend this book to
If you love historical fiction you’ll love this book! Even if you are not super into the genre I think you should give this one a try.
Get the book!
Did I convince you to read this book? You can get Her last flight from Bookshop.org here. Please consider ordering it from a Black owned independent bookstore. This list of Black owned independent bookstores accepts online ordering.
