Aurora 7

by Thomas Mallon

Young space enthusiast Gregory Noonan skips school to watch Scott Carpenter's Aurora 7 voyage on T.V. in Grand Central Station, crossing paths with an acerbic novelist and a confused priest before his destiny gradually becomes clear. Reprint. 20,000 first printing.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Novels, Space, New York

238 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Thomas Mallon is an American novelist, essayist, and critic. His novels are renowned for their attention to historical detail and context and for the author's crisp wit and interest in the "bystanders" to larger historical events. He is the author of ten books of fiction, including Henry and Clara, Two Moons, Dewey Defeats Truman, Aurora 7, Bandbox, Fellow Travelers (recently adapted into a miniseries by the same name), Watergate, Finale, Landfall, and most recently Up With the Sun. He has also published nonfiction on plagiarism (Stolen Words), diaries (A Book of One's Own), letters (Yours Ever) and the John F. Kennedy assassination (Mrs. Paine's Garage), as well as two volumes of essays (Rockets and Rodeos and In Fact).
He is a former literary editor of Gentleman's Quarterly, where he wrote the "Doubting Thomas" column in the 1990s, and has contributed frequently to The New Yorker, The New York Times Book Review, The Atlantic Monthly, The American Scholar, and other periodicals. He was appointed a member of the National Council on the Humanities in 2002 and served as Deputy Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities from 2005 to 2006.
His honors include Guggenheim and Rockefeller fellowships, the National Book Critics Circle citation for reviewing, and the Vursell prize of the American Academy of Arts and Letters for distinguished prose style. He was elected as a new member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2012.

Reviews

[Bob Schnell · Rating 2 out of 5]

The orbital flight of Scott Carpenter in Aurora 7 may not be familiar to many now, but in May 1962 it was the center of attention. Thomas Mallon's book "Aurora 7" describes the day from many varied viewpoints, most of them in the New York City vicinity. It is a book that tries too hard to be inclusive of every trend in America at the time. Everything from cigarette ads to thalidomide is thrown in the mix, what is known as "product placement" today. It is a gimmick that would have worked better in a visual medium and just seems cluttered on the page. The "day in the life" aspect is further degraded when the author fast forwards the narrative to the future to let us know what the many characters are doing years later. That sort of thing might have been better in a postscript rather that detracting the reader from the "current" events.

[kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mallon's writing style brings the entire plot to life. This book revolves around Scott Carpenter's flight and it really emphasizes the excitement of the Space Race era. It was a really interesting read and I recommend this book for those especially interested in the Space Race!

[Brian Grouhel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an interesting story. It tells the tale of Scott Carpenters' three orbits one hundred miles above the earth in May of 1962. While letting us know what's going on up above several stories and lives are being intertwined with each other and the astronaut. Most importantly, 5th Grade Gregory Noonan who is obsessed with the space mission but also bringing into play historical figures and everyday people. Intriguing and well written the author makes you want to keep the pages rolling right till the end!

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A day in the life story of several characters centered around the mission of astronaut Scott Carpenter in May 1962. I love how Mallon weaves the lives of these characters together and forms a slice of life on this particular day in history. Several famous historical figures makes appearances in the story as it unfolds. Good Read.

[Leslie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A "day in the life" story told in vignettes of five or six (?) different characters, some of which seemed completely unnecessary. The flash-forwards seemed unnecessary also. But I did learn something new... I'd never heard of this mission before. Read this one for College of Law book club. Almost a DNF, but I persisted.

[Jebediah Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book!

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 103 pages.

[Tim Sniffin · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable day-in-the-life story. Mallon uses the transmissions from and reporting on Scott Carpenter's troubled 1962 space flight as the backbone, deploying them as signposts within a day of interconnected lives, focusing on a space-obsessed boy and the people orbiting his family in New York. Sometimes, Mallon stretches the concept thin, introducing characters that only appear once and never intersect with the main story, and too many of the transitions from Carpenter's mission to everyday life are a bit obvious and clumsy, but the narrative strengthens in final section of the book, pulling enough threads to both build an undefinable tension and depict the endless ricochet of full lives intersecting only briefly.

[Arjadi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A day in the life of America on May 24, 1962, when Malcolm Scott Carpenter became the second U.S. astronaut to orbit the earth. An interesting cast of characters, including a space-obsessed 11-year-old boy. Great period detail. Didn't realize that Carpenter was "lost" upon re-entry and that the mission came close to having a tragic ending.

[Ira David Socol · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of favorite historical fiction books, and probably Mallon's best. First, it is "near history" - always difficult because of memory. Secondly it is child-centered in a brilliant way. Third, unlike Stephen King, Mallon knows how to edit himself, how to keep the story on track, how to evoke the time without weighing the tale down with ponderous details.

[Eleanor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminded me very much of "Let The Great World Spin" - and that's a compliment.