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Conditions are Favorable
"Welcome to our world...I know it, I sense it, you aren't here to simply fly. You are searching. You are here to find yourself, fill some kind of hole in your heart...there's no other reason why such fine men would be here but to find--or maybe lose--yourselves. Which is it?"
Fall into the year 1900 at Kitty Hawk, NC, when life consists of shipwrecks, shoot-outs…and flying machines. When Orville and Wilbur Wright arrive to conduct flight experiments, their posh dignity stands in stark contrast to a community of rough old salts who believe in a “good God, a bad devil, a hot hell, and more than anything else, that the same good God did not intend for man to ever fly.”
The Wright brothers may be able to defy divine edicts, theorize about relative velocities and engineer the world’s first flying machine. But when it comes to women, they are terribly love-shy.
That doesn't deter Kitty Hawker Madeleine Tate. When she meets these two odd bicycle mechanics from Ohio, she is immediately struck by the brothers’ intellect, dandy appearance—and their grip on bachelorhood. Their shyness and fixation on flight puzzles her, too, but she finds her growing fondness for Orville hard to resist. He represents a splendid taste of the Outside World, the place where she can escape the poverty and fear that define life on a stormy sandbar.
And Orville is flattered by her affections, but he has long-accepted the fact that he and Wilbur are social misfits who let one bad experience with courtship harden their hearts forever. He finds his shyness, obsessions and memories tough obstacles to overcome. But Madeleine is determined to break through his shell to find out who he really is--a brilliant inventor? A lunatic risking his life for the sake of something the world deems impossible? Or is he someone just like her, with real hurts, dreams and desires?
With stunning detail that rings true of early twentieth century life, author Tara Staley artfully depicts the story of two individuals who both, in their own unique ways, learn to spread their wings and fly.
"Gorgeously written, with the time, the place and the people evoked so dazzlingly, you can hear the wings of the Wright's flying machine, wafting in the air." Caroline Leavitt, NYT bestselling author, PICTURES OF YOU
Fall into the year 1900 at Kitty Hawk, NC, when life consists of shipwrecks, shoot-outs…and flying machines. When Orville and Wilbur Wright arrive to conduct flight experiments, their posh dignity stands in stark contrast to a community of rough old salts who believe in a “good God, a bad devil, a hot hell, and more than anything else, that the same good God did not intend for man to ever fly.”
The Wright brothers may be able to defy divine edicts, theorize about relative velocities and engineer the world’s first flying machine. But when it comes to women, they are terribly love-shy.
That doesn't deter Kitty Hawker Madeleine Tate. When she meets these two odd bicycle mechanics from Ohio, she is immediately struck by the brothers’ intellect, dandy appearance—and their grip on bachelorhood. Their shyness and fixation on flight puzzles her, too, but she finds her growing fondness for Orville hard to resist. He represents a splendid taste of the Outside World, the place where she can escape the poverty and fear that define life on a stormy sandbar.
And Orville is flattered by her affections, but he has long-accepted the fact that he and Wilbur are social misfits who let one bad experience with courtship harden their hearts forever. He finds his shyness, obsessions and memories tough obstacles to overcome. But Madeleine is determined to break through his shell to find out who he really is--a brilliant inventor? A lunatic risking his life for the sake of something the world deems impossible? Or is he someone just like her, with real hurts, dreams and desires?
With stunning detail that rings true of early twentieth century life, author Tara Staley artfully depicts the story of two individuals who both, in their own unique ways, learn to spread their wings and fly.
"Gorgeously written, with the time, the place and the people evoked so dazzlingly, you can hear the wings of the Wright's flying machine, wafting in the air." Caroline Leavitt, NYT bestselling author, PICTURES OF YOU
342 pages, Paperback
First published April 23, 2013
37 people are currently reading
576 people want to read
About the author
Tara Staley
2 books10 followersTara Staley is the author of the upcoming biographical novel CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE, a book launching in ebook and paperback formats on April 23, 2013. CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE is the story of a Kitty Hawk woman who falls for one of the love-shy Wright brothers.
Her debut novel, NEED TO BREATHE, was selected as a "LitPick of 2012" on the popular Twitter forum LitChat. It was also named a Top Pick by Underground Book Reviews.
Tara Staley's writing background includes undergraduate and graduate degrees in English and Creative Writing, an RWA award for a past novel, and involvement with the North Carolina Writers Network. She is also a founding member of the online writers' community Backspace. She grew up, lives, and will most likely die in Kernersville, North Carolina (except for a one-year study abroad stint in Australia thanks to a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship). She and her husband have two sons.
Her debut novel, NEED TO BREATHE, was selected as a "LitPick of 2012" on the popular Twitter forum LitChat. It was also named a Top Pick by Underground Book Reviews.
Tara Staley's writing background includes undergraduate and graduate degrees in English and Creative Writing, an RWA award for a past novel, and involvement with the North Carolina Writers Network. She is also a founding member of the online writers' community Backspace. She grew up, lives, and will most likely die in Kernersville, North Carolina (except for a one-year study abroad stint in Australia thanks to a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship). She and her husband have two sons.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
July 30, 2013
This is a book that's going to be a hard one to follow. I don't think I'll be able to immediately get lost in another time and place and story. This one is the type of tale that after you read the last page, you must savor it for a while.
This is the story of so many things...of how the impossible is actually possible with persistence, of repairing what's broken--even if it's yourself, of moving on and leaving the past in the past, of how those with Asperger's are so misjudged and misunderstood. And it's the story of Wilbur and Orville's time on Kitty Hawk.
The book mostly follows a young girl--Madeline. She steals the show. Yea, the first flight is a huge deal, but this girl just steals the show. She's unmarried--unusual for the time--and bitter about it, but she doesn't want some stinky coarse sailor. She wants a gentleman. She's forced to be independent and stand her ground. She's spunky, humorous, realistic with flaws and all (there's some depression and substance abuse), caring, and though she's not without fear, she faces them every time.
She falls for Orville--or perhaps, the idea of him, of a gentleman. (That's another theme...Are you in love with the person or in love with the idea of being in love?)
But as she says, Orville is married to his brother, and she can't compete with the desire to be the first to fly. He won't be distracted from his goal.
It's also at times, incredibly funny. The town and its people will having you rolling on the floor laughing. Madeline herself...her thoughts...are humorous.
"He even looks like a bird. And those big ears! If he wants to fly, all he needs to do is learn to flap those things."
"All I hear now is the dog sniffling under the table. Spot sniffs so hard, I imagine those crumbs going up his nose rather than inside his mouth."
"If you drink enough water, you don't know you're hungry."
"But if you drink enough beer, you don't know you're thirsty."
I don't know the first thing about Aspergers's, but after reading this, I feel like I understand the affliction and why those afflicted behave the way they do. Ms. Staley managed to educate me while at the same time entertain me. I have a newfound respect for those who suffer from this. At first I thought Orville was a bit weird...and I had a hard time warming to him, but then the book began to reveal stuff to us. Fear of rejection. Stick with what you're good at...and I understood. I never did warm to his brother Wilbur though. Now that guy just plain irritated me.
I'm not done....full review: http://wwwbookbabe.blogspot.com/2013/...
This is the story of so many things...of how the impossible is actually possible with persistence, of repairing what's broken--even if it's yourself, of moving on and leaving the past in the past, of how those with Asperger's are so misjudged and misunderstood. And it's the story of Wilbur and Orville's time on Kitty Hawk.
The book mostly follows a young girl--Madeline. She steals the show. Yea, the first flight is a huge deal, but this girl just steals the show. She's unmarried--unusual for the time--and bitter about it, but she doesn't want some stinky coarse sailor. She wants a gentleman. She's forced to be independent and stand her ground. She's spunky, humorous, realistic with flaws and all (there's some depression and substance abuse), caring, and though she's not without fear, she faces them every time.
She falls for Orville--or perhaps, the idea of him, of a gentleman. (That's another theme...Are you in love with the person or in love with the idea of being in love?)
But as she says, Orville is married to his brother, and she can't compete with the desire to be the first to fly. He won't be distracted from his goal.
It's also at times, incredibly funny. The town and its people will having you rolling on the floor laughing. Madeline herself...her thoughts...are humorous.
"He even looks like a bird. And those big ears! If he wants to fly, all he needs to do is learn to flap those things."
"All I hear now is the dog sniffling under the table. Spot sniffs so hard, I imagine those crumbs going up his nose rather than inside his mouth."
"If you drink enough water, you don't know you're hungry."
"But if you drink enough beer, you don't know you're thirsty."
I don't know the first thing about Aspergers's, but after reading this, I feel like I understand the affliction and why those afflicted behave the way they do. Ms. Staley managed to educate me while at the same time entertain me. I have a newfound respect for those who suffer from this. At first I thought Orville was a bit weird...and I had a hard time warming to him, but then the book began to reveal stuff to us. Fear of rejection. Stick with what you're good at...and I understood. I never did warm to his brother Wilbur though. Now that guy just plain irritated me.
I'm not done....full review: http://wwwbookbabe.blogspot.com/2013/...
August 23, 2013
The prevailing winds of Kitty Hawk where author Tara Staley set her new novel, Conditions Are Favorable, can blow a person, a ship or a flying machine right off course. The known course for books featuring the Wright brother’s first flight experiments in Kitty Hawk begins with the iconic brothers as confirmed bachelors. The predominate presumption concerning their fondness for single-hood and dandified appearances positions them as latent homosexuals. Others who knew them well claimed they were simply odd and “woman-shy.” Yet, no one has ever examined the brothers through the spectrum of autism. Until now. In Conditions Are Favorable, Staley presents a daring connect-the-dots story suggesting that not only were Orville and Wilbur Wright on the autistic spectrum, they were affected specifically with the yet-to-be named Asperger’s Syndrome.
Conditions Are FavorableWith luminous prose true to the era and gentle use of the remote region’s dialect, Staley explores the religious, cultural and political edges of the period leading up to the Wright’s successful experiments in human flight. It was the age invention, the turn-of-the-nineteenth century, when two engineering brothers changed their obsession from manufacturing bicycles to designing flying machines.
Staley begins with the fictional Madeline Tate, a smart and spunky unmarried woman on the verge of becoming a spinster. Growing up among the old salts and sea pups of this remote barrier island, Madeline is something of a pearl trapped in an unyielding oyster. She longs for romance, but not with one of the grizzly-faced, whisky-soaked fishermen who overrun the island. When the Wright brothers choose Kitty Hawk as the staging place for their experiments in flight, Madeline’s life takes off. She sees them through eyes of need, desire, and adventure, spinning a romance around one of them that tests him as much as it does her. Conditions may be favorable for flight, and conditions may be favorable for romance, but are conditions favorable for love?
Conditions Are FavorableWith luminous prose true to the era and gentle use of the remote region’s dialect, Staley explores the religious, cultural and political edges of the period leading up to the Wright’s successful experiments in human flight. It was the age invention, the turn-of-the-nineteenth century, when two engineering brothers changed their obsession from manufacturing bicycles to designing flying machines.
Staley begins with the fictional Madeline Tate, a smart and spunky unmarried woman on the verge of becoming a spinster. Growing up among the old salts and sea pups of this remote barrier island, Madeline is something of a pearl trapped in an unyielding oyster. She longs for romance, but not with one of the grizzly-faced, whisky-soaked fishermen who overrun the island. When the Wright brothers choose Kitty Hawk as the staging place for their experiments in flight, Madeline’s life takes off. She sees them through eyes of need, desire, and adventure, spinning a romance around one of them that tests him as much as it does her. Conditions may be favorable for flight, and conditions may be favorable for romance, but are conditions favorable for love?
September 14, 2013
This could possibly be my favorite book of all time!! It's so rich. I loved the language, the diverse cast of characters, the historical truth about the Wright Brothers--Orville and Wilbur, and the heart-wrenching story of Madeleine who desperately wanted to be a lady and get off that God-forsaken sand bar, Kitty Hawk. This book brought me to tears from the shear beauty of the writing and also made me laugh numerous times. This is a keeper! I can see myself reading it every couple of years for the rest of my life.
I went right out and got "The Wright Stuff," a dvd done on PBS's American Experience, just to see what Kitty Hawk, the Wright Brothers, and their flying machines really looked like.
I highly recommend this book!
I went right out and got "The Wright Stuff," a dvd done on PBS's American Experience, just to see what Kitty Hawk, the Wright Brothers, and their flying machines really looked like.
I highly recommend this book!
September 9, 2013
I thought I'd like this book--I wanted to like this book: historical fiction, with an interesting cast and setting. Well, researched and conveyed the scene of time and place well, but I just couldn't connect. I had to force myself through 100 pages.
The main characters' voice sounded too much alike even though they couldn't have been more different people. Hard to imagine someone addicted to Coca-Cola, even in the bad old cocaine days.
It also suffers from the unfortunate modern punctuation style of omitting the comma setting the person addressed off from the sentence. That sometimes creates confusion. It certainly breaks the flow of the prose as the reader tries to puzzle out what the author meant.
Someone else might enjoy it. I wanted to, but didn't.
(Gave it two stars instead of one because the plot and development were so good.)
The main characters' voice sounded too much alike even though they couldn't have been more different people. Hard to imagine someone addicted to Coca-Cola, even in the bad old cocaine days.
It also suffers from the unfortunate modern punctuation style of omitting the comma setting the person addressed off from the sentence. That sometimes creates confusion. It certainly breaks the flow of the prose as the reader tries to puzzle out what the author meant.
Someone else might enjoy it. I wanted to, but didn't.
(Gave it two stars instead of one because the plot and development were so good.)
November 18, 2013
Lovely story about a young, restless beach gal and her affection for the intensely shy Orville Wright. Madeleine is sassy and humorous ... "God, I feel like a farm animal compared to him. He wears shiny brown shoes, argyle socks and chene wool. The all-silk warp imparts a sheen that makes him look splendid. He's brilliance, defined, sitting on poverty's front porch, watching the sun going down in a riot of pink while I catch my breath and admire him."
I adore Madeleine. I adore how she speaks her mind and sets her goals no matter what. I learned a great deal about the Wright brothers, about their odd, unbreakable bond, about an illness that (perhaps) went undiagnosed. The writing is wonderful ... "If sunrise made a sound, it would be the tinkering of fingers over the high keys of a piano. Light strikes the water so beautiful it seems to make music." The book has its fair share of humor too ... "Just one thing. Why exactly do you like this gentle-man?" Here's that question again. He continues, "Mister Wright is a bit...odd. Well, both of them are odd. They're Yankees and they want to fly, for God's sake. So I wonder, what's so appealing about him." The Outer Banks are truly special and so is the book.
I adore Madeleine. I adore how she speaks her mind and sets her goals no matter what. I learned a great deal about the Wright brothers, about their odd, unbreakable bond, about an illness that (perhaps) went undiagnosed. The writing is wonderful ... "If sunrise made a sound, it would be the tinkering of fingers over the high keys of a piano. Light strikes the water so beautiful it seems to make music." The book has its fair share of humor too ... "Just one thing. Why exactly do you like this gentle-man?" Here's that question again. He continues, "Mister Wright is a bit...odd. Well, both of them are odd. They're Yankees and they want to fly, for God's sake. So I wonder, what's so appealing about him." The Outer Banks are truly special and so is the book.
October 29, 2013
This was a somewhat odd story, but one that really seemed to humanize the characters in a really neat way. The essential premise is that the Wright Brothers' recorded "oddness" (and the biographers seem to agree on this point) was in fact something like Asperger's or something on the autism spectrum (which was not an available diagnosis in the very early 1900s). I found this to be a compelling read and a very interesting portrait of two characters who for external or internal reasons are isolated from their respective worlds.
March 18, 2014
It was interesting to learn more about the Wright Brothers and Kitty Hawk and life there in the early 1900's. The fictional characters were very realistic. My favorite books are historical fiction. I hadn't realized that Kitty Hawk is on an island. My friend who recommended this book suggested that I read the "afterword" before reaching the middle of the novel. I did so and found it to be quite an eye opener. Why didn't these two brothers marry? Their brother was happily married. The author's explanation is very believable and surprising.
September 3, 2013
This book did not leave me feeling light-hearted and happy. It was a melancholy, haunting story, not my usual type of book. However, I could not put it down unfinished. The reader is left with an understanding of what life was like for Kitty Hawkers in the early 1900's. I would recommend it to anyone remotely interested in that time period, the Wright Brothers, living in or who has visited that part of the country, or dealing with Asperger Syndrome. It will linger in my memory.
September 1, 2013
I loved this book! There is a lot going on with this story. The Wright brothers are trying to succeed with their flying machine, understanding the behaviors of a person with aspergers, and of course, love and loss. I highly recommend this book and it makes me want to learn more about the Wright Brothers.
September 7, 2013
A wonderful period piece about the wright bothers and kitty hawk. I really enjoyed the first person narrative once I got into the rhythm of the story line. A good mixture of fact and fiction, written with insight and compassion for the families involved in this amazing adventure in flight.
September 8, 2013
This is a wonderful bookwritten about the Wright Brothers. It is pretty technical at times, but very interesting. You look at them in a different way when you read Tara Staley's observation of them.
September 4, 2017
Good book
You people should just read this book yourselves and write your own review on this novel yourself and I really enjoyed reading this book very much so. Shelley MA
You people should just read this book yourselves and write your own review on this novel yourself and I really enjoyed reading this book very much so. Shelley MA
July 5, 2021
I really enjoyed this story. It makes me want to read a biography of the Wright brothers.
July 26, 2016
What's not to like about this book? Well, if you like all your sentences structured according to strict rules of grammar, you might not like the author's style. If you're looking for a biography of the Wright Brothers, this is historical fiction, so you might want to choose a different book. If you typically read only mass-market best sellers, this book may have too many layers for you. And if you don't want to put up with the messiness of understanding the Outer Banks dialect or the terminology of early aviation, then I recommend you not attempt this book.
But if you're looking for a book that engages you on many different levels, then this is a must-read. The amount of research that must have gone into this book alone sets it apart from mass-market fiction. From the Wright Brothers and early avionics to Aspergers' Syndrome to the Outer Banks of NC in the early 20th century, every aspect feels authentic. The masterful way in which the author wove this story together had me spellbound. When the Wright Brothers took flight, I felt as though I were there, holding my breath with the other bystanders -- just as my heart broke for the protagonist at every encounter with Orville Wright.
But if you're looking for a book that engages you on many different levels, then this is a must-read. The amount of research that must have gone into this book alone sets it apart from mass-market fiction. From the Wright Brothers and early avionics to Aspergers' Syndrome to the Outer Banks of NC in the early 20th century, every aspect feels authentic. The masterful way in which the author wove this story together had me spellbound. When the Wright Brothers took flight, I felt as though I were there, holding my breath with the other bystanders -- just as my heart broke for the protagonist at every encounter with Orville Wright.
October 20, 2013
There is some really nice writing here, but like the previous comment, I found the last few chapters dragged a bit. I think Ms. Staley should have had a forward instead of the lengthy passage at the end of the book and then I would have 'gotten it" about the a Wright brothers odd behavior. I didn't even think they would have and that issue, so it was rather a surprise for me. Ms. Staley must want to associate herself with the catch phrase 'smack myself on the head' and similar expressions used throughout the book.
My maternal grandmom was an infant when the first flight occurred in late 1903. This is one reason I wanted to read this book. Flight is fairly new now and look now far we have come!
My maternal grandmom was an infant when the first flight occurred in late 1903. This is one reason I wanted to read this book. Flight is fairly new now and look now far we have come!
January 9, 2015
A story about a girl that falls in love with Orville Wright. The first half of the book drags and I give that part a rating of 2 stars. It gets bogged down in details and the story line is mainly about the girl; very little about the Wright brother's. The second half of the book is better and I would rate that part 4 stars; you learn more about the personalities of the bicycle mechanics and just what an odd couple they were.
December 20, 2013
Finished this book just before the 110 yr anniversary of the Wright brothers 1st flight at Kitty Hawk. It was far from a page turner, but I don't regret the time that it took to see it through to the end. For me, the story behind the story wasn't particularly compelling. I did appreciate the historical perspective of what life on Kitty Hawk was like in the early 1900's. The living conditions were harsh!
September 7, 2013
I loved the idea of the book more than the actual story. Looking at the Wright Brothers through modern eyes where Asperger's is a diagnosis made a lot of sense. However, the story moved way too slow for my taste. The ending was somewhat satisfying, but somehow left me saying, "that's it?"
June 22, 2019
The Wright Brothers in Kitty Hawk and the people who help them, including the young woman who falls in love with Orville. The author explores the idea that the brothers might have been on the autism spectrum.
October 24, 2014
Interesting and well written book about a couple of people I am familiar with. My grandfather was employed by the Wright Brothers for a while. This is an interesting and well written historical novel.
October 17, 2013
Interesting but lacking a bit in substance.
November 13, 2013
Quite an interesting read
September 20, 2013
Was very surprised at how much I enjoyed this book! Great premise!
January 23, 2014
I did not like it at all!
March 26, 2014
Interesting storyline, but I felt the book went too slowly for me.
October 4, 2014
Sad and wonderful. The language, the era, the missed opportunities, the possibilities, the history. Very cool blending of fact, fiction, and speculation.
September 6, 2015
Tedious to read but interesting.
January 3, 2018
LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH!!!!!
Want to read
August 23, 2013kindle cloud
November 22, 2013
Loved this historical fiction about the Wright brothers
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews