Hour of Gold, Hour of Lead: Diaries and Letters, 1929-1932

Diaries and Letters of Anne Morrow Lindbergh

by Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Part radiant, part somber, this second volume of Anne Lindbergh's Diaries and Letters covers the years of the Lindbergh marriage and includes events surrounding the kidnapping of their son.

The shy, sheltered, introspective girl is thrown into the world of action of her famous husband. From the very first moment he makes her a partner in his activities. He teaches her to fly; she learns to navigate and operate radio and to take serial photographs on the survey flights they make together. Their flying meant long hours in cramped quarters, often sitting on parachutes in open cockpits of single-engine planes. Fog and storm posed frequent threats unknown to modern highly instrumental aircraft. Alertness is demanded, regardless of fatigue, and self-control under the pressure of fear. Most difficult of all, she has to live in the constant glare of publicity, tracked down by journalists, photographers, and a gaping public. No longer can she speak her mind.

Yet, there was "a kind of bright golden 'bloom' over everything..." The beauty of flying in the early days of aviation, with its closenss to nature - and also to death - never palled. Then the first house was built, the first child was born.

In a reversal of terrifying swiftness, the hour of gold turned into the hour of lead. The tragedy of the kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh, Jr. unfolds in an extraordinary series of letters only recently recovered, in which Anne Lindbergh keeps her mother-in-law meticulously informed of each day's events, hopes, deceptions, up to the final blow.

There are few lives in which fame and fortune show their obverse so starkly. It is a measure of the strength of their characters and their marriage that Anne and Charles Lindbergh were able to sustain each other sufficiently to overcome bitterness and despair and to build a new life - though not another house until much, much later. A second son is born to them, and Anne writes: "The spell was broken by this real, tangible, perfect baby, coming...out of the teeth of sorrow - a miracle."

The spell was broken, but the scars of tragedy would mark their future, indelibly. Awareness of the fragility of life runs through the later notations, heightening their intensity to occasionally visionary perception.

Mrs. Lindbergh has written an introduction for each section, the second a memorable essay on the nature of grief.

With 32 pages of illustrations

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, History, Diary, Biography Memoir, Autobiography

325 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Anne Morrow Lindbergh was born in 1906. She married Charles Lindbergh in 1929 and became a noted aviator in her own right, eventually publishing several books on the subject and receiving several aviation awards. Gift from the Sea, published in 1955, earned her international acclaim. She was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame, the National Women’s Hall of Fame, and the Aviation Hall of Fame of New Jersey. War Within and Without, the penultimate installment of her published diaries, received the Christopher Award in 1980. Mrs. Lindbergh died in 2001 at the age of ninety-four.

Not to be confused with her daughter Anne Lindbergh.

Reviews

[Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first read this book it was so long ago. I had just moved away from home for the first time and was going to college and had little experience in the real world. I would get lost in the story, the adventures of her flying and the horror of the kidnapping and murder of Anne and Charles's first son. But I never saw it as more than a historical record. Several years later I read it again. Years older having lived life, gone through tough and good times I saw these diaries and letters as something different. No longer was I distant from the words on the page. I was there with Anne as she retold her adventures in real time. I could see the cold remote areas of the north picture the tea ceremony in Japan, visualize the Yangtze flood and the desperation of the people if affected. Then came the part of the book I found I related to the most. In the course of just a few short months Anne lost her father, her first born child was kidnapped and found murdered and her older sister discovered a life threatening heart condition. The sadness, the fear and the hope leaped out through the page. What she said was so true. Grief is such a strange thing, one day you feel fine, the next you wonder how you can go on living. She writes in a heartbreaking way about her fear of forgetting or losing little Charlie, that his face is becoming faded in her memory, of trying to recapture him in portraits and even in the son she gave birth too soon after his death. What she went through is an unimaginable nightmare for any parent and it breaks your heart to read her diary entries as she struggles to come to terms with what happened to him. Even fearing the same will happen to her new son, or that Charles, or someone else she loves will die suddenly. She talks about seizes each moment with loved ones as it might be your last which is very wise advice. She also writes of happier events in the midst of the chaos. Her sister despite being handed a death sentence of a diagnosis gets engaged and marries at the end of the book. Her second son is born healthy and happy despite all her fears, and there are some lighthearted moments involving the family dogs, including training a new guard dog and how the current household pets react to the new addition to the household. I am so glad I decided to read this again and that I read it when I did. It made me feel less alone in my own grief, though my losses are much smaller than hers were. I will continue to read through these volumes as I'm finding with each reading I gain a bit more wisdom about life and how to deal with the devastation it can throw at you.

[Margaret Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beauty of Anne Morrow Lindbergh's writing lies in its utter lucidity, its descriptive detail and its gentleness. Diaries and Letters tells the story of Anne's marriage to Charles and the couple's enormously publicized, early flying adventures. How, when and where the couple demonstrated each new advance being made in aviation,is acutely interesting. He,the first to fly non-stop over the Atlantic, and she, the introspective Smith College-educated young bride, seem to have ignited the world's imagination. Everywhere, they were the recipients of near ecstatic feting. Lindbergh's writing does not shy away from the period of grief after the couple's tragic loss of their first-born son. How Anne and Charles sustained each other throughout their ordeal,is, in the writing, a gift to the reader. A glistening read.

[Elaine Kasteler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Anne Morrow Lindbergh's diaries sometime ago. This woman was very futuristic in her thinking. Definitely someone I would have like to have met and talk with. The book is captivating about the joys in her life and also the pain with her sons kidnapping and death.
Her writing skills are amazing. Her life was painfully extraordinary.

[penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was enjoyable to read, like meeting a new friend, but it was painful also, because I knew how it ended while she did not.

[Trisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever since first reading Gift from the Sea I’ve been a huge fan of Anne Morrow Lindbergh and so when I heard about The Aviator’s Wife I immediately added it to my TBR list. But it occurred to me that before reading a fictionalized account of her life it might be a good idea to go back and re-read this collection of her own letters and diary entries from 1929 through 1932 which she herself compiled and published in 1973 – a year before the death of her famous husband, She divided this book into two sections: First is “the hour of gold” beginning a few months before announcing her engagement in 1929 and continuing through the birth of Charles, jr. She was quiet and introspective, initially rather doubtful about her upcoming marriage and terribly homesick in the first months following it. Her life changed dramatically once her husband taught her to fly. From then on she accompanied him on a whirlwind schedule of trips that took them all over the world, flying in open cockpit planes, so noisy that they couldn’t communicate with each other but had to pass notes back and forth instead. She wrote about the exhilaration of those early days of flying as well as the dangers, describing how they sometimes had to make forced landings at sea, often without any radio contact, under extremely iffy conditions in remote areas. (“we dropped notes asking them to clear the field and circled around for about an hour because C did not know how much gas was left, only that we were low - there are no gauges in the plane – and after many circlings, suddenly both engines stopped dead. ..”) But she took it all in stride and through it all she wrote faithfully to her beloved family often while she was aloft in the cramped and windy open cockpit. Somehow through all this she managed to get pregnant and the Hour of Gold section ends with her contentedly writing about the baby a few months before the kidnapping occurred. The Hour of Lead section of this book is all about the agony of those first weeks after his disappearance while they still believed he was alive, and then the horror of finding out that his body had been found only a few miles from their home. Anne introduces this section of the book with an eloquent essay about the nature of grief itself and her struggles to cope with it. While this book left me wanting more information about Anne Morrow Lindbergh and the events and circumstances of her life, at the same time I was most intrigued by the way she herself described what she was experiencing. She hated the media attention and could never get used to being such a celebrity. She missed her family deeply during the long months she was away from them and it’s interesting that she never once mentions the word “love” when talking about Charles, but all her letters home are filled with warmth and affection. The fact that she wrote to them constantly – often several time a day – seems to suggest that her relationship with her husband (if indeed there was much of a relationship) was never as important as the way she felt about the family she grew up in and continued to be close to all her life.

[Larry Steele · Rating 5 out of 5]

You really get a sense of the fame and the trials of the Lindberghs in this, Anne Morrow Lindbergh's second volume of Diaries and Letters. It begins upon one of the most famous marriages of the century, her marriage to the most famous man in the world, Charles Lindbergh. Following this she learns to navigate and fly, becomes the first woman to be licensed as a glider pilot, has their first child, Charles Jr., and flies with her husband on their trip through Canada, Alaska, Russia, Japan, and China (which she writes about later in her first book, "North to the Orient," National Book Award, 1935), only to see the journey cut short by the unexpected death of her distinguished father, the diplomat Dwight Morrow.
Less than six months later, their child, "the Lindbergh baby," is kidnapped from their home and murdered. Reading Anne Morrow's diaries and letters of that time is a nice cure for 70 years of conspiratorial Lindbergh-baby-kidnapping books. You see her suffering and subsequent depression in her own diary entries.
The book ends hopefully, with the beginnings of her learning to cope with her grief (she was only 25!), the birth of their second child, and the marriage of one of her sisters.
Kind of an astounding, very personal, book to read, if you know the history of this time, and of the Lindberghs. It was a brave and good thing she saw fit to release these papers to the public, especially given the ugly hounding by the press towards the Lindberghs from the 1920's to their deaths.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know why I was so jazzed to read this collection of diary entries and letters of Anne Morrow Lindbergh during the early years of her marriage to Charles Lindbergh and the kidnapping and murder of their first child. It was just as tragic as you'd expect it to be, and there are a couple of letters in advance of the kidnapping that are eerily prophetic: in one, the usually calm and collected Anne begs her mother-in-law to come and stay with the baby while she and Charles are out of town (for a couple of months?!) because the baby is so unprotected in their house, and in another, Anne tells her mother that she can't stop thinking about a couple of lines of poetry about a baby boy who has died.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took this up after reading a book about the Lindbergh kidnapping. Anne Lindbergh's writing is understated and lovely, introspective without being narcissistic. Some of the places and experiences she writes about are familiar to me, but I found most moving her reflections and accounts of her feelings after the kidnapping and trial were resolved, as she prepared for the birth of her second child whilst trying to recover from the loss of her first. This is a book I want to own, to return to parts of it again and again. (I borrowed this copy from the library.) Anyone who has experienced personal tragedy will find a kindred spirit here, and likely some comfort.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pre-kidnap material I ended up liking more. The Lindberghs were in a position to do anything and go anywhere they chose, and reading about their lives as it happened is pretty neat. The post-kidnap writing was interesting too but left me flat. Anne's early writing here sometimes strains to be poetic(Charles I would say was actually the better writer) and some of the letters could have been edited out as they are overly mundane. I hope to get to the other volumes in time.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Paged through this, even the parts about little Charlie's kidnapping and death. The letters in the first half are breathless exclamations about her travels, family and events and the diary entries and letters in the second half are philosophical meanderings about the meaning of life and death. Don't really understand why she was so highly regarded as a writer but maybe her letters and diaries don't pack the same punch as her other work.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the two for September

This was very fascinating, and lead to quite a spicy discussion! Both this and War Within and Without make you want to research everything that's happening historically, which is interesting, but time consuming!

[Lisa Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartbreaking story of the kidnapping of her baby, but so wonderfully written that you cannot put it down.

[Wayne Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anne Morrow Lindbergh was born Anne Spencer Morrow on June 22, 1906, at Englewood, NJ, the daughter of Dwight Whitney Morrow, a United States ambassador and Republican Senator from New Jersey, and his wife, Elizabeth Reeve Cutter Morrow, an author and teacher. She married famed aviator Charles A. Lindbergh in a private ceremony on May 27, 1929, at the home of her parents. Their first child, Charles Jr, was born on Anne's 24th birthday, June 22, 1930. These things constituted her “hour of gold.” However, the child was kidnapped at twenty months of age from their home in East Amwell, NJ, outside of Hopewell, on March 1, 1932, and the baby's body was discovered the following May 12. This, of course, was her “hour of lead.” It was somewhat softened by the birth of their second child later that year and her sister Elizabeth’s wedding.

Mrs. Lindbergh put together some six books containing her letters and private diary entries. Hour of Gold, Hour of Lead is the second. There are a few references to drinking wine and beer, and the “d” and “h” words appear once each. It is a fascinating account of historically important events and is filled with photographs of the Lindbergh and Morrow families. Reading about a person’s life solely through letters and diary entries has its drawbacks, but one also gains insights that are simply not available from the standard third-person biography. The first of the series was Bring Me a Unicorn (1922-1928). The subsequent volumes are Locked Rooms and Open Doors (1933-1935); The Flower and the Nettle (1936-1939); War Within and Without (1939-1944); and Against Wind and Tide (1947-1986). Anne Morrow Lindbergh died at the age of 94 at the Vermont farm of her daughter Reeve from a stroke on February 7, 2001.

[Ebookwormy1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Years ago, was it junior high? I chose Charles Lindbergh as a historical figure to report on for an assignment. I knew of his flying exploits and I want to say I had recently been to a museum exhibit that had some momentos of his career.

What I didn't know was that Lindbergh , in consequence of his fame, had suffered greatly. I was captivated by the story of the abduction, murder, and investigation of his son's death. These poignant letters of Anne Morrow Lindbergh (his wife) deeply impacted me as they unraveled her very tender afflictions as a mother who has lost a child by crime. A deep, heart wrenching work, that focused my report not on Lindbergh's career accomplishments, but on questions relating to the price of fame and the cult of celebrity in America - topics still relevant for today, if not more so since the days of my youth.

[Donna Michel-dow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diary of Anne's life before, during and after the much publicized kidnapping and murder of her first born son.

"Grief can't be shared. Everyone carries it alone. His own burden in his own way."


"I must write it all out, at any cost. Writing is thinking. It is more than living, for it is being conscious of living."


"I feel we are all islands - in a common sea. "


"I do not believe that sheer suffering teaches. If suffering alone taught, all the world would be wise, since everyone suffers. To suffering must be added mourning, understanding, patience, love, openness and the willingness to remain vulnerable. All these and other factors combined, if the circumstances are right, can teach and can lead to rebirth."

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anne Morrow Lindbergh is my favorite author. Her power of description, of bringing to the mind understanding through artful expression, is inspiring to me. She makes me want to write more. Her life is fascinating, yes, but moreso are her thoughts; and though not many of us can relate to her circumstances, somehow she transcends time and station to get to the heart of what it is to be a human being. This book in particular filled me with such a juxtaposition of delight and dread, knowing that her baby Charles' murder was coming, coming...I appreciated how she expressed and exposed her subsequent grief, all its recurring and painful stages, and look forward to getting my hands on everything she ever wrote.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a beautiful collection of the letters and diaries of Anne Morrow Lindberg. Anne was the daughter of an American ambassador who married the celebrated “Prince of the air”, Charles Lindberg.
I treasured the time I got to know this woman who adored her husband and family. Her sharing of these innermost thoughts revealed an honest, intelligent, gifted and courageous spirit, in times of adventure and in times of tragedy.
I loved her quiet, introspective voice which inspires one to embrace life and not be afraid.

[Kathy Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

AML is a beautiful writer. HEr diaries are filled with interesting topics and she writes insightfully and knowledgebly about all kinds of topics. She writes about the painful experience of her son's kidnapping and death, her relaionship with Charles Lindbergh, and all these with deep sensitivity without sappiness.

[Lorraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am so fascinated by Anne Marrow, I just could not wait to read her autobiography when I picked it up. The beginning of the book is dry but the facts are important for they open a window in a very subtle way to the very private people we really never got to know. For me, the journal remained very dry, hard to read BUT it has encouraged me to start keeping a journal for myself again.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always found Anne Morrow Lindbergh fascinating. Bold and gutsy but very thoughtful and feeling. And she can write. This set of diaries and letters covers her marriage, loads of aviation, and, of course, the kidnapping and murder of her son. They reveal her as lively, perceptive, and very, very human as she tries to make sense of the world as a young (very young!) woman.

[Danee · Rating 5 out of 5]

It wasn't the context of her life that captivated my attention, but her way of inviting the reader into her world. Lindbergh's thoughts that ebb onto the paper, flow from the subconscious meeting place of her heart and mind.

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the mother of a new baby I couldn't bring myself to finish this book. But what I did read was incredibly well-written, poignant and made me very interested in the fascinating life lead by Anne Morrow Lindbergh.

[Marisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Anne Morrow Lindbergh - these diaries and letters deal with the best and worst times in her life (engagement/marriage and kidnapping/murder of her son). The juxtaposition makes this a powerful collection.

[Patricia Middleton]

Reading this book was literally like reading the diaries of the mother of the famous Linbergh Baby, from the moment she fell in love with her husband Charles, to their worldwind marriage, to their firsborn son, to the kidnapping, ransome and gruesome discovery of that baby's body.

[June G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Journals aren't for everyone. I happen to relish them. Especially journals of beloved authors I cherish. Anne's tragedies got me through a tragic year of my own. No way to express how much I treasure this book.

[Liz]

Has been on my bedside table since beginning The Aviator's Wife. However, I had to return the latter to the library when I was halfway through. Now that I have the CD in my possession again, maybe I'll revisit Anne Morrow Lindbergh's diary ...

[Deirdre K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love her introduction to the sad second half of the book, and her explanation for why she chose to share her story.

[Jan Strong · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent book-true story of the lindberg kidnapping.
This is told by Anne Morrow Lindberg herself. Indredible really-strong, touching and
most interesting.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A glimpse into the private life of an incredible woman.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, so I didn't actually read the WHOLE book yet. But the part I did read -- the part about the Lindbergh baby kidnapping? Wow.