Surviving Amelia

by Naomi Rand

Forty-year old Amelia Earhart is lost on an island in the Pacific, yet finds herself resurrected in her sister Muriel’s study just outside of Boston. Seventy-nine-year-old Muriel is reeling from the double loss of a son and a husband. Seventeen-year old Sam Barry, winner of the Amelia Earhart Scholarship, is just beginning her life as a coed, trying her best to separate from her needy mother and her dysfunctional family. Their lives intersect in surprising ways, and long buried secrets come to light, revealing the special, powerful intimacy women share, whether they are siblings, best friends, or mothers and daughters.

226 pages, Paperback

First published September 16, 2025

Reviews

[Fran Hawthorne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't like magical realism. This novel, however, starts out so firmly grounded in both history and contemporary realism that I was lured into the gentle magical realism at the center of it. I saw where it was going, but I didn't fight it; I sat back and enjoyed the read.

So I have to give Author Naomi Rand a lot of extra credit for her writing skill.

The novel's three narrative lines all weave around the central premise that the legendary aviator Amelia Earheart did not, in fact, die when her plane crashed in the Pacific in 1937. Instead, according to this book, she somehow dreams herself into the suburban Boston apartment of her younger sister, Muriel, in September 1980. (Other than the appearance of Amelia, the basic aspects of Muriel's life in "Surviving Amelia" are accurate.)

At first, Amelia is a fairly standard ghost. But she soon transforms again, this time into what is apparently a normal, flesh-and-blood 39-year-old woman--albeit a woman dressed in vintage and unfamiliar with TV, passenger jets, or World War II.

The second narrative is the story of Sam Berry, a pre-med freshman from a dysfunctional family who is a strong contender for Barnard's first Amelia Earheart scholarship. (The book changes this award slightly; in real life, it's a fellowship for engineering or aeronautics students, not pre-med majors.)

The third narrative is told by Muriel, who has been invited to give a speech at that award's inaugural ceremony--and who is oblivious of her sister's ghost floating around.

Many other characters, relationships, and conflicts enrich the story with appealing complications. Every time someone veers toward cliche, the book reveals unexpected character twists. And with a setup like this, the ending won't be obvious.

[Linda Zagon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Naomi Rand, the Author of ‘Surviving Amelia” has written an intriguing and unusual novel. The Genres for this book are: Magical Realism, Coming of Age, Family Life Fiction, and Mystery and Suspense. The Author’s Premise for this book is “What Happened to Amelia Earhart?” Naomi Rand proposes through Magical Realism that Amelia Earhart was lost on a Pacific Island in 1937, but finds herself resurrected in 1980 in her sister, Muriel’s house. Amelia is now privy to the losses that Muriel and the family has had. The author captivates the reader to learn about Amelia’s life and her decisions. At the same time, another dysfunctional family is introduced. In present time Sam Berry, 17 years old, has won the Amelia Earhart scholarship. Sam wants to get away from her manipulative, demanding, attention seeking mother, her brother and her quirky grandmother. Sam meets a friend at college, and the two of them get to share family experiences. These are like pieces of a puzzle, and connect to complete the masterpiece.

Amelia is able to get to the ceremony where Muriel is giving a speech to the winner of the Amelia Earhart Scholarship, Sam Berry. This is a unique and intriguing “what if” book.

[Jennifer Malenius · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating perspective

So true that people think they know famous people, but only know the persona. This was a refreshing perspective, a sister, a lover, and people who only knew the persona and how they come together and form bits and pieces of the possible truths. Plus, is she real? Do you believe in ghosts?
I won this book on a goodreads.com giveaway.

[Pam Cunningham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought it was a very good book. There will always be the mystery about Amelia Earhart until somebody finds her body. I like that the book gave some sort of backgrounf with her and her family.

[Brandie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book, interesting, different. I won it on Goodreads.