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Dear Mrs. Lindbergh
When two elderly Iowans, Ruth and Henry Gutterson, mysteriously disappear, their adult children face a shocking realization - their parents planned this escape. This is a novel about what gets lost between generations, and what we'll never know about those who came before us.
302 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
August 6, 2009
Set on a farm near Iowa City & focused on the life a couple--an Air Mail pilot in the 1920s--& his wife, who's obsessed with flying but gives it up to become a mother. They're devoted to each other & unfailingly kind to each other & their accomplished children. The author portrays their lives with loving attention to domestic detail, but despite (or perhaps because of) her excessive earnestness, the characters never come to life. And the letters that the wife writes to Anne Lindbergh don't help much, because the voice does not contrast much with the earnest, emotional voice of the omniscient, third-person narrator.
October 14, 2015
This was an okay book. I thought it plodded along much too slowly. i also thought that the idea of writing letters to famous female pilots in order to express the thoughts and dreams of the leading female character was rather strange.
May 23, 2020
This is a “what happened” book (narrative without literary technique) that could have been more. Ruth is a young woman in the 1920s stuck on an Iowa farm yearning for broader opportunities, but held back by family expectations. When she meets an attractive young mail pilot, she falls in love both with him and flying. As she battles genetic bouts of depression, she begins a one-sided correspondence with Anne Morrow Lindbergh. She suffers a great loss, as does Mrs. Lindbergh and imagines they would be friends commiserating with one another if only they met. The narrative weaves through Ruth’s parents and children. Unfortunately, the characters are somewhat shallow stock characters who don’t seem to grow, and I felt no empathy with any of them. For at least the first half of the novel, for example, we are told repeatedly how frustrated Ruth is instead of being left to perceive it. It wasn’t a bad read, but I didn’t take anything away from it.
The history of the early pilots was very interesting, and I’d love to see another author use it as the basis of a novel.
The history of the early pilots was very interesting, and I’d love to see another author use it as the basis of a novel.
November 1, 2017
This is a novel about a woman who wants "more" from life, yet can't always define what that "more" is. It is also about a woman who suffers from depression before it is recognized as an illness and before there is a cure. While her family and doctor recognize that she needs help of some kind-something more, again they cannot define that that something "more" is. The novel's conclusion is an interesting choice by the author.
October 28, 2017
The review said this was lyrical writing. It was supposed to be about two elderly parents who disappeared together without telling anyone. Supposedly the wife left unsent letters behind telling of their plans. I couldn't wait for the book to be over. I didn't care about the lyrical writing. The plot was overblown. I didn't see anything in the quoted letters that revealed any plans. Yuck.
March 28, 2011
This one I actually blogged about .... http://beckyland.wordpress.com/2010/0...
Running Away
My sister scolded me. But my mom understood.
I got mad at my three children one day when they were youngish and terrible. I needed more than a time-out. I ran away. Only as far as the local library in our little Colorado town, but it was far enough. Far enough for me; too far for them.
I don’t think she was particularly scared, but my daughter called my sister anyway. I think she just wanted me to get in trouble with someone. Anyone.
My daughter also called my mother who lived in California at the time. Talk about tattling!
When I returned home, my sister called, asked the obligatory questions and got the appropriate answers to determine I wasn’t in immediate need of medical or psychiatric care. But then she scolded me.
Later, my mother called too. When I told her the story of the behavioral chaos of my children, expecting more scolding, she laughed. “I’ve done the same thing,” she said. “Many times.”
I was immediately calmed and exonerated.
I was reminded of this story today because I sat on the deck reading DEAR MRS LINDBERGH by Kathleen Hughes. It was a book I had given my mother as a gift several months earlier. She’s becoming more and more housebound caring for her declining husband. She has very few needs, so books, I’ve decided, are an excellent gift.
She lives in an apartment without much shelf space, though, so she carefully writes the name of the gift giver on a sticky note and returns the books when she’s finished. Often, she’ll include a note about how she enjoyed it — or didn’t.
Sometimes I give books I’ve read that I know she’ll like. Other times I browse and find books I think she’ll like.
Such was the case with DEAR MRS LINDBERGH. I hadn’t read it, didn’t know anything about it. But I know Mom likes historical fiction, which this wasn’t, really, but it had that feel to it.
When I got to the end, I found a note from my mom tucked into it. In her precise cursive she told me she liked this one. She added, “On a very small scale I can relate to Ruth’s desire to fly away for an adventure of her own.”
Reading her note literally took my breath away.
My mother had eight children. I’m number seven. I was an adult before I ever knew — or thought to ask — if she had dreams for her life that didn’t involve a swarm of kids. She was a young teenager during World War II and the nurses captured her imagination. But then she turned 18, got married and immediately started having children. She and my dad never had any money. Nursing school was out of the question.
“On a very small scale I can relate to Ruth’s desire to fly away for an adventure of her own.”
I know Mom would say she’s had a perfectly fine life. But my heart has several tiny Mom-shaped cracks in it today.
Running Away
My sister scolded me. But my mom understood.
I got mad at my three children one day when they were youngish and terrible. I needed more than a time-out. I ran away. Only as far as the local library in our little Colorado town, but it was far enough. Far enough for me; too far for them.
I don’t think she was particularly scared, but my daughter called my sister anyway. I think she just wanted me to get in trouble with someone. Anyone.
My daughter also called my mother who lived in California at the time. Talk about tattling!
When I returned home, my sister called, asked the obligatory questions and got the appropriate answers to determine I wasn’t in immediate need of medical or psychiatric care. But then she scolded me.
Later, my mother called too. When I told her the story of the behavioral chaos of my children, expecting more scolding, she laughed. “I’ve done the same thing,” she said. “Many times.”
I was immediately calmed and exonerated.
I was reminded of this story today because I sat on the deck reading DEAR MRS LINDBERGH by Kathleen Hughes. It was a book I had given my mother as a gift several months earlier. She’s becoming more and more housebound caring for her declining husband. She has very few needs, so books, I’ve decided, are an excellent gift.
She lives in an apartment without much shelf space, though, so she carefully writes the name of the gift giver on a sticky note and returns the books when she’s finished. Often, she’ll include a note about how she enjoyed it — or didn’t.
Sometimes I give books I’ve read that I know she’ll like. Other times I browse and find books I think she’ll like.
Such was the case with DEAR MRS LINDBERGH. I hadn’t read it, didn’t know anything about it. But I know Mom likes historical fiction, which this wasn’t, really, but it had that feel to it.
When I got to the end, I found a note from my mom tucked into it. In her precise cursive she told me she liked this one. She added, “On a very small scale I can relate to Ruth’s desire to fly away for an adventure of her own.”
Reading her note literally took my breath away.
My mother had eight children. I’m number seven. I was an adult before I ever knew — or thought to ask — if she had dreams for her life that didn’t involve a swarm of kids. She was a young teenager during World War II and the nurses captured her imagination. But then she turned 18, got married and immediately started having children. She and my dad never had any money. Nursing school was out of the question.
“On a very small scale I can relate to Ruth’s desire to fly away for an adventure of her own.”
I know Mom would say she’s had a perfectly fine life. But my heart has several tiny Mom-shaped cracks in it today.
December 1, 2010
I liked this book a lot. It goes from past to present (the late 1980s being present) to tell the story of Henry and Ruth. In the 1920s Ruth, an Iowa farm girl with ambitions of college and a big interest in airplanes and flying meets Henry, a pilot, after he crash lands in her father's field. They strike up a friendship that leads to marriage and children. Fast forward to the present, and Ruth and Henry have mysteriously vanished after leaving their children's home where they have just celebrated Thanksgiving.
We see the lives of Ruth and Henry before they had children, when Ruth was a navigator for Henry's mail route. After her children are born, Ruth stops flying, but never stops loving it. To ease the pain of not flying, she begins writing letters to Anne Morrow Lindbergh. The joys and heartaches of their lives are recalled and the book is beautifully written. There is much on the history of early aviation (talk about brave!). The ending is about as sweet as an ending can be, but is entirely believable.
We see the lives of Ruth and Henry before they had children, when Ruth was a navigator for Henry's mail route. After her children are born, Ruth stops flying, but never stops loving it. To ease the pain of not flying, she begins writing letters to Anne Morrow Lindbergh. The joys and heartaches of their lives are recalled and the book is beautifully written. There is much on the history of early aviation (talk about brave!). The ending is about as sweet as an ending can be, but is entirely believable.
June 22, 2011
I loved this book! The themes were really interesting, i.e., when is it ok for parents to think of themselves first, and not their children? And also the relationship between adult siblings and how they handle things/approach things that have to do with their parents. And I of course loved all the flying!
April 28, 2010
When you fall in love with someone but if there's many problems trouble to get over, we'll never know what will something bad happen before us but if we scare of it than we will lose everything so even it is hard we have to do it.
June 15, 2015
I very much enjoyed this book that covers three generations of parent/child relationships. Interesting story, well written,and believable characters. I found myself marking passages (which I don't do very often). I'd recommend this one. (And I was in high school English classes with the author!)
February 7, 2008
my cousin wrote this book. read it, its damn good and partly based off my grandfather's life.
love you opa.
love you opa.
October 16, 2008
This book has a couple of cool elements; one learns some details about aviation history, and it's a good story about family dynamics.
October 2, 2008
Another incredible love story. A poetic, lovely, must-read.
April 10, 2009
Interesting aviation history paired with great writing. Also has a cool story structure that uses two active plot lines that happen decades apart, along with letters to retell the past.
September 27, 2011
This was an interesting take on parents... and when does your life become your life again? I enjoyed this story very much! Thank you Lisa for recommending it! My friend and future pilot!
November 4, 2011
A sweet love story, but I thought it was a bit slow moving.
August 26, 2015
A great, easy read but which gives the reader lots to think about, especially about depression. Part love story, part history, it grips you from the first page u till the ending. Highly recommended.
June 22, 2013
A must-read.
May 2, 2017
I have noted other reviewers comments, and was prepared to hate this book club selection.... but I was surprised. Is it a great novel, no. Does it have a message for women (and men too for that matter)... absolutely. The premise and unfolding romance between Ruth and Henry is predictable and thus not terribly exciting. But there are messages about choice, women's freedom, loss and grief that are fashioned well. It was a book club selection, picked by our Moderator. I feel this is more a book for High School aged readers. There are some elements related to post=partum loss and depression that show how poorly that was handled at the period of the story. Overall I gave it 3 stars more for the message than the content, Character development was so so, and as I have stated earlier, fits the 16-18 year old age bracket. Not a bad read.... but I've read better.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews