published February 23, 2016
Doubleday
When you read a novel about the doomed zeppelin Hindenburg, you already know how it ends. But Lawhon (The Wife, The Maid, and the Mistress, 2014) has some ideas about how that inevitable ending came about.
In May of 1937 passengers and crew boarded the Hindenburg in Frankfurt, Germany, with the expectation of landing in New Jersey three days later. The airship was a luxurious marvel, though emblazoned with swastikas, and kept aloft with highly combustible hydrogen. Lawhon introduces the cast of characters first in short sections as they go about settling in for the journey. Like an old mystery movie we have The Stewardess, The Journalist, The Cabin Boy, The Navigator, The American, etc. The story unfolds through their eyes as the 16-story Hindenburg makes its way. There are personal dramas and intrigues along with an undercurrent of menace as the ship is also hosting several Gestapo officers due to a bomb threat.
Lawhon’s research shows through her details about the ship, from its luxurious appointments to its inner mechanics. Some of the most interesting information involves the painstaking efforts made to respect the hydrogen, whether it be special rubber boots in restricted parts of the ship to avoid creating a static spark, to the specially pressurized lounge where cigarettes are doled out carefully and do not leave the room under any circumstance.
The “Flight of Dreams” will only end one way, but there is intrigue and suspense in getting there, making this is a great choice for fans of historical fiction.
Happy Reading!
An advance galley of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest opinion.
