The Prince of The Skies
By: Antonio Iturbe
I didn't engage quite so fully with the colleagues' stories, but I adored the character of Antoine, a man who is ingenious when flying a plane and an idiot when it comes to love. He has immense courage, and he always wears his heart on his sleeve, no matter what he’s doing. As a biographical novel, it’s a triumph because it lets us get to know a multi-faceted human being against the wider picture of life as an aviator in the 1920s through to 1945. Highly recommended!
Location: FIC ITU
Genre: Historical Fiction
Writer. Romantic. Pilot. Hero.
All Antoine de Saint Exupery wants to do is be a pilot. But flying is a dangerous dream and one that sets him at odds with his aristocratic background and the woman he loves. Despite attempts to keep him grounded, Antoine is determined to venture forwards into the unknown. Together with his friends, Jean and Henri, he will pioneer new mail routes across the globe and help change the future of aviation. In the midst of his adventures, Antoine also begins to weave a children's story that is destined to touch the lives of millions of readers around the world. A story called The Little Prince . . . Fame and fortune may have finally found Antoine, but as the shadow of war begins to threaten Europe, he's left to wonder whether his greatest adventure is yet to come . . .
Translated by Lilit Zekulin Thwaites, The Prince of the Skies is a moving tale of love and friendship, war and heroism, and the power of the written word.
All Antoine de Saint Exupery wants to do is be a pilot. But flying is a dangerous dream and one that sets him at odds with his aristocratic background and the woman he loves. Despite attempts to keep him grounded, Antoine is determined to venture forwards into the unknown. Together with his friends, Jean and Henri, he will pioneer new mail routes across the globe and help change the future of aviation. In the midst of his adventures, Antoine also begins to weave a children's story that is destined to touch the lives of millions of readers around the world. A story called The Little Prince . . . Fame and fortune may have finally found Antoine, but as the shadow of war begins to threaten Europe, he's left to wonder whether his greatest adventure is yet to come . . .
Translated by Lilit Zekulin Thwaites, The Prince of the Skies is a moving tale of love and friendship, war and heroism, and the power of the written word.
Review by Gill
This spellbinding novel revolves around Antoine De Saint-Expéry, author of children’s classic The Little Prince, who was also a pioneer of aviation and helped to open up postal routes across Africa and South America. The scrapes he and his two colleagues get into are gripping – lots of crashes that mean they have to improvise repairs en route, walking through the Andes in winter, and accidentally flying low over a German airfield during wartime. The descriptions of flying are glorious, and I enjoyed learning technical details about the engines. The translator has done a great job because it never at any point reads like a translation.
I didn't engage quite so fully with the colleagues' stories, but I adored the character of Antoine, a man who is ingenious when flying a plane and an idiot when it comes to love. He has immense courage, and he always wears his heart on his sleeve, no matter what he’s doing. As a biographical novel, it’s a triumph because it lets us get to know a multi-faceted human being against the wider picture of life as an aviator in the 1920s through to 1945. Highly recommended!
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