Nothing But Sky by Amy Trueblood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A good historical novel doesn’t make you stop and want to look up things, or perhaps it does. There were several times that I wanted to know if the person in the story, that had just been introduced, was real, and was pleased when I found out they were. That is the best kind of historical novel, to me, spinning in real events, around your fictional story.
This is a story about wing-walking and barnstorming. These are feats done by men and women after the first world war, hanging from bi-planes, while people watched from below. That is the main plot, of Grace, who is a wing-walker, who performs these stunts in the midwest, in the 1920s. This part is all realistic, and a bit of fun. There is also a sub-plot involving her two waitress friends at the diner, who want to go to Hollywood, and are running from an arranged marriage.
The only problem I have with this book, and it is relatively minor one, is that while you can tell she did some amazing work on getting the barnstorming part of the story correct, she doesn’t seem to have done as much research on the Hollywood part. And this probably won’t bother most people.
But it bothers me.
You see, my grandmother worked for Disney and Warner Brothers. My father worked for RKO, (which became Universal), and Warner Brothers. There is some amazing history there, some amazing people, especially in the 1920s, when this story took place. If she can throw in real people in Chicago, why can’t she throw in real studios in Hollywood? Why can’t she name areas of Los Angeles? It would make the story just as real when it was in Lincoln, Nebraska.
So, good, strong protagonist, and good strong story. So, other than that minor thing with the movie studios, I would recommend this good, and exciting, and surprising story.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.