In her whip-smart sixth novel, The Uncharted Flight of Olivia West, Sara Ackerman (The Codebreaker's Secret) takes readers on one woman's hair-raising aerial journey from California to Hawaii, and on another's quest to uncover a piece of lost aviation history.
Olivia "Livy" West, growing up in 1920s San Diego, is determined to become a pilot, hanging around at the airfield and defying the men who tell her women can't--or shouldn't--fly. When Livy talks her way into joining a high-profile aviation race as navigator, the journey across the Pacific will test her in unexpected ways. Sixty years later, Wren Summers learns she's inherited her eccentric great-aunt's land on the Big Island. Wren, reeling from a breakup, goes there to investigate and discovers a barn containing two ancient planes. She also (to her surprise) carves out a place for herself in her new community while searching for answers about the planes' provenance.
Ackerman deftly weaves her two narratives as flight paths that connect in surprising ways, showing how each woman wrestles with challenging circumstances to find her way forward. Livy's flight experiences come to life with sharp descriptions of weather, wind, and the issues Livy faces (both mechanical and personal). Meanwhile, Wren's new job at the local care home and her tentative friendship with a handsome mechanic may bring her the answers she's seeking.
Vivid, insightful, and as fast-paced as Livy's beloved plane, Ackerman's narrative is a delight for fans of aviation, historical fiction, and strong women. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams