Wilbur and Orville Wright are known for the first flight of an airplane that they achieved at Kitty Hawk. Less well known is their sister, Katharine, who supported their work. Tracey Enerson Wood has written a novel about her, Katharine, the Wright Sister.
The book is written from three perspectives. From chapter to chapter, Wilbur, Orval and Katherine take turns sharing their story. Sometimes I had to look back to the beginning of the chapter to check who was talking.
I enjoy historical fiction because I learn from it. This book is well researched. There is a lot of detail about the development of flight and the competition that took place between the Wright brothers and other inventors. I didn’t know that Wilbur Wright introduced his airplane in Europe where he received more attention than in the United States.
The heart of the story is Katherine’s participation and devotion to her brothers. She gave up pursuing her own dreams to assist her brothers. Was there ever any romance in her life? You will have to read the book to find out.
In the evening my husband and I enjoy reading out loud from a book. Currently we are reading a letter each night from the book, Best Regards: A Treasury of the World’s Great Spiritual Letters.
So far, we have read letters by: Rainer Maria Rilke, C.S. Lewis, Emily Dickinson, Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s last letter, Marie of the Incarnation, Vincent van Gogh and Francis Schaeffer. The letters give sweet insight into the faith of each.
We have fifteen more letters to read.
