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Leslie R. (Arlington, VA)
Not what I expected
My first thoughts as I began reading Fly Girl: it is certainly well-written, and it is interesting to me; but it won't exactly have a universal audience. Having finished it now, I think: who would not enjoy reading this book?
Ms. Hood has managed to weave personal anecdotes and the history of commercial flight into a fascinating narrative. Readers who never heard of dressing up to fly or being served tasty hot meals on a routine flight may be incredulous; those of us who were there can reminisce with equal incredulity.
In addition to having a wealth of personal knowledge, Ms. Hood has obviously done her research
…more as well. An abundance of factual information that might not be inherently interesting becomes inherently readable.
If you are a reader who likes to learn while being entertained, I highly recommend this behind the scenes look at commercial flight prior to September 2001. (less)This is one of the best modern memoirs I have ever read. The author, Ann Hood, who is known for her excellent novels has now shared her career as a Flight Attendant, (Stewardess), mainly with TWA for 8 years traveling both domestically and internationally.
She starts with her own early passion for her flying career and tells the history of the very first flight attendants in the early years of commercial flying. The rigorous training to qualify as a flight attendant was so well told in her memoir that the reader can visualize the designer uniform of which she was so proud and the rigid rules that the women had to
…more follow.
Ann shows how her warm personality and her pride in her job as well as her sense of humor keeps her working through good times and bad. She copes with the stigma of the male view of female attendants as sexual objects with grace and finesse. What a great career she had in the air and as a very talented writer telling her story.
Ann is able to show how her warm personality and her pride in her job as well as her sense of humor keeps her working through good times and bad. She copes with the stigma of the male view of female attendants as sexual objects with grace and finesse. What a great career for a woman who is also a talented writer. (less)First, I admire Ann Hood as a writer and looked forward to reading her memoir of her career as a TWA flight attendant. She has a lively and conversational style which drew me in right from the start. Whether she was dishing on some of the more outrageous experiences she had, or how she as a woman and her career grew and changed with the times, it was both enlightening and thoroughly engaging. She was a flight attendant when it was considered a glamorous profession, but you also got a glimpse into the sexism, rigid and unfair job standards they had to meet, as well as the struggles these women endured on a daily
…more basis. It was seamless storytelling as she interwove her personal life, with the airline industry, and the social environment of the times.
While I was fairly young when it was exciting and fun to fly, I do remember it fondly, especially in light of what a nightmare it is to do so today. I was surprised and happy to learn that the author still finds joy every time she boards a plane in current days. Highly recommended! (less)I was in preschool the year that Ann Hood began her career as a flight attendant for TWA, but I do remember a little bit about what it was like to fly at that time, though I most definitely never got to experience the luxuries of flying first class. Her memoir is a fascinating look at what it took to become and remain a flight attendant in the years when the airline industry was undergoing massive upheaval both culturally--the sexism is nauseating in the extreme--and financially, with deregulation bringing both positive and negative changes, and corporate greed causing widespread devastation.
My favorite parts of
…more the book were the ones focused on her personal experiences and growth. Hood's recounting of her time at the Breech Training Academy in Kansas City was captivating. I wasn't surprised that they were trained to do all the obvious things like demonstrate how seatbelts and life vests work, but I had no idea the breadth and depth or complexity of their training, from how to carve chateaubriand (they used to do that on airplanes?!) to how to deliver a baby, and a million other responsibilities big and small. I don't know how many of those tasks are still part of modern-day flight attendant training--I'm assuming the meat carving isn't a thing any more--but I have a whole new appreciation for the men and women who have patiently offered me drinks and hot towels on past flights.
I also found the history of the airline industry itself to be fascinating, though I struggled with the lack of coherent timeline. Actually, that's true for some of her personal recollections as well--she tends to go off on tangents during anecdotes sometimes. All of which are interesting, but the non-linear detours did make it difficult for me to figure out when various events took place. The overall story arc moved chronologically, but the individual threads zigzagged.
One thing that surprised me was that for all the stories of what life was like as a beautiful, young, single woman with an adventurous spirit, and her tales of dating or refusing propositions, there is virtually nothing about meeting or marrying her husband. I thought that's what she was alluding to with her recollection of meeting 47F, but alas, no. Perhaps that means meeting her husband was unrelated to her time as a flight attendant? Perfectly fine to keep that story private, but I admit I was a little disappointed.
All in all, I very much enjoyed reading this memoir. 3 1/2 stars, but I'll round up. Many thanks to BookBrowse and the publisher, W. W. Norton & Company, for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. (less)In Fly Girl, Ann Hood shares an insider's view of the life of a flight attendant, seen thru the early days in review, her career in flying and the years of deregulation of the industry. She uses many of the familiar phrases that we hear flying – "tray table and seats in their full upright and locked position." Ann gives us her view on the tension between being a young female in charge of her own destiny and working for a business that capitalizes on her looks and smile. There are shared stories about passengers and events both intimate and general that are part of flying and travel. It reads like a collection of
…more stories from her notes taken between flights. Her transition from a young inexperienced traveler to globe trotter plays well. In conversational tones much like you'd hear on a plane, she shares her travel life but very little of her life after flying for eight years. Good for travelers and book clubs, lots to discuss and use to springboard into talks and thoughts about career, travel, feminism, government intervention in private industry, and flying. I wish there was a picture of the TWA propeller stir stick on the cover! (less)Ann Hood brought me right into her world in her book Fly Girl. I enjoyed learning about her life as a flight attendant and some history on airline travel. I am glad she persevered through the downsides of her job to enjoy traveling to new places. In some regards the changes in the flight attendant job is for the better – male flight attendants and being able to make it a career. It would have been nice to hear about how her personal life (marriage and children) affected her job. The end of the book was too long. I am very glad she was able to transition to a second career, being a writer. I look forward to
…more reading other books she has written. (less)Ann Hood chronicles the golden age of air travel in her latest memoir, Fly Girl. She traces the start of her journey in her years after finishing college in 1978 and ending eight years later as deregulation sent the industry into a tailspin. As such it could also be seen as a coming of age story which depicts her somewhat adolescent wish to be part of a glamorous profession but, as she matures, realizes she's only a glorified waitress at 35,000 feet.
In the final chapters, she seeks to become a skilled writer and novelist.
This would make a good beach read…especially if you had the same dreams of being a flight
…more attendant. I would not recommend it for a serious book club. (less)More than a book about the adventures and travails of being a flight attendant, Fly Girl is a moving account of a young girl's dreams, and how she achieved them. Growing up in a small New England town, Ann Hood had two ambitions: to see the world and become a writer. Neither was easy, but her passion and determination drove her to reach and then exceed both of her childhood dreams. In between, we learn that catering to passengers was hard physical work and often challenging emotionally. But the author loved her job, and we see her grow professionally and personally as the book progresses.
In the end, Ann Hood
…more didn't leave flying, flying left her. Her beloved airline, TWA, went bankrupt giving her the chance to pursue a successful writing career. I intend to give Fly Girl to my three grandchildren. Ann Hood is an excellent role model for any young adult with dreams. (less)
