by Joyce Milton
First published 1993
Charles Lindbergh returns from his transatlantic flight to find himself thrust into a whirlwind courtship with Anne Morrow. Their romance unfolds against the backdrop of unprecedented celebrity, leading to marriage and the birth of their first child. The couple's world shatters when their infant son is kidnapped from their New Jersey home. As they endure the agonizing search and eventual discovery of their child's murder, their marriage faces its greatest test. Years later, the Lindberghs find themselves embroiled in another kind of controversy as they become prominent voices in the America First movement, advocating against American entry into World War II. Milton traces the evolution of their relationship across four and a half decades, examining how public scrutiny, personal tragedy, and political conviction shape their bond. The novel explores the price of fame and the resilience required to sustain love through unimaginable loss and public condemnation.
Genres: romance, american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: New Jersey
Period: 1920s, 1930s, 1940s
520 pages · Hardcover · Harpercollins
Content warnings: child-death, kidnapping