The Prince of the Skies (Paperback)
Antonio Iturbe (author), Lilit Zekulin Thwaites (translator)Published: 09/06/2022
A breathtaking reimagining of the life and death of The Little Prince writer Antoine de Saint-Exupery, this immersive novel from the author of The Librarian of Auschwitz is also a sweeping story of love, war and creative genius.
Flying. Love. War. For some men everything is an adventure...
All Antoine de Saint Exupery wants to do is be a pilot. But flying is a dangerous dream and one that sets him at odds with his aristocratic background and the woman he loves. Despite attempts to keep him grounded, Antoine is determined to venture forwards into the unknown. Together with his friends, Jean and Henri, he will pioneer new mail routes across the globe and help change the future of aviation. In the midst of his adventures, Antoine also begins to weave a children's story that is destined to touch the lives of millions of readers around the world. A story called The Little Prince...
Fame and fortune may have finally found Antoine, but as the shadow of war begins to threaten Europe, he's left to wonder whether his greatest adventure is yet to come...
Translated by Lilit Zekulin Thwaites, The Prince of the Skies is a moving tale of love and friendship, war and heroism, and the power of the written word.
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 9781529063370
Number of pages: 544
Weight: 380 g
Dimensions: 197 x 130 x 38 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
The famed writer and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry may be the title character in Antonio Iturbe’s The Prince of the Skies but his camaraderie with two other pioneering French pilots is what gets this novel airborne. That and its celebration of the sheer joy of flying…What you remember, though, even as fate catches up with Saint-Exupéry and his comrades, is the exhilaration they’ve known in the time they’ve spent aloft. - New York Times
I adored the character of Antoine, a man who is ingenious when flying a plane and an idiot when it comes to love. The descriptions of the life-and-death scrapes he and his aviator colleagues get into are gripping, and there’s a vivid sense of the sheer thrill of flying. It’s spellbinding! - Gill Paul, Bestselling author of The Secret Wife
The language is mesmerizing, so lyrical and poetic. What a beautiful, thought-provoking read. - Jennifer Ryan, bestselling author of The Chilbury Ladies' Choir and The Kitchen Front
Iturbe exuberantly tells the story of author Antoine de Saint-Exupery and his passion for flying, poetry, and beautiful women. The author does a wonderful job of dramatizing how exhilarating and dangerous the early years of civil aviation were for a handful of bold and intrepid pilots. He also recreates in sparking fashion interwar French society. Saint-Ex, his colleagues, and their loves come to life in a novel that would do the author of The Little Prince proud. - Publishers Weekly Starred Review
Like Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief, it’s a sophisticated novel with mature themes, delivering an emotionally searing reading experience. An important novel that will stand with other powerful testaments from the Holocaust era - Booklist on The Librarian of Auschwitz
No punches are pulled about the unimaginable atrocity of the death camps, a life-affirming history - Kirkus Reviews, starred review on The Librarian of Auschwitz
Once read, will never be forgotten . . . A hauntingly authentic Holocaust retelling - School Library Journal on The Librarian of Auschwitz
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“An unusual yet inticing book!”
I want to start my review by admitting that although I always read the blurb of a book before deciding whether to read it, I often forget what the book is about before I’m able to read it. That is exactly what... More
“Beautiful read!”
What a beautiful read this was, based on the true events of Antoine, this book is thought provoking and beautifully well written.
Anyone who has read this or wanting to read this please make sure you have also read...
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“Frustrating book lacking a sense of story”
The Prince of the Skies was a frustrating book. There was a lack of a drive behind the story which made everything seem a bit tangential. Shape seemed to be sacrificed for adherence to Exupery's biography, which... More
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