The Fledgling

REVIEWS:

The Fledgling adds new dimensions to William Whitson's fascinating exploration of the first years of flight.  I liked his offbeat take on the Wright Brothers and the in-depth portrait of that all but forgotten pioneer, Glenn Curtiss.  Young Davey Harrison, with his psychic gifts, is a wild card that only a born novelist could create.  William Whitson is demonstrating that the historical imagination can do more than help us understand the past -- it enables us to experience it.

– Thomas Fleming
Author

A fast-moving story of the heady early days of flying enriched by an insightful portrait of American life and love in those colorful years -- an interesting read.

 ~ Albert P. Clark, Lt. Gen. USAF (Ret.)
Former Superintendent, USAF Academy

"Whitson's book is very much a period piece. Perhaps some of the most intriguing moments in the novel come when he discusses ladies' fashions,music and theater in the early 1900s. He definitely does his homework to immerse the reader in early 20th Century America. Similar in breadth and depth to Anton Myrer's Once an Eagle... the descriptions of flight, races, and the risks that fledgling flyers take for money, fame and a place in history are captivating. His exploration of complicated human emotions-- greed, lust, competition and envy-- will provide even the most discerning reader with something of interest."

 ~ Review in ASSEMBLY, May-June, 2003