Sky Queen

Sky Queen by Judy Kundert
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

                                            Synopsis

It's 1967, and Katherine Roebling is a Chicago-based stewardess caught between the hold of highflying travel and the call of her Native American ancestors just as the women's movement is taking the US by storm. As she vacillates between an ever-present mystical ancestral feather and her alluring stewardess life of excitement and travel, she embarks on a journey from one adventure to the next--each episode bringing her closer to her predestined calling. A chance meeting with a college student from Athens, Greece at a Chicago Playboy Mansion Press Party and her visit to the Oracle of Delphi intertwine with Katherine's discovery of the treasure inside herself. Ultimately, she gains wings that allow her to glide over society's barriers; she abandons the so-called glamorous life she's been living, creates her own path, and embarks upon a new career at the Smithsonian in DC--one that will take her on a miraculous experience of personal growth and uncharted paths.

Book Review

"Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them." Katherine Roebling, the main character of this story, quotes Thoreau here. I feel this quote encompasses the whole of Katherine's existence. She struggles as a woman in 1967 Chicago as a stewardess who longs to educate people about her Chippewa heritage. She is trying to find her own way, independently and as a woman, it can be difficult. Ms. Kundert touches on the many prejudices held against women during this time period and the bias prevalent in business and everyday life of a woman. Katherine's goal is to succeed on her own and not to depend on a man to achieve her success. However, she meets Neal and tries to fight her feelings for him. There are supernatural, spiritual elements intertwined in this story because Katherine has Native American blood running through her as well. This adds a touch of fantasy to the mostly, romantic-girl-trying-to-find-herself story. I'm not sure if it helped the story because I found it a little off-balance as I read. It didn't seem to fit when she fell into her trances and received feathers that floated into her lap. Neal and Katherine had a lot of chemistry. When the story alluded to their flourishing relationship, I enjoyed it. But most of the story didn't quite fit together. It felt like it was told in pieces and I couldn't connect it all, including the characters that appeared and then disappeared, like Danny O'Brien. Due to the bits and pieces being held together by Katherine, I could not connect with anyone in this story. There were no special moments that stood out and the story just fell flat. My rating is due to the storyline being for lack of a better word disjointed.

Thank you to the guest reviewer - the Ambitious Reader

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