This was my first chance to try out NetGalley, and what a book to begin with!

The Infinite Air is the story of aviatrix Jean Batten, who broke records as a woman pilot in the 1930's. Her life of struggle, both financially and in the male-dominated world of aviation, is beautifully told by the talented Fiona Kidman. Batten's life is chronicled from her difficult upbringing through the challenges of obtaining her pilot's license, speckled with humor, and will have you biting your nails as she attempts to break the women's record for the fastest flight from England to Australia.

This is the first book of Kidman's that I've read, and her writing is so vivid that I swear I could feel grit in my teeth as Batten sputtered through the dusty outback. The beginning of the book was slow, and although it is chronicled on Batten's life story, I felt the early years could have been condensed. This was almost a book I decided to give up on because it started out so slow and seemingly pointless when I knew the book was supposed to be about a pilot, but I really wanted to get to the meat of the story before I made my decision, hence the 4 out of 5-star review.

An informative read about an interesting woman. I had never heard of Jean Batten, but the stories of her courageous flights were very interesting. At sometimes the book did seem to move slow, but there were also sections that were gripping and kept me wondering what would happen. Would recommend this book to anyone interested in women history makers.

The fictionalized biography of Jean Batten, now forgotten but in her times famous Garbo of the heavens, so named for her beauty, and from the name of her first aircraft, the holder of several flight solo records. From her native New Zealand, as a child and then a young woman of many talents, she excelled in every field, to the point that were predicted for her career at the highest level in dance, music, writing and theater. Instead she chose ti fly, on board of the small, dangerous artisanal planes of the era, authentic flying coffins. A special and solitary life, not just for the fact of being a woman in an era when women were destined for marriage, but for her having always put the passion for flying in front of everything else.
Thank Aardvark Bureau and Netgallay for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.