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Malini_L
Didn't Reach Cruising Altitude
I was very excited to read this book, after being a frequent flier and working in the flight industry for many years. I enjoyed all the tales about the passengers and fellow flight attendants, and learning about the flight attendant interview and training processes back in the 70s. I could see how each flight the author worked helped her mature and grow.
I wish she would have gone into more detail in some of the stories. This book felt more like a string of summarized anecdotes and less of a deep personal memoir.
The book was also fairly repetitive, not something I'd expect from a seasoned author. It could be condensed into a wonderful magazine feature.
Karen S. (Allston, MA)
Nicely told tales from a charming stoyteller
This memoir covering the author's years as a TWA flight attendant is a fun read. I graduated college around the same time as the author, and it was fun to read about her experiences during a time period I know well. By coincidence, I read this book while flying domestically. As the coffee service and snack carts rolled down the aisle I was comparing many snippets from the book to the present flying experience.
Hood comments that her stories about her flight attendant days seem to be of great interest when she is in social occasions, and I can easily imagine her recounting many of the events in this book—she is a storyteller and she shares many amusing tales. It is a memoir, and readers will follow her journey from naïve young adult to competent-and-confident young adult.
The bad old days of sexism and ageism sounded all too familiar, and not so distant.
donna wolf
Fly Girl
This book is a great look at the life of a flight attendant, and the aviation industry in general, during the 1980s. It is very interesting and informative. It doesn't have the normal feel of a memoir, but it is an easy read, and flowed at a good pace. Enjoyable for anyone who has ever flown.
Sylvia G. (Scottsdale, AZ)
Fly Girl Gone
I'm old enough to remember the glamour of air travel and the way flight attendants were admired. This was also back when sexism was expected and part of the world that most women experienced. Hood's story of her years flying were evocative of that time. My one criticism would be that there was some repetition of the minutiae of the flights and preparation that were the least interesting part of the book. One of the best parts were the specific stories of passengers, both good and bad and I wish there had been more of that. A nostalgic look at an industry that will never be what it was.
Elizabeth_L
More like a history lesson than memoir
Unfortunately, this book felt more like reading "a history of flight attendants" than a memoir. The use of precise dates, makes of planes, and chronological order of events was quite textbook-like. The few lines which were laugh out loud funny and spoke to the heart were too few and far between. I found much of the information repetitive and insulting. Perhaps if I had never flown on an airplane, I would have needed to read detailed explanations of what a flight attendant does on a flight. This story just did not hold my interest.
Mary Ann S. (Virginia Beach, VA)
Good Old Days - well sorta
How many of us can successfully achieve our childhood dream career? I'm guessing not all that many. Ann Hood fell in love with travel (and air travel) at an early age and became a stewardess (term at the time) when air travel was glamourous and, apparently, much more civil than now. I loved how she seemed to learn from every experience - formal training, hanging out with more experienced co-workers, and even passengers. Even though I knew, I still cringed at the weight/height/grooming stipulations for women (the male flight attendants evidently were under different rules.) Ms. Hood often mentioned that she kept a notebook with her and jotted down thoughts and experiences during quiet times. I guess the book was based on her notebooks. I enjoyed the book but thought it could have flowed better in parts and could have used a closer editing. This would be a good book club selection – lots to discuss.
Patricia C. (Columbia, MO)
Fly Girl A Memoir by Ann Hood
My initial reaction was that this book was being published at the right time i.e. a "beach read". Most interesting to me were the history of passenger commercial flight and the evolution of the flight attendant. The training initially required to become a TWA flight attendant and the duties required once one was accepted was eye opening.
As a memoir it didn't develop any interest in her as a person.
Cynthia V. (New York, NY)
Fly Girl Leaves Me On the Ground
I have always enjoyed Ann Hood's writing and expected to enjoy a light, breezy, inspiring read. The tone at the beginning was just right and held my interest. As the story continued, my interest flagged. The author kept repeating that the whole flight attendant experience was life-changing and exciting. From my perspective as a reader, however, it seemed that what she went through was constant struggle and matured from adversity rather than the incredible, exciting experiences she keeps talking about. Who hasn't heard about The Mile High Club at this point? Who hasn't heard about strange and unruly passengers? We have far too many details and repetitions about flight delays and meal service and sore feet. The book did pick up towards the end. My opinion is that this would have been far better as an essay or magazine piece.
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