The Prince of the Skies by Antonio Iturbe

Synopsis
Writer. Romantic. Pilot. Hero.

All Antoine de Saint Exupéry 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 the Second World War begins to threaten Europe, he’s left to wonder whether his greatest adventure is yet to come . . .

Review
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is one of those classics children’s books that stands the test of time. In The Prince of of the Skies Antonio Iturbe looks into the extraordinary life of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, and two of his friends, Jean Mermoz and Henri Guillaumet, who were pilots with Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, and put themselves in danger everyday. This maybe a fiction book but it really captures the essence of Antoine, his passions, his writing and his desire for the skies.

To say this is an epic read is and understatement, we are taken from the early 1920’s, a time of excess and fun post World War I, throught the 1930’s to the 1940’s and the War years again, through the eyes of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Antoine was a Compte by birth but there was no more money to fund the estate so both him and his mother need to work. Antoine has three passions in his life, his writing, flying and Louise de Vilmorin, the sister of his friend, and all these consume his life, but not all are successful. He is constantly writing on whatever he has at hand, combining storytelling and his adventures as a pilot. Whilst his writing is successful his love life is more erratic, Antoine wants the ideal of love that doesn’t exist, and I think is someone who is in love with the idea of being in love. He starts his flying in the French Air Force, but after a short time away goes into the private sector to work with the Aéropostal, flying letters around France, Europe, Africa and eventually even South America. Jean Mormoz and Hernri Guillaumet also fly with the Aéropostal and between the three of them they are innovators in the field of flying, pushing the boundaries of what the planes and pilots are capable of. Antoine Iturbe captures the essence of these men, their exuberance, their passion for life and women.

Antonio Iturbe’s prose is poetic and the translation by Lilit Žekulin Thwaites is wonderful and captures the magic of the origional text. This is a real adreniline rush of a book in parts, with the adventure and danger of being a pilot, and taking the reader from France to Morocco, Syria, Brazil, America and Senegal. I was fascinated in the development of the Aèropostal, delivering mail across continents, something we take for granted today, and of the aircraft used which were open cockpit leaving pilot exposed to the elements, and very basic. Antonio Turbe really captures the danger of these flights and the zeitgeist of the years between the two World Wars, the excesses of post war and the fear of World War II.

The Prince of the Skies is an amazing read about three extraordinary men. I loved learning more about Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, his life, his loves and how these inspired his writing, and ultimately The Little Prince. This a truely powerful and epic read, crossing continents and going to new heights in the name of aviation, and detailing the bravery of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Beautifully written, this is a stunning and inspirational read.

I would like to thank Pan Macmillan and Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to be part of the blog tour for this amazing book.