Amelia’s Shadow

Amelia’s Shadow 

Amelia’s Shadow is the latest short story to be checked off my to be read list. It is the first in a seven part series. I love a good short story, and this one was no exception. 

Short stories are things that can be read in a single day, there is no playing the “just one more chapter” game while gambling with the amount of sleep I’ll get. It is something I can do instead of mindlessly scrolling social media, and when I take a break from working to get up and move around. That is what I love the most about short stories. 

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Have you read Amelia’s Shadow? Come on in and let me tell you about it! 

About Amelia’s Shadow 

For pilot Ruth Nichols, a soaring rivalry with Amelia Earhart becomes a deep friendship in a short story of the danger and secrets of undaunted women, inspired by true events, by New York Times bestselling author Marie Benedict.

It’s Ruth’s dream to be the world’s greatest female pilot. It’s Amelia—Lady Lindy herself—who achieves it. At first competitors, Ruth soon recognizes they share a passion for the skies and for supporting trailblazing female pilots everywhere. Together they form an all-women flying group, the Ninety-Nines, and over the years their achievements become more groundbreaking, their risks more personal, and their friendship closer than ever, until the day their best-laid plans come crashing down. 

Thoughts on Amelia’s Shadow 

I will be the first one to admit that I love a good short story, and at a whopping 35 pages, this one certainly qualifies! 

Reading it, I had never heard of Ruth Nichols before. We’ve all heard of and known who Amelia Earhart is though. Which prompted me to go look up more information and continue learning about both women. 

It is interesting to see the shift in Ruth Nichols from seeing Amelia as competition to not only live up to, but exceed and achieve more, to being friends and potentially more. The story alludes to that, but doesn’t actually mention their potential romantic relationship. 

I absolutely love seeing women support each other instead of competing, and this was one of those amazing reminders of that, and I cheered them on through it all. Women should always support each other instead of competing! This story reminded me that there is room for everyone, and I love that lesson even in a story based on an era long gone. 

It really is a short story, and I desperately wanted so much more from it. It could have been a full novel. Which is the sign of a good short story, in my opinion. It should feel complete, yet it should also be able to be expanded into a full novel at the same time. 

Final Thoughts on Amelia’s Shadow 

I am calling Amelia’s Shadow a four star read. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the short stories in the series next. 

As I started researching Amelia’s Shadow and the author, Marie Benedict, I realized that I own another of her books, The Mitford Affair, but haven’t made it to reading yet. Realizing that she specializes in historical fiction centered around women, I now want to binge read everything she has written, because I enjoy historical fiction so much. 

This is also the way I discovered and really got into reading Taylor Jenkins Reid novels. I started with Evidence of the Affair, loved it, and wanted to read more. I think these types of short stories are an excellent way to sample an author’s writing without having to dive into a full novel if you’re not quite ready to. 

Discussion 

Have you read Amelia’s Shadow or any other writing from Marie Benedict? Are you a fan? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! 

About the Author 

​Marie Benedict is a lawyer with more than ten years’ experience as a litigator at two of the country’s premier law firms, who found her calling unearthing the hidden historical stories of women. Her mission is to excavate from the past the most important, complex and fascinating women of history and bring them into the light of present-day where we can finally perceive the breadth of their contributions as well as the insights they bring to modern day issues. 

She embarked on a new, thematically connected series of historical novels with The Other Einstein, which tells the tale of Albert Einstein’s first wife, a physicist herself, and the role she might have played in his theories. 

The next novel in this series is the USA Today bestselling Carnegis’s Maid — which released in January of 2018 — and the book that followed is the New York Times bestseller and Barnes & Noble Book Club Pick The Only Woman in the Room, the story of the brilliant inventor Hedy Lamarr, which published in January of 2019. 

In January of 2020, Lady Clementine, the story of the incredible Clementine Churchill, was released, and became an international bestseller. 

Her next novel, the Instant NYTimes and USAToday bestselling The Mystery of Mrs. Christie, was published on December 29, 2020, and her first co-written book, The Personal Librarian, with the talented Victoria Christopher Murray, will be released on June 29, 2021. 

Writing as Heather Terrell, Marie also published the historical novels The Chrysalis, The Map Thief, and Brigid of Kildare. 

Purchasing Amelia’s Shadow 

If you are interested in buying the audiobook version of Amelia’s Shadow, click here.

Click here for the Kindle version.

Click here for my favorite Kindle I currently own.

More in the Blaze Series 

Did you enjoy my review of Amelia’s Shadow? Ready for more in this series? Here are my favorites! 

Amelia’s Shadow 

The June Paintings 

The Forgotten Chapter 

Fires to Come 

Tune in Tomorrow 

Fallen Grace 

Barriers to Entry 

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