Wingwalkers: A Novel

(Hardback)

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Description

"They were over Georgia somewhere, another nameless hamlet whose dusty streets lay flocked and trembling with the pink handbills they'd rained from the sky that morning, the ones that announced the coming of DELLA THE DARING DEVILETTE, who would DEFY THE HEAVENS, shining like a DAYTIME STAR, a WING-WALKING WONDER borne upon the wings of CAPTAIN ZENO MARIGOLD, a DOUBLE ACE of the GREAT WAR, who had ELEVEN AERIAL VICTORIES over the TRENCHES OF FRANCE." Wingwalkers is one-part epic adventure, one-part love story, and, as is the signature for critically-acclaimed author Taylor Brown, one large part American history. The novel braids the adventures of Della and Zeno Marigold, a vagabond couple that funds their journey to the west coast in the middle of the Great Depression by performing death-defying aerial stunts from town to town, together with the life of the author (and thwarted fighter pilot) William Faulkner, whom the couple ultimately inspires during a dramatic air show-with unexpected consequences for all. Brown has taken a tantalizing tidbit from Faulkner's real life-an evening's chance encounter with two daredevils in New Orleans-and set it aloft in this fabulous novel. With scintillating prose and an action-packed plot, he has captured the true essence of a bygone era and shed a new light on the heart and motivations of one of America's greatest authors.

Reviews

Clearly one of the best American writers of his generation. --Ron Rash

"Taylor Brown writes with rare energy, spinning out history with the force of myth. Wingwalkers thrusts us into the lives of two daredevil aeronauts during the Great Depression, who happen to awaken and inspire William Faulkner. Brown's vision is as fresh and audacious as his language. Gutsy, original, and powerfully imagined." --Paula McLain, author of THE PARIS WIFE and WHEN THE STARS GO DARK

"Brown weaves a rich and poignant tale from a tidbit in Faulkner's life around an aerial barnstorming couple of the 1930s. Fierce and beautiful" --Kim Michele Richardson, author of THE BOOK WOMAN OF TROUBLESOME CREEK

"Like flight itself, Wingwalkers defies gravity, lifting us into the ether with its beautiful and poetic grace. Fans of Faulkner will not be disappointed. Be transported to the days of early aviation, walk in the shoes of those who
dared to push the boundaries of man. Taylor Brown's characters live the kind of bold, fearless lives we all envy. This book is not to be missed!" --Susan Crandall, author of THE FLYING CIRCUS

Brown crafts a heart-pounding plot, and his gorgeous descriptions of Southern terrain from the air resonate just as much. The result is both elegant and thrilling. --PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

Author Bio

TAYLOR BROWN grew up on the Georgia coast. He has lived in Buenos Aires, San Francisco, and the mountains of western North Carolina. He is the recipient of the Montana Prize in Fiction and a finalist for the Southern Book Prize. His novels include Fallen Land, The River of Kings, Gods of Howl Mountain, and Pride of Eden. He lives in Savannah, Georgia.