Flight audiobook

3.5 stars“Flight” by Lynn Steger Strong exhibits the messy and complicated relationship of grown siblings after their beloved matriarch dies. Anyone who has experienced the first big holiday, in this case Christmas, after the binding force of the family dies, will appreciate the story. Although adult and professional, each person is left unmoored. Not only is this missing family member the one who united them together, she was the one who soothed hurt egos, cultivated peace and harmony. She created family traditions; she provided the safe harbor for all to be.Adding to the stress of this holiday, is the fact that the sibling’s mother, Helen, did not leave a will. The only significant asset she had was the rambling, somewhat rundown, family home in Florida. It has been rented for one year, but after that, the siblings must come together and determine the sale of the home.The three siblings, Henry, Kate, and Martin are married. Henry is an artist, married to Alice who also is an artist, turned social worker. Kate is a stay-at-home mother with three very interesting children. Her husband Josh inexplicably lost all their savings resulting in a precarious financial situation. Martin is a tenured professor who is experiencing humiliating and embarrassing professional problems. His wife, Tess, is a no-nonsense attorney who found a special relationship with Helen. Martin and Tess have two children. As with all adult sibling gatherings, author Lynn Steger Strong writes authentically the parenting struggles that occur when the families combine. In this case, Kates kids are more independent and maybe a bit more exuberant than Tess’s children. Tess is far more structured and controlling. Of course, Helen always soothed frazzled nerves…and now she’s gone.This story takes place in three days, and Strong packs these three days with history, emotions, and events. Of course, the inheritance is the main issue in this family story. Kate wants to keep the house; Tess, the attorney, wants a clean transaction: sale, proceeds split 3 ways. Henry is so involved with his art that his feelings on the subject are limited.Strangely, at least to me, Strong added another family, one that Alice has responsibility for as a social worker. Alice endured multiple failed pregnancies. She struggles emotionally. Her husband Henry is remote to her. At any rate, this family of a 21-year-old heroin user and her beautiful daughter become almost a focal point in the story. Personally, I felt they were a distraction from the main story; however, their addition did add excitement and part of the plot climax.What I liked about the story is the realistic domestic fiction of adult siblings attempting to navigate their life after their beloved mother dies. Also, the new family traditions and expectations that they attempt to forge are fraught with anxiety. That first year, after a central figure in an extended family dies, is usually an endeavor. Strong’s ability to write about the struggles of mothers, working and stay-at-home; the struggles of marriage, mostly from a female’s perspective is wonderful. She slightly touched upon Alice and her grief in miscarriages.All in all, I recommend this for those who love domestic fiction, especially those who have endured the struggles of reinventing a new extended family without their matriarch.

"Flight" by Lynn Steger Strong is Family Fiction with Holiday Fiction Undertones!Three adult siblings with their spouses and children gather for the first Christmas together since Helen, the family matriarch, passed. They're at odds without her and need to come to a mutually agreeable decision concerning her house. It's the home the three siblings grew up in and where they returned to, as a family, every year at Christmas until this one.Despite seeming intentionally "matter-of-fact" in its narration, this character study is compelling, relatable, and realistic. Complex family relationships bristling and slowly bubbling to a head during an annual three-day holiday celebration, where the one that has always held all the pieces and parts together is no longer present. What's not to love about a story like that? Although these characters are not lovable or even likable, their shared memories, conflicts, and struggles create an evocative story. Their journey shows the fragility of familial bonds and how quickly signs of duress can show without the care and nourishment needed to fill the cracks of loss. The audiobook narrator, Andi Arndt, has such clarity in her voicing I was able to listen at 2.0x speed from beginning to end in one afternoon. It was great company during a long walk and for the alone time I craved! "Flight" is the type of story I prefer and enjoy reading during the holidays. It's Family Fiction with Holiday Fiction undertones that has serious topics with a dramatic rather than comedic feel. How refreshing is that? I highly recommend to those who prefer the same!

This was such a great read. I love a long rollicking expansive family novel and Flight fits the bill. It's the winter holidays and three siblings and their spouses have gathered to celebrate. They are taking up the mantle held by their recently passed matriarch thus the holidays bring a whole new slew of roaring emotions. There are adults without jobs, adults who hate their jobs, adults who would love to work more and happily staying home moms. It's actually filled with characters and I think it could have used another 50-100 pages to etch out the personalities of some of the less important siblings/spouses. Even so, I love the adventure of it and the added suspense regarding what should be done with the matriarch's home. I could easily sit down and lose myself in a sequel, I loved this so much. But it's not that kind of book. Steger Strong invites you into the lives of this family for a short period of time to potentially pass judgement. It's not long before you see yourself in each and every one of the characters. If you love contemporary novels, family holiday disasters or just would enjoy a superbly written novel, Flight is for you!#marinerbooks #netgalley #LynnStegerStrong #Flight

There are a few specific things that often make a book a good fit for me and this book had a few of those elements. It’s a good binge/weekend read. It’s shorter and a quick easy read. It takes place over just a few days, the three days just before Christmas. And it focuses on siblings. I’ve said it probably too many times on here that I am an only child so books about siblings, no matter the dynamic, are always interesting to me. For the length of this book the characters were very well developed, so were their relationships. I enjoyed how very different they all are but how they share Helen, the mom, in common. I enjoyed this and liked our authors style very much. Huge thanks to Goodreads, our author and Mariner Books for providing giveaways. Their giveaway has in no way influenced my rating, nor was I under any obligation to review the book after reading it. ‘Flight’ is set to release 11-8-22 according to Goodreads. If you get a chance to read this I hope you enjoy it.

Yes, this is another novel about a family coming to terms with itself and the loss of a parent but don't turn away- it's beautifully written and engaging in a way I didn't expect. Martin and Tess, and Kate and Josh have brought their children to Henry and Alice's home for Christmas. It's told by the women, each of whom has a different life experience and perspective as the group works through the weekend with the specter of a decision of what to do with their mother's house in the background. Alice and Henry are artists who, despite everything, have been unable to have a child. She's stepped away from her art to work as a social worker- and she's become obsessed with Maddie, one of her clients. Tess is an attorney who everyone believes is buttoned up and she's helping Martin hide a career crisis. Joshua had a large inheritance but he's run through it with bad investments so Kate, who has been a stay at home mom is at a decision point. As sometimes happens, it's a bit of a challenge to keep everyone straight at first (who goes with who) but then it settles into a rhythm. There's privilege here in the inheritances- but there's also relatable issues. Strong is a good storyteller and her writing sparkles. Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC. Excellent read.

What a beautiful, thoughtful and moving story for the holidays. Family, parents, siblings, fear, love, loss .. and the holidays. Its hard to read a story like this without recalling and reliving your own holidays. Every person is telling themselves a story which may not match the actual story. We carry so much with us from place to place. This is one family's holiday time together.

Short but powerful, I really, really enjoyed this family drama that takes place over Christmas as three grown siblings, their partners and children come together to celebrate the holidays and figure out what to do with their dead mother's house - the only inheritance she left them. Told from multiple POVs, this book was perfect for fans of The nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney or When I ran away by Ilona Bannister. I found it so relatable, emotional and moving! The author did such a great job capturing the grief of all the characters and their very real struggles of modern marriage and motherhood, while also weaving in climate change concerns and financial woes in today's economy. Great on audio narrated by Andi Arndt - this one will stick with me for a long time and keep me thinking long after I finished! A top contender for my favorites of 2022 list too!⚠️CW: drug addiction, infertility, pregnancy loss, death of a parent

Oh, families!Helen, the matriarch of the clan, is dead, and her three grown children—Henry, Kate, and Martin—and their spouses and their children are all struggling to adjust to the new world without her as well as trying to deal with the regular problems—too much work, too little work, intimacy issues, lack of intimacy issues, kid difficulties, money troubles, and more—of life. The remaining family gets together just before Christmas…and here begins the barrage of irritating conversations and rude comments and snarky remarks and cruel statements along with the helpful words and loving thoughts and generous assertions and kind declarations that make up the complexity that is family life.I greatly enjoyed this well-drawn picture of a family.

I was going to save “Flight” for Christmas break, but I just couldn’t resist cracking it open. And then I read it in one sitting. This is the story of three siblings and their spouses that convene around Christmas to decide what to do with the home they grew up in following the death of their mother. The opening of this book is so smart. We get a quick 2ish pages following each couple preparing for this weekend. You get a real sense for who everyone is in such few words because Lynn Steger Strong is apparently a master of characterization. We then follow the characters through three days together as tensions rise about what to do with the house. I loved the first half of this book so much. It was a family saga I couldn’t put down. There wasn’t much plot, but I was fascinated. Then the plot comes in, as the siblings must band together to help another local family, and that’s where this book lost me a bit. It became just a bit Hallmark movie ish. While I would have preferred more of a “locked room” watch the family simmer and then boil over, Strong had a different vision that I think will work for a lot of readers. While this wasn’t the five star read I thought it could be when I started, I still very much enjoyed it. I loved seeing the characteristics of the late mom blossom in her kids in different ways, and fans of family dramas (like myself) will find a lot to enjoy here.

Six people argue about stuff and no one tells anyone what they really think or how they really feel. Fascinating! Despite not much happening, Flight was a compulsive, character driven story.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for gifting me a digital ARC of this wonderful novel by Lynn Steger Strong - 5 stars!Siblings Henry, Martin and Kate have come to Henry and Alice's upstate New York home with their spouses and families to celebrate Christmas. This will be the first Christmas since their beloved mother, Helen, died and the first not celebrated at her home in. Florida. Each of the sibling couples have issues between themselves and each other, which are amplified with their grief as well as a disagreement over what to do with their mother's home.This was such a beautifully written novel. I did have some trouble keeping the characters straight in the beginning but soon got lost in the story and that worked itself out. This is such an honest look into how everyone processes feelings of grief, siblings, parenthood, art, and even money differently. This one really touched my heart - highly recommended!

FLIGHTGrief affects us all in different ways, and this idea is at the center of Flight. Three siblings, along with their partners and children, gather together for their first family Christmas since the passing of their mother.I love the way this story is told through each character’s eyes -- the multiple perspectives really paint a deeply layered image of their family and how the loss of the matriarch affects each person differently. Themes of love, loss, and parenthood rise in the midst of financial strife and one incredibly emotional night. The family dynamics at play give the vibe of an ensemble movie (while the content is much different than The Family Stone, the way each character is going through their own journey is very similar).A beautiful story, especially for the holidays. I’m glad I picked this one up!

Flight by Lynn Steger Strong is a highly recommended family drama.For the first Christmas celebration after the death of their mother Helen, three siblings, Henry, Kate, and Martin, their spouses, and children gather together. They are celebrating the holiday but must also decide what to do with Helen's house. Martin, the oldest son, is married to Tess. Henry is married to Alice, and Kate is married to Josh. Kate is hoping that the others will agree to her and Josh moving into her mother's house. There are financial problems, long held resentments, and other tensions that are present from the start. Adding to the mix is the story of Quinn a young mother and her daughter, Madeleine (Maddy).The key to appreciating the novel is to take care at the beginning to keep track of who the couples are, what they are struggling with, and what children belong to what parents. Once you have the characters firmly in place, you can fully appreciate the character development and the complexity of their interactions with each other. Sibling relationships can always be fraught with tension and underlying resentments that go back decades. The relationships here reflect that complexity and the challenges the group faces in making any decision that requires an agreement.There are no exciting thrills and twists in the novel as the drama is in the nuances and interactions between the still grieving family members and spouses. The pace is slow as the focus is on the reactions of the characters. The whole family has been grieving Helen's absence especially as she had a way of helping everyone get along and find common ground with others. It is also a novel about the struggles and rewards of mothers, motherhood, and daughters.Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins