Kris L. (miss-info) reviewed The Flower and the Nettle: Diaries and Letters of Anne Morrow Lindbergh, 1936-1939 on + 386 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This is the fourth book in the series of Anne's diaries. You do not need to read them in order, as each book has a very good introduction bringing you up to date. Of all the books, I think this one least needs a good knowledge of Charles Lindbergh if the other diaries have not been read.
The book starts in England, where the Lindberghs have fled to escape the media. On the one hand, they absolutely love their new home and are very happy there, as a family and as a young married couple. This is the first time in their marriage the pressure has been off for a good long while.
On the other hand, Charles wants two things of Anne, while Anne wants something different. He wants her to write another book, and to travel with him when he's sent to Germany and other places to assess the nations' air power (the book takes place right before WWII). Anne wants to stay home with the children and be a good mother. She really struggles between being a mother and doing something 'important' that will last beyond her lifetime. She also struggles with watching Europe slowly edge into war, while dealing with nannies, schools, mumps, and a son who doesn't learn to walk or speak until he's nearly two years old. The worst struggle is the smear campaign against Charles, as the American media decides (wrongly) that he is pro-Nazi and antisemetic. It really hits Anne hard, as the rumors are not only unfounded, but completely opposite her husband's values.
The book starts in England, where the Lindberghs have fled to escape the media. On the one hand, they absolutely love their new home and are very happy there, as a family and as a young married couple. This is the first time in their marriage the pressure has been off for a good long while.
On the other hand, Charles wants two things of Anne, while Anne wants something different. He wants her to write another book, and to travel with him when he's sent to Germany and other places to assess the nations' air power (the book takes place right before WWII). Anne wants to stay home with the children and be a good mother. She really struggles between being a mother and doing something 'important' that will last beyond her lifetime. She also struggles with watching Europe slowly edge into war, while dealing with nannies, schools, mumps, and a son who doesn't learn to walk or speak until he's nearly two years old. The worst struggle is the smear campaign against Charles, as the American media decides (wrongly) that he is pro-Nazi and antisemetic. It really hits Anne hard, as the rumors are not only unfounded, but completely opposite her husband's values.
