Whistled Like a Bird: The Untold Story of Dorothy Putnam, George Putnam, and Amelia Earhart

by Sally Putnam Chapman | Biographies & Memoirs | This book has not been rated.
ISBN: 0446520551 Global Overview for this book
Registered by wingGoryDetailswing of Nashua, New Hampshire USA on 10/13/2017
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1 journaler for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by wingGoryDetailswing from Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Friday, October 13, 2017
I got this hardcover from the ongoing charity-sale shelves at a local Hannaford's. It's a combination memoir and biography, as the author describes her memories of her grandmother Dorothy Binney Putnam, her first husband George Putnam, her friendship with famed pilot Amelia Earhart - and the breakup of the Putnam marriage when George fell for Amelia...

The author had access to her grandmother's diaries - with Dorothy's permission - and reveals the many ups and downs of Dorothy's life. She was born into a wealthy family and grew up privileged with lots of experiences, travel, and opportunities; she also lived a passionate life, having a number of affairs, and - after her first divorce - several subsequent marriages, some highly ill-advised (the author describes her shock and horror at the discovery that her grandmother had experienced severe physical abuse from one husband) and some tragically short. The details of her various relationships, those of the children she had with Putnam, Putnam's own marital ups and downs, and more, all merge into a kind of high-life soap opera, with the tragic fate of Amelia Earhart something of a linchpin. (The fact that most of the family members described here, including the author herself, learned to fly, suggests a running theme!)

I was intrigued to learn how Amelia became a beloved step-mother/pal to Putnam's son David - the author's father - and also how the extended family tended to cross paths and achieve some kind of peace over time. And the title, echoed in the final line in a very touching late-in-life meeting between the author and one of her grandmother's first loves, adds a poignant note to the account.

Released 6 yrs ago (2/13/2018 UTC) at Little Free Library, Minute Man Air Field in Stow, Massachusetts USA

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

I left this book in the Little Free Library; hope someone enjoys it! As it's partly about famed pilot Amelia Earhart, I thought an airport release location was perfect.

[See other recent releases in MA here.]

*** Released for the 2018 Great Backyard Bird Count release challenge. See this year's GBBC here. ***

*** Released for the 2018 Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes release challenge, for the embedded "ear" in the title. ***

*** Released for the 2018 Valentine release challenge. ***

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