Della Dobbs is my kind of heroine. The quiet, unassuming odd-one-out of a colourful family who becomes excited by flight and sets out to follow her dreams.
The Wild Air is set in Edwardian England when flight was in its infancy and aviators were either madmen or superstars, depending on your opinion.
Her father is a retired actor, scuppered by an accident, and his only son, Puck is his golden boy. Both of Della’s older sisters have found their place in life – one as the traditional (of the time) wife and mother, the other an actress living in London. Life holds no surprises for Della until her widowed Great Aunt Betty returns from Kitty Hawk, North Carolina bringing news of a great bird.
Mechanically minded Della is inspired by stories of the Wright brothers and, with her aunt’s encouragement, begins to design and build kites which they fly on the flat sands of Cleethorpes on the Lincolnshire coast. It’s a place I know well and Mascull’s love for the area shines through.
Over time Della’s ambitions grow and she dreams of learning to fly. The majority of aviation pioneers were male, few women allowed to experience the dangers it entailed, but Della is entranced and wants to know what it’s like to soar into the wild air for herself. Despite the odds that are most definitely against her, Della doubles her resolve and goes in search of women and men who will support her. Della takes to the air and we are drawn into her experience to discover how fine a balance life in the air was, the freedom – and the danger.
As the story encompasses the Great War Della meets with danger, loss and tragedy but, ever resourceful, she relies on her passion and knowledge to play her part. There’s plenty of emotion – love, laughter and despair – as Della sets out to shape the world in her own way.
Mascull’s research is meticulous and her attention to detail recreates a time of immense invention and daring. Her own characters are artfully blended with real-life aviation pioneers of the period with ease and fluidity. The Wild Air is well written, with a beautiful use of language that draws the reader in.
The pages are alive with wonderful fully-formed supporting characters – I loved Aunt Betty and the delightful Dudley Willow – isn’t that just the most perfect name?
Della Dobbs is not your average heroine, which in itself is refreshing. All in all, The Wild Air is an inspiring and uplifting read that leaves the characters in your mind long after you’ve read the last page.
The Wild Air is published by Hodder RRP £9.99
ABOUT REBECCA MASCULL
Rebecca Mascull is the author of three historical novels. She is currently hard at work on her next trilogy of historical fiction, with the first novel due for release in April 2019 to be published by Bonnier Zaffre as The Ironbridge Saga. These will be published under the pen-name of Mollie Walton and the first book in the series is set in the dangerous world of the iron industry: THE DAUGHTERS OF IRONBRIDGE.
Rebecca has previously worked in education, has a Masters in Writing and lives by the sea in the east of England.