Flying Jenny
In 1929, two young women test the bounds of society as well as their budding relationships in Tuohy’s Flying Jenny.
Jenny Flynn can fly as good as, if not better than, any of the guys. And she proves this by doing the previously impossible—flying under all five of New York City’s bridges. Her stunt draws the attention of the New York press, and one paper sends out a young reporter, Laura Bailey, to document the feat and to interview the intrepid pilot. But Jenny wants nothing to do with the fame or the interview. She just wants to fly when she feels like it and then to go home to the Midwest and her husband. And that’s what she does. Laura, ambitious and eager to prove her worth in the male-dominated newsroom, follows Jenny west to get her story. But there’s another reason Laura wants to go; she has a faded photo that shows her mother in the area standing with a man Laura believes is her estranged father. Laura eventually climbs into Jenny’s plane and flies with her doing stunts and shows, and a friendship grows.
Tuohy uses both Jenny and Laura to explore gender roles in the late 1920s and how two young women push their own boundaries as well as the society around them. Unfortunately, Flying Jenny is grounded by incessant introspective narratives on feelings rather than letting the excitement of the time and events drive the characters forward. What pulled me through this book was my interest in the air races, barnstorming, and women fliers. Those who are not interested in early flight might find this book sluggish and uninspiring.
