Book Review – The Endeavour of Elsie Mackay by Flora Johnston @AllisonandBusby

About the Book

1927. Flight fever is running rampant and daring flyers are all anyone can talk about. And now the Honourable Miss Elsie Mackay, glamorous former film star and regular name in gossip columns, has a new ambition – to be the first woman to fly the Atlantic.

Stella Campbell was once at the heart of world events, working at the Paris Peace Conference she helped forge peace across Europe. Now a decade on, post-war hopes are frayed and marriage and motherhood have worn away Stella’s sense of self until she’s not sure what remains.

In recent years, Stella’s sister Corran has been wrapped up in her books and academic career, determinedly single, or so it seems. But when carefully guarded secrets start to emerge, will she be able to step beyond the constraints of her sex?

Three women, a fearless aviatrix, a jaded wife and a secretive academic strain to reach for their dreams on the cusp of an uncertain future.

Format: Hardcover (352 pages) Publisher: Allison & Busby
Publication date: 23rd January 2025 Genre: Historical Fiction

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My Review

I didn’t realise until I started reading the book that The Endeavour of Elsie Mackay, as well as being a fictionalised account of the exploits of a real life pioneering female aviator, continues the stories of many of the characters who feature in the author’s previous book, The Paris Peacemakers. That wasn’t a problem for me because I loved The Paris Peacemakers. In fact it was an unexpected bonus to be able to find out what had happened to them in the years between the two books. There are brief recaps of events in The Paris Peacemakers that would enable you to enjoy The Endeavour of Elsie Mackay even if you haven’t read the earlier book.

Although Elsie’s ‘endeavour’ (the nature of which we know from the start) is not the only focus of the book, it is the most compelling. Elsie is a wonderfully flamboyant character. She’s a regular guest at glamorous parties dressed in the latest fashions, and rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous. But she’s also a woman who relishes time at her family’s Scottish home, Glenapp Castle, enjoying the countryside or picknicking on the beach. But she’s frustrated at the unwillingness of her father, Lord Inchcape, to let her become more involved in his business, the P&O shipping line. Although she is allowed to use her talent for interior design, she longs to have the responsibilties she feels she would have had if she had been a son rather than a daughter.

Although we know what Elsie’s dream is from the start, the interest comes from seeing how she goes about overcoming the considerable obstacles that stand in the way of her achieving it . She does this with a mixture of charm, the occasional deception and sheer persistence. And she’s not averse to using her father’s influence on occasions. But achieving her dream isn’t just about becoming the first woman to fly the Atlantic, she also believes it will prove civil aviation is the way of the future. Above all flying gives her a sense of freedom, a sense of meaning even, that she can’t find anywhere else.

‘This was where she belonged. Right here, up in the sky, where the air was clear and the cares of the world were insignificant, while conventions and expectations and formalities were left far behind on the ground. Up here among the clouds, seeing the world from a different perspective, and embracing possibilities that the earth bound people she spoke to day by day would never begin to understand.’

Although the First World War is over, its impact is still apparent whether that’s the physical or mental scars people bear, the empty chairs at a table or the struggle to return to normal life. In fact, frustration with where you have ended up is something many of the characters share.

Stella, having played an important role in the Paris Peace Conference, finds herself living with her husband Rob and their two children in a small Glasgow tenement along with her widowed mother, Alison. It’s cramped – there’s not enough space for a separate bedroom for herself and Rob – and the daily grind of household chores and caring for her children has left her feeling unfulfilled. ‘It feels as if marriage and children have consumed everything else I ever was. I’m not sure what’s left.’ And she’s frustrated that Rob won’t try to attract more affluent patients so they can purchase a larger house.

Stella’s brother Alex and his wife Luisa long for a baby but, frustatingly, so far Luisa has failed to conceive. Stella’s sister Corran is in a relationship that must remain secret and whose discovery would bring disaster. She also harbours an ambition to be a novelist. Although haunted by his war experiences, Rob misses the comradeship of army life and finds little satisfaction in his current role as a doctor dealing with everyday ailments. He wants to make a difference and is searching for a way to do this.

The author has a way of really drawing you into the lives of the characters. Expect the story to take you on an emotional rollercoaster from the joy of a heartwarming second chance romance, the happiness of an unexpected reunion and the possibility of a new way of life to the ever-present reminder of unbearable loss and a tragedy that gripped a nation.

I received an advance reader copy courtesy of Allison & Busby via NetGalley.

In three words: Dramatic, emotional, compelling
Try something similar: The Infinite Air by Fiona Kidman

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About the Author

Flora Johnston worked for over twenty years in museums and heritage interpretation, including at the National Museums of Scotland, which has greatly influenced the historical fiction she now writes. The Paris Peacemakers delved into the lives of characters picking up the pieces in the aftermath of the First World War, and their stories continue in The Endeavour of Elsie Mackay. She lives in Edinburgh.

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