Balloonomania Belles

Go up, up and away with these intrepid adventurers

“Their stories are naturally gripping but Wright has retold them with an engaging and comprehensive narrative”

Author Sharon Wright Publisher Pen and Sword Price £20 Released Out now

Acompact book full of big adventures, Sharon Wright’s Balloonomania Belles: Daredevil Divas Who First Took to the Sky tells the stories of the first female aeronauts from the late 18th to the early 20th century. It pieces together a series of tales – from the glamorous to the horrifying – that together offer an interesting perspective on the history of these periods and of early aviation.

A repeated theme in these tales is the courage of the women involved. But, as well as being daredevil divas, many were dedicated and determined businesswomen. They went into the skies to work, to pay their bills and to feed their children. Many also went simply because they wanted to, and of course there is overlap in this.

Their stories are naturally gripping but

Wright has retold them with an engaging and comprehensive narrative. An enjoyment of the excitement and drama involved resonates through the book. The lives and exploits of the women featured are also well-situated in their historical context and are frequently supported by contemporary sources.

So, from the day in 1784 when Elisabeth Thible donned the costume of Minerva and sang opera from the skies to the moment in 1909 when Muriel Matters scattered pamphlets demanding women’s suffrage over London, Balloonomania Belles offers a varied history of trailblazing – or, perhaps better put, cloudblazing – women. It is a lively and spirited read that may particularly appeal to those who are looking for an unusual twist or a different perspective for the next book on their reading list.