Fly Me

De: Daniel Riley

Narrado por: Vanessa DeSilvio

A nation on the verge of a new era-and a girl caught between her past and the ever-expanding present.

Now a Los Angeles Times Bestseller!

The year is 1972, and the beaches of Los Angeles are the center of the world. Dropping into the embers of the drug and surf scene is Suzy Whitman, who has tossed her newly minted Vassar degree aside to follow her older sister into open skies and the borderless adventures of stewardessing for Grand Pacific Airlines.

In Sela del Mar, California-a hedonistic beach town in the shadow of LAX-Suzy skateboards, suntans, and flies daily and nightly across the country. Motivated by a temporary escape from her past and a new taste for danger and belonging, Suzy falls into a drug-trafficking scheme that clashes perilously with the skyjacking epidemic of the day.

Rendered in the brilliant color of the age and told with spectacular insight and clarity, Fly Me is a story of dark discovery set in the debauchery of 1970s Los Angeles.

Reseñas de la Crítica

One of the Best Books of the Summer - Marie Claire, Publishers Weekly, Goop, PopSugar

"Riley conjures a Technicolor vision of seventies California and casts Suzy's ambition as a feminist quest for self-determination. Her exploits build to a climax that suggests the book's title is not so much an invitation as a challenge."—The New Yorker

"Riley has a stylish grasp of setting as the axis of place and time, writing about the era with captivating authority, palpable texture and a sure-footed knack for rebuilding a moment out of its pop detritus. Enthusiasts of '70s music and literature will tumble into delightful pockets of nostalgia...Ultimately, Riley's vividly realized setting and Suzy's firecracker spirit collide in a surprising whiplash climax."—The New York Times Book Review

"Fly Me, by Daniel Riley... knocked my shoes off. I wasn't expecting any of it.... The surprises in the last 50 pages made the whole book exciting.... [Suzy Whitman] is capable of anything... She's taking liberation beyond the boundaries you'd expect."—Michael Silverblatt, National Public Radio's KCRW

"An excellent time capsule of '70s nostalgia, capturing that devil-may-care beach-culture vibe."—Marie Claire

"A stunning and dangerous ride set in the skies of 1972... Throughout Fly Me, Riley paints a seductive and psychologically intense picture of the times, combining political change, sex, drugs, and a painful coming of age with the idyllic backdrop of a Pacific paradise."—Interview

"One of the summer's freshest novels... Suzy Whitman, like Cher and Elle before her, is a classic California Girl. She explores, she subverts, and despite her tireless chorus of critics, she always finds a way back to herself."—Refinery29

Fly Me "is a vibrant, pitch-perfect rendering of decadent beachside youth culture, with its surfing, drugs, rock 'n' roll, and all-day parties.... It's a well-plotted, tension-filled novel that shows how the curiosity and invincibility of youth might cause an innocent (if tough) young woman to drift into the underworld... Riley keenly portrays the confusion and frustration of youth."—Los Angeles Review of Books

"Fly Me... is a story about people moving around in a self-imposed haze--knowing, on some level, that it can't last, but wanting to stretch it out as long as they can anyway... Almost every page of the book made me think of Lana Del Rey."—Stereogum

"What a trip this novel is... It's Riley's debut novel and it's the perfect balance of grit and gloss."—Publishers Weekly

"Fascinating, intense, and passionately told, at times reminding us of another coming-of-age story, Emma Cline's The Girls... You'll be hard-pressed to put this one down."—Goop

"Riley has conjured up impeccable West Coast period atmosphere."—Kirkus

The perfect summer read

What made the experience of listening to Fly Me the most enjoyable?

Extraordinary characters and atmosphere, a breathless and gripping peek into a young woman's adventure as she leaves behind her Vassar diploma to become a stewardess based in a Southern California beach town in the early 70s.

Summer Reading 2017

I found this book by a google search of summer reading 2017. The narration was very good.

The worst part about this book was the constant use by the author of tie-ins to periods in time to authenticate his timeline. Not that that isn't always done but in this case, the examples drone on and on.

The ending of the book is unbelievably weak. It's as if the correct number of words had been reached. The last line might as well have been "Okay, we're finished here."