''The Steep Ascent'' is a 1944 novella by the American writer

Anne Morrow Lindbergh Anne Spencer Morrow Lindbergh (June 22, 1906 – February 7, 2001) was an American writer and aviator. She was the wife of decorated pioneer aviator Charles Lindbergh, with whom she made many exploratory flights. Raised in Englewood, New Jers ...

. It follows a pregnant woman and her pilot husband as they fly from England over France and the Alps to Italy.

Reception

The book was published in March 1944. Due to the negative reception of her previous book, '' The Wave of the Future'', which was generally perceived as promoting

totalitarianism Totalitarianism is a form of government and a political system that prohibits all opposition parties, outlaws individual and group opposition to the state and its claims, and exercises an extremely high if not complete degree of control and reg ...

and

fascism Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy an ...

, the print run was limited to 25,000 copies, significantly fewer than her earlier books. The early reviews were negative, comparing the novel unfavorably to

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger, comte de Saint-Exupéry, simply known as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (, , ; 29 June 1900 – 31 July 1944), was a French writer, poet, aristocrat, journalist and pioneering aviator. He became a laureate of s ...

. Later reviews were more positive and the book went on to sell well. ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'' wrote that "the literature of flight has no more gifted contributor than Anne Morrow Lindbergh", and that "her prose style has a rhythm tuned to the rhythm of flight". The critic commended the use of symbology, but wrote that "the immediate value and appeal of the book lies not there, but rather in the spiritual message it carries for each reader".

References

External links

The Steep Ascent
radio episode on The Engines of our Ingenuity {{DEFAULTSORT:Steep Ascent 1944 American novels American novellas Aviation novels Books by Anne Morrow Lindbergh English-language novels