Velva Jean Learns to Fly
Read Velva Jean Learns to Fly Online
Authors: Jennifer Niven
Table of Contents
A PLUME BOOK
VELVA JEAN LEARNS TO FLY
JENNIFER NIVEN’s first novel,
Velva Jean Learns to Drive
, was published to wide acclaim and was chosen as an Indie Reader’s Group “Top Ten” Pick.
Velva Jean Learns to Fly
is her second novel. Niven has also written three nonfiction books.
The Ice Master
was named one of the top ten nonfiction books of the year by
Entertainment Weekly
, has been translated into eight languages, has been the subject of several documentaries, and received Italy’s Gambrinus Giuseppe Mazzotti Prize.
Ada Blackjack
was a Book Sense “Top Ten” Pick and has been optioned for the movies and translated into Chinese, French, and Estonian.
The Aqua-Net Diaries
, a memoir about her high school experiences, was optioned by Warner Bros. as a television series. Niven has conducted numerous writing seminars and addressed audiences around the world. She lives in Los Angeles. For more information, visit
jenniferniven.com
or follow her on Facebook.
Praise for
Velva Jean Learns to Fly
“An endearing portrait of a young woman with a big heart—
Velva Jean Learns to Fly
illuminates the power of going after a dream and the courage it takes to never let go.”
—Beth Hoffman, bestselling author of
Saving CeeCee Honeycutt
“Velva Jean’s story delves into the contributions made by amazing women during World War II and tells a compassionate story about adventure, love, and war. This is a wonderful book—very hard to put down.”
—Ann Howard Creel, author of
The Magic of Ordinary Days
“I devoured
Velva Jean Learns to Fly
and immediately began spreading the word: This one is not to be missed!”
—Cassandra King, author of
The Same Sweet Girls
“For any who have ever chased a dream, for any who have ever risked it all, for any who have ever stumbled and risen and brushed the grit from their palms, for any who have ever grieved and mended, fallen in and out of love, wished to fly and then flown, there is Velva Jean, the fearless, wide-eyed, big-hearted heroine of Jennifer Niven’s second novel, a sweeping adventure that takes the reader from the streets of Nashville to the belly of a WWII bomber.”
—Benjamin Percy, award-winning author of
The Wilding
and
Refresh, Refresh
“In this fun, fast-paced, heartwarming sequel to
Velva Jean Learns to Drive
, we follow the beloved young heroine from her mountain home to Nashville. But soon after Pearl Harbor is attacked, Velva Jean begins singing a new song—one full of patriotism, courage, and feisty independence. The perfect read for any girl of any age who yearns to soar beyond her dreams.”
—Susan Gregg Gilmore, author of
The Improper Life of
Bezellia Grove
and
Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen
“God Bless Southern women, their dreams, energy, and courage. Jennifer Niven and her heroine Velva Jean have those in spades.”
—Beth Grant, award-winning actress from
Little Miss Sunshine
and
No Country for Old Men
“Who would have thought that a young woman’s adventures in World War II would capture my attention—and keep it? Velva Jean pulled me into her story and wouldn’t let me go, from her comical and sometimes humiliating trip to Nashville, the city of her dreams, to the first time she grabs the throttle of a plane and soars. We see her get her wings and fly through wartime danger, intrigue, suspense, and even sabotage. This gripping, heartwarming action-adventure tale stays with you long after you turn the last page.”
—James Earl Jones, Tony Award–winning,
Emmy Award–winning actor
“Putting this one down is a near impossibility. The descriptions of the work, the prejudice, fear, and bittersweet success of becoming a female pilot seemed so real I felt as if I were sharing every step with Velva Jean.”
—Nancy E. Turner, award-winning author of
These Is My Words
“From the ballads of the Grand Ole Opry to the magnificent women of Avenger Field, Jennifer Niven spins a tall tale that is utterly heartfelt and rings true.”
—Sherri L. Smith, author of
Flygirl
Praise for
Velva Jean Learns to Drive
“A touching read, funny and wise, like a crazy blend of Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, a less morose Flannery O’Connor, and maybe a shot of Hank Williams . . . Niven makes some memorable moonspun magic in her rich fiction debut.”
—
Publishers Weekly
(starred review)
“In this story Jennifer Niven creates a world long gone, a mountain past where people suffer failure, loss, and betrayal, as well as the strength and joy of connection and deep love.
Velva Jean Learns to Drive
takes us far into this soaring, emotional country, the place where our best music comes from.”
—Robert Morgan, author of
Gap Creek
“A fluid storyteller.”
—
Wall Street Journal
“Velva Jean learns to . . . not only drive, but to soar. This beautifully written coming-of-age story captivated me, and I recommend it to anyone who has ever longed to ‘live out there.’ ”
—Ann B. Ross, author of the bestselling
Miss Julia
novels
“Spirited.”
—
Parade
PLUME
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, U.S.A. • Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4P 2Y3 (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) • Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England • Penguin Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.) • Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.) • Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi–110 017, India • Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) • Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
First published by Plume, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
First Printing, September 2011
Copyright © Jennifer Niven, 2011
All rights reserved
Grateful acknowledgment is made for permission to reprint an excerpt from “I’ll Fly Away” by Albert E. Brumley. Copyright © 1932 in “Wonderful Message” by Hartford Music Co. Renewed 1960 by Albert E. Brumley & Sons/SESAC (admin by ClearBox Rights). All rights reserved. Used by permission.
REGISTERED TRADEMARK—MARCA REGISTRADA
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Niven, Jennifer.
Velva Jean learns to fly / Jennifer Niven.
p. cm.
ISBN : 978-1-101-54375-7
Southern—Fiction. 2. Nashville (Tenn.)—Fiction. 3. Airplanes—Piloting—Fiction.
4. Women air pilots—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3614.I94V46 2011
813’.6—dc22 2011015887
Kirch
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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