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Franklin Flyer

by Nichola Christopher

Franklin Flyer Cover

Staff Pick

Chance, wanderlust, and a mysterious woman propel our hero through a high-speed life of love and adventure. Franklin Flyer, named after the train he was born on, speeds along many tracks — explorer, artist, publisher, inventor — in his quest for purpose and self. Author Nicholas Christopher, a poet-turned-novelist, delivers another lyrical (almost mystical) novel of hopeful characters careening through the cosmos, converging in bursts of light and meaning. Mike Irwin,
Recommended by Mike I, Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

In this shimmering work of fiction, Nicholas Christopher follows the remarkable life of Franklin Flyer–a restless young inventor named after the train on which he was born–through the tumultuous years of the Great Depression, into the Second World War.

Raised by his suffragette aunt, at various times a vagabond and tycoon, Franklin travels across the U.S.A and around the globe, seeking adventure and enlightenment, charting his fate by pursuing the unexpected.

He encounters a glittering cast of characters: among them Rita Hayworth, Josephine Baker, OSS founder “Wild Bill” Donovan, and a host of political zealots, opportunists, and dreamers thrown together in a world on the brink of collapse.

With each new invention–devices that help to revolutionize everything from early television to the technology with which the Allies respond to the Axis powers–Franklin makes his mark. Gaining fame and fortune, he also suffers terrible heartbreak, and through numerous transformations discovers that a man’s own life is truly his most difficult, and rewarding, invention.

A brisk, vivid blend of history and imagination, Franklin Flyer brings to life an American hero as unforgettable as his times.

From the Hardcover edition.

Review:

"If Graham Greene collaborated with the creator of Dick Tracy, the result might read like this quirky, whirlwind tale of ordinary men contending with a worldwide Nazi conspiracy." Publishers Weekly

Review:

"Christopher rolls real characters and events into an engaging fiction that falls outside any easily characterized genre....Franklin Flyer is a special novel, though, as much for the way of telling as for the story itself. Christopher's blending of fact and fiction is admirably seamless." Robin Vidimos, The Denver Post

Review:

"Christopher...creates a literate novel that touches the fantastic rather than a genre piece with intellectual pretensions....The story adopts a very Indiana Jones...even in its darkest moments, we never really fear he might fail. He's the good guy." Las Vegas Mercury

Synopsis:

In this shimmering work of fiction, Christopher follows the remarkable life of Franklin Flyer through the tumultuous years of the Great Depression, into the Second World War. A vivid blend of history and imagination, Christopher brings to life an American hero as unforgettable as his times.

About the Author

Nicholas Christopher is the author of four previous novels, The Soloist, Veronica, A Trip to the Stars, and Franklin Flyer, eight books of poetry, and a book about film noir, Somewhere in the Night. He lives in New York City.

Product Details

ISBN:
9780385336611
Editor:
Kamil, Susan
Author:
Kamil, Susan
Author:
Christopher, Nicholas
Publisher:
Delta
Location:
New York
Subject:
Literary
Subject:
World war, 1939-1945
Subject:
Historical - General
Subject:
Inventors
Subject:
Depressions
Subject:
World War, 19
Series Volume:
107-784
Publication Date:
March 2003
Binding:
Paperback
Language:
English
Pages:
336
Dimensions:
9.16x6.02x.73 in. .70 lbs.

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