LONGLISTED FOR THE IMPAC DUBLIN AWARD. The tale of the glamorous and pioneering woman known as 'the Garbo of the Skies'.1909. In Rotorua, New Zealand, Nellie Batten pins a picture of legendary pilot Louis Blériot above the cot of her newborn daughter, Jean.1934. Jean Batten climbs into the cockpit of her Gipsy Moth, aiming to beat Amy Johnson's solo flight record from England to Australia.Spurred on by her mother in the face of this huge challenge, Miss Batten joins the ranks of the great early aviators, thanks to her superb navigation skills, persuasive character and unerring instinct for self-promotion. But it is a life that will know both triumph and tragedy, as her glittering success and exhilarating flights cannot last forever...



Dame Fiona Kidman OBE, Légion d'honneur, is one of New Zealand's foremost contemporary writers. A novelist, short story writer and poet, she is the author of more than 30 books. She has worked as a librarian, radio producer and critic, and as a scriptwriter for radio, television and film. She lives in Wellington.