An interesting little short story, told in the format of a play about two flight attendants. One newer to the job, who is scared of flying, and one more tenured. The story does a good job of fitting enough information into its limited pages to keep the reader engaged and feel like there was enough content, without feeling like it was lacking. Overall, I enjoyed this short story!

Great read. The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. The characters were easy to invest in.

Genre:           General Fiction
Publisher:    Knopf Doubleday Publishing
Pub. Date:    March 26, 2019

Mini Review

The award-winning author Chris Bohjalian has written his first play, “Wingspan.”  The one-act play has been published as a novella.  The tale revolves around two female flight attendants.   In 2018, Bohjalian had a bestselling thriller, “The Flight Attendant.”   This is not a sequel as one might suspect.  The novella is clearly not a thriller as was his other work regarding a female flight attendant.  Once the reader has finished the last page, the title’s metaphor will be clearly understood. “Wingspan,” demonstrates that Bohjalian is masterful at writing concise dialogue that makes the reader simultaneously laugh and cry along with his characters.  You will meet a young, newly trained flight attendant, who just happens to have a fear of flying.  And then there is her older, wisecracking, experienced coworker whose sassy manner can hide her intelligence.  By the end of the flight, the older woman knows the younger woman’s secrets.  This story may be sparse but is plentiful with feeling in tune to the #MeToo movement.

I received this Advance Review Copy (ARC) novel from the author at no cost in exchange for an honest review.

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I am a fan of Chris Bohjalian! I really wish this too short play was developed into a real novel! I was able to read "Wingspan" through NetGalley as a ARC.

Wingspan is an exceptional and entertaining play, featuring a young, fairly new stewardess, Emily, coupled with a more experienced, pushing 40 air hostess, Karen, as they prepare for and take off on a trans-Atlantic flight, the first one over the pond for Emily who is admittedly afraid of flying. Wh might be the least of her problems.

A very quick read, this Bohjalian play is a hoot and glows with his extraordinary, professional way with words. I can happily recommend Wingspan to friends and family. I would love to see it performed at our Flickinger Center or the College.

I received an electronic copy of this one-act play from Netgalley, Chris Bohjalian, and Doubleday Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

Written as a one-act play, Chris Bohjalian once again uses his talents as a wordsmith to draw the reader in quickly. Two flight attendants, Emily, in her early twenties, and Karen in her late thirties/early forties, converse during a trans-Atlantic flight as they sit in their jump seats in between performing their duties.

Emily, afraid of flying (say WHAT?!?!), divulges something both surprising and heartbreaking in the course of their conversation. Karen, stunned, attempts to advise her. Bohjalian evokes many emotions within this taut play - laughter, surprise, sadness among them. Most of all, he leaves the reader wanting more, and appreciative of his skills as a writer.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for allowing me to read an e-ARC of this play in return for an unbiased review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Not sure what this was... a bad single? a script? whatever it was, it was not even worth the 10 minutes it took to go through it... Stick to good fiction next time.

Thank you for this moving short play.
I do not usually read play scripts.
It was very moving.
Thank you.
Lisa

This short - really short- story about two flight attendants was originally a one act play and it shows. Well written, with snappy dialogue, it's about fear of flying, which is, of course, a metaphor for so much ore. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Always a treat to read something written by Bohjalian.

Wingspan is a short story based on a one-act play starring Grace Experience (Bohjalian's daughter) playing Emily and K.K. Glick playing Karen, two flight attendants on a flight from New York to London. As they ready for take-off, Karen learns that Emily is quite literally afraid to fly, especially over the ocean. But more importantly, Emily reveals a secret from her teenage years.

I would love to see this play in real life because even reading it you can feel at first the tension between Emily and Karen, and then a connection. This short story is classic Chris Bohjalian, and I will continue to read anything/everything he writes.

Thank you to the author and publisher for an advanced copy; all opinions are my own.

I for me this short play never left the ground. It was a conversation between two flight attendants, one with a fear of flying, it that never went anywhere. I am a big fan of the author and expected much more. Maybe if was develop into a full- length story i would love it. As it is, I felt like I overheard a conversation and will quickly forget it.

I really enjoyed this one act play, and I'd love to see it performed. We have two flight attendants, one older, one younger, the younger one flying her first transatlantic flight- and she's afraid of flying. The two strike up a conversation, and swap secrets, which leads to a disturbing revelation. I thought the ending fit perfectly.

Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for allowing me to read an advance copy e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated here are my own. This book comes out March 26th if you’d like to check it out! The cover is beautiful.

I purchased Midwives, The Flight Attendant and The Guest Room by Chris Bohjalian on a whim, without reading a single one of his books, so needless to say that I was excited when I saw that this vintage short story was available for request so I could get just a taste of his writing style.

Originally created as a one-act play, “Wingspan” follows two flight attendants, Karen who is in her late thirties/ early forties and Emily who is in her twenties. Emily, being fairly new at her job, is afraid for her fist transatlantic flight. To keep her distracted from the plane ride, the two women strike up a very interesting conversation concerning Emily’s inappropriate relationship with a much older man.

I don’t want to give away too much of the storyline because this book is very short. That being said I think that the topic was captivating, a very fast-paced read and the writing style was very fluid and easy to immerse myself in. I only wish that as both a play and a short story that they had gone into further detail as far what happens AFTER they land and quite possibly a very interesting confrontation that SHOULD take place.

The abrupt ending left me hanging as a reader, and would have left me confused as a member of the theater audience as well.

This is a very short story that was originally produced as a one act play. There are two characters. A twenty something flight attendant who is afraid of flying and a much more experienced flight attendant in her late thirties or forties. The older flight attendant begins questioning the other about why she would be a flight attendant if she is afraid of flying. The secret she finds out is startling. It seemed too unbelievable that the younger flight would tell the other, someone she had never met, her secret when she had never told anyone else. Unfortunately, because it is such a short story, there is little to no character development.

This story was originally produced as a one-act play starring Grace Experience and K.K. Glick, It is the story of Emily, a young flight attendant with a fear of flying. This is to be her first transatlantic trip and she is panicking.. The other flight attend is more of her mother's age and has been flying a lot longer. She gets Emily to open up about her fear of flying and discovers the true secret Emily is hiding'
Let me start out by saying, I hate short stories, but I couldn't resist when I say the author. That being said, for a short story/one act play it was very good

“First produced as Grounded, by Throughline Artists, at 59E59 Theaters, July 20-August 31, 2018” , this one act play/short story is about a conversation that takes place between an “older” more experienced flight attendant, and a “younger”, less experienced flight attendant who is afraid to fly over the ocean.

Of course, as an older, “more experienced” flight attendant myself...I had to read it!!

Why has a young woman who is afraid to fly, taken a job as a flight attendant to begin with?

So, that this clever scenario, can set up a conversation about a much deeper, troubling plot point, about who encouraged Emily to apply for the job, and why....

We, in the industry, call these conversations that REALLY do occur, between co-workers who have just met, “jumpseat psychology”!

Chris Bohjalian has captured the more laid back, jaded vibe of the more senior flight attendant, Karen and the overly cautious, rule abiding vibe of the more junior flight attendant, Emily perfectly.

And, it’s a conversation that should be taking place everywhere...not just on a jumpseat.

Written BEFORE, text conversations between those in the air and those on the ground, COULD occur in “airplane mode”, I applaud the author’s creativity and his message to vulnerable, young women!!

Thank You, Netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for a candid review!
Available March, 26, 2019

A very short story of two flight attendants in frank discussion during a transatlantic flight. It is in script format and was originally done as a one-act play. This really allows for the reader to focus on every piece of dialogue.

The main character of the story is Emily, who is newly trained and admits to taking on the career to combat her fear of flying. She is put on this flight to London as a last-second sub and is forced to face her flying over water. Karen has been a steward for a number of years. She is quite witty and is quick to push Emily's buttons. But what comes out in their conversation may be a little more serious and damaging than Emily first lets on. Her 30,000 foot confession is related to issues of consent and abuse.

Bohjalian has created a unique snapshot of a woman in a vulnerable situation. It's a short plot arc in just a couple dozen pages, but it's one that is able to come to a realistic and fulfilling resolution.

I really enjoyed this book however, as I feel with all novellas/one act plays, I felt like it was too short and I just wanted more.

Wingspan is a one-act play, the first written by NYT best-selling and award-winning American author, Chris Bohjalian. On a flight from JFK to London, veteran flight attendant Karen is joined at the last minute by a novice with just a few years’ experience, ex-barista Emily. It’s immediately apparent that Emily is very nervous about this, her first trans-Atlantic flight. As Karen tries to reassure her, Emily admits her fear of flying. They chat while preparing for take-off, and Karen learns about the life coach who convinced Emily to embark on a career involving the thing she fears most, and why. By the time they are over the Atlantic, Emily has the confidence to face more than just a flight across an ocean, and both have learned something about life.

A one-act play that is both entertaining and intriguing

SUMMARY
Originally produced as a one-act play, Wingspan is a the story of a young flight attendant with a fear of flying, who is about to work her first transatlantic trip. When a veteran co-worker tries to help her through the turbulent crossing, she discovers that a fear of flying is the least of the young woman’s secrets. 

REVIEW
Hold on tight, there is more than a little turbulence on this flight to London. The flight attendants swap secrets at the beginning of the flight and Emily confides a shocking story. The dialog is entertaining, and the story is intriguing as the two women discuss the next steps. I loved it, but was left thirsty for...the rest of the story.