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Melanie Benjamin

Goodreads Author

Born

Indianapolis

Website

http://www.melaniebenjamin.com

Genre

Literature & Fiction, Historical Fiction

Member Since

July 2009

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/melaniebenjamin

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Melanie Benjamin is the author of the New York Times bestselling novels THE SWANS OF FIFTH AVENUE and THE AVIATOR'S WIFE, as well as the national bestseller ALICE I HAVE BEEN, and THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MRS. TOM THUMB and MISTRESS OF THE RITZ. Her most recent novel is the new historical fiction, THE CHILDREN'S BLIZZARD, about the real-life devastating blizzard that swept the Great Plains in 1888, upending the lives of the immigrant homesteaders, especially schoolchildren and their young teachers. ...more

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Melanie Benjamin’s books

Average rating: 3.78 · 141,140 ratings · 18,555 reviews · 13 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Aviator's Wife 3.90 avg rating — 67,934 ratings — published 2013 — 27 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Swans of Fifth Avenue 3.60 avg rating — 28,600 ratings — published 2016 — 26 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Alice I Have Been 3.65 avg rating — 14,209 ratings — published 2009 — 22 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb 3.69 avg rating — 9,641 ratings — published 2011 — 13 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mistress of the Ritz 3.78 avg rating — 9,031 ratings — published 2019 — 18 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Girls in the Picture 3.63 avg rating — 6,239 ratings — published 2018 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Children's Blizzard really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 3,434 ratings — published 2021	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Grand Central: Original Stories of Postwar Love and Reunion by Jenna Blum (Goodreads Author), Melanie Benjamin (Goodreads Author), Kristina McMorris (Goodreads Author) 3.86 avg rating — 1,887 ratings — published 2014 — 14 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Reckless Hearts: A Story of Slim Hawks and Ernest Hemingway 3.71 avg rating — 256 ratings — published 2015 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Hollywood Boulevard by Melanie Benjamin (Goodreads Author), Christel Gaillard-Paris 3.94 avg rating — 17 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Melanie Benjamin's Blog

Goodreads Choice Awards

I'm thrilled and honored that THE AVIATOR'S WIFE is nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award - and in such good company! What I love about these awards is that they're all about you, the reader; your input is used in the nomination process, and then your votes are the only ones that count. So please, if you haven't already, vote for your favorite books in all categories, and be thankful that we have Read more of this blog post »

20 likes · Like • 21 comments • flag

Published on November 06, 2013 19:56 • Tags: books, goodreads-choice-awards, the-aviator-s-wife

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Her Favorite Books for Truman Capote Lovers: From high society glitz to true crime realism, Capote fans will delight in these recs from the author...

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Melanie Benjamin answered Lisa Mcbroom's question: I just finished reading The Children's Blizzard. Another book loosely based upon it is Lois Lenski's Prairie School. My question I loved the chapter of the animals sensing the upcoming blizzard, did you do any scientific research? I did basic research into what kinds of animals lived on the plains and how each survived the winter. An easy afternoon of Google searching!
Feb 16, 2021 12:07PM · 7 likes · like
Melanie Benjamin answered a question about The Children's Blizzard: One thing that struck me with this story is that not only were the school teachers young and poorly trained, there was also no extra wood, no blankets, nothing to help in case the kids and teachers had to stay at school. I'm surprised that the community was not better prepared, and I wonder whether things changed after the storm. Were teachers trained to know how to react in case of a storm? Did they have provisions? In those days, in those rural settlements without much money, school buildings were never intended to be more than basic shelters for a few hours a day, whenever school was in session. And the school year took backseat to the farming season. So while See Full Answer
Feb 16, 2021 12:05PM · 4 likes · like
Melanie Benjamin wants to read The Children's Blizzard by Melanie Benjamin (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 05, 2020 10:13PM · 2 likes · like
Melanie Benjamin wants to read The Children's Blizzard by Melanie Benjamin (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 28, 2020 07:29AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Children's Blizzard by Melanie Benjamin. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Children's Blizzard by Melanie Benjamin <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Quotes by Melanie Benjamin

“Why, then, did I always feel as if his happiness was my responsibility? It wasn't fair for him to burden me with that. It had never been fair.”
― Melanie Benjamin, Alice I Have Been

tags: relationships, sadness, unfairness

69 likes

“I suppose at some point, we all have to decide which memories - real or otherwise - to hold on to, and which ones to let go.”
― Melanie Benjamin, Alice I Have Been

66 likes

“But oh my dear, I am tired of being Alice in Wonderland. Does it sound ungrateful? It is. Only I do get tired.”
― Melanie Benjamin, Alice I Have Been

tags: alice-in-wonderland, literature, loss, love

25 likes

See all Melanie Benjamin's quotes »

Polls

August 2013: Book Lovers Day Theme

The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

23 votes 14.9%

Pompeii by Robert Harris

14 votes 9.1%

The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin

13 votes 8.4%

The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons

13 votes 8.4%

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

13 votes 8.4%

The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B. by Sandra Gulland

12 votes 7.8%

Doc by Mary Doria Russell

12 votes 7.8%

The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran

12 votes 7.8%

Helen of Troy by Margaret George

12 votes 7.8%

The Secrets of Mary Bowser by Lois Leveen

6 votes 3.9%

The Last of the Wine by Mary Renault

6 votes 3.9%

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

5 votes 3.2%

The Fever Tree by Jennifer McVeigh

4 votes 2.6%

A God Strolling in the Cool of the Evening by Mário de Carvalho

4 votes 2.6%

A Pledge of Silence by Flora J. Solomon

3 votes 1.9%

The Grass Crown by Colleen McCullough

1 vote 0.6%

Tulip Fever by Deborah Moggach

1 vote 0.6%

154 total votes

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