#BookReview of The Sky is Not Enough by June O’Sullivan

‘Before Amelia Earhart, there was Mary Heath: The forgotten Irish Aviatrix who conquered the skies‘

[ About The Sky is Not Enough ]

An Irish woman dares to conquer the skies — and discovers that freedom comes at a cost.

In 1928, newlywed Lady Heath embarks on her most daring adventure yet: a solo flight in a biplane from Cape Town to London. Already a trailblazer – a world-record athlete, Britain’s first woman to parachute from a plane and first to earn a commercial pilot’s license – she is determined to prove that women belong in aviation and to showcase the potential of an aviation route from the colonies.

Fiercely independent, Sophie charts her 10,000-mile route using pages from a road atlas, services her own aircraft, and defies every restriction placed on women.

But, as she soars over the vast continent, memories from a traumatic past resurface: her mother murdered, her father then imprisoned in an Irish asylum, and a childhood shaped by repression.

Having been stricken with sunstroke, crash-landing in the wilderness and nursed by local women, thwarted at every turn by the authorities and ultimately seeking help from Mussolini, she at last lands in London – heels, furs and all.

Though celebrated, Sophie realises fame cannot free her from her past. She has conquered the skies but not the shadows that follow.

[ My Review ]

The Sky is Not Enough by June O’Sullivan publishes with Poolbeg Press January 19th and is described as ‘a heart-stirring journey of dreams, danger, and destiny.’

I had never heard of Lady Mary Heath until I started reading this fascinating account of her life by June O’Sullivan. Mary Heath was born Sophie Pierce-Evans at Knockaderry House, near Newcastlewest, Co. Limerick in 1896. O’Sullivan, originally from Limerick, had grown up not far from Knockaderry House but had been completely unaware of Sophie Pierce-Evans’ story until her twenties. Now, with this sumptuous retelling of her incredible story, blending fact with fiction, O’Sullivan brings alive the challenging and adventurous world of this unknown Irish aviatrix. O’Sullivan describes Pierce-Evans who, through her marriage became Lady Heath, as ‘a rule-breaker, a record-breaker, a pioneer every bit as significant as the names that still trip off out tongues, such as Charles Lindberg and Amelia Earhart…but her star faded too soon’. She also mentions a fact in the notes at the back that is truly amazing. In 1928, Lady Heath sold her plane to Amelia Earhart.

Sophie Pierce-Evans had an extremely difficult beginning, eventually spending time in boarding schools where she found a place to express herself. With an abundance of excess energy and a wild adventurous streak, she turned to aviation after her formal education, becoming an entertainer in the skies. But she had much greater ambition, with dreams to fly solo and further than any aviatrix before her. To accomplish this she needed financial backing but, as a woman, the only way she could access funds was to marry money. Through a friend she was introduced to Sir James Heath, who was intrigued with her nature and sense of ambition, and after coming to an agreement of sorts, their marriage was solidified.

Lady Heath was Britain’s first female commercial pilot but she had to go through very demeaning hoops to prove that women could be as able in the sky as men. Undeterred, she set off, with her husband’s reluctant support, on a solo adventure from Cape Town to London. Along the way she met numerous obstacles but, with persistence, she battled her way through some very precarious situations. At times escaping serious danger, she bounced back, determined to complete this most treacherous challenge.

The world was not quite ready for such a strong-minded and successful aviatrix and Lady Mary Heath, for some unclear reason, drifted out of the minds of folk. While her eventual death was tragic and her earlier years were shocking, O’Sullivan doesn’t dwell too much on her personal tragedies. This novel is a celebration of her successes and her raw grit and ability to strive forward, overcoming massive roadblocks along the way. Lady Mary Heath was a courageous and resilient individual, she was an absolute trailblazer who regularly emerged from her flights wearing her heels and fur, proving that one could fly and be feminine at the same time. She faced, head-on, any chauvinistic behaviour that presented itself and she inspired many women to step out of the traditional roles of the day. Her encouragement was selfless and true. She was an advocate for women across sport and aviation and she herself was known for her athleticism on and off the track.

2028 will be the centenary of Lady Mary Heath’s phenomenal 10,000 mile solo flight. With this enlightening tale, O’Sullivan keeps the adventures of this extraordinary, yet forgotten, Irish woman alive. The Sky is Not Enough is a wonderful tribute to a woman who defied gravity and convention, a woman who wouldn’t be dictated to by a patriarchal society. This is the story of Lady Mary Heath.

[Thank you to Poolbeg Press for an advance copy of The Sky is Not Enough in exchange for my honest review]

[ Bio ]

June O’Sullivan is an Irish author. Originally from Limerick, she now lives on an island off County Kerry with her husband and their three children. She writes historical fiction, flash fiction and short stories, and has completed an MA in Creative Writing at the University of Limerick.