Mary Stewart's Airs Above the Ground

In this episode of Tart Words, Suzanne Fox and Linda Hengerer are discussing Mary Stewart’s book Airs Above the Ground and how she uses unusual settings, creates vivid animal characters, and shows relationship dynamics.   

It was first published in 1965 by Hodder & Stoughton and is now available in ebook editions.  

Description from Amazon:

Vanessa March's husband Lewis is meant to be on a business trip in Stockholm. So why does he briefly appear in newsreel footage of a fire at a circus in Vienna, with his arm around another woman? Vanessa flies to Austria to find her husband - and inadvertently becomes involved in a mystery surrounding the famous dancing stallions of Austria's Spanish Riding School . . .

Takeaways for writers:

In Airs Above the Ground, Vanessa March is having lunch with her mother’s friend Carmel, whose son Tim wants to see his father in Vienna. Carmel proposes that Vanessa chaperone Tim when she travels to meet her husband Lewis. Vanessa and Lewis should have been on holiday, but an urgent work assignment came up and Lewis had to postpone the holiday; they had a blazing row that Vanessa regrets. Carmel mentions having seen Lewis in a newsreel about a circus fire near Vienna; after seeing the newsreel herself, Vanessa calls Carmel to say she’ll take Tim with her to Vienna and hand him over to his father. 

Vanessa and Tim forge an unlikely alliance, and both give each other the courage to continue on their respective journeys. Both Tim and Lewis have secrets that play into the story, as does Vanessa’s background as a vet and Tim’s desire to work with the Lippizaner stallions. 

As secrets are revealed and surprising skills unveiled, mysteries are solved and relationships are forged.

Exercises for writers:

Unusual Settings – The circus and the Schloss are not your usual settings; note how Mary Stewart incorporates the unique aspects of each into the story. Whether your settings are unusual or not, how do you use Setting to enhance the story’s narrative? 

Vivid Animal Characters – Horses play an integral part in Airs Above the Ground. If you have animal characters, either as pets or as a plot point, how do you give them a personality that makes readers believe the animal/character? Think about animals in movies or on television (Beethoven, Lassie) and how they are the focus of the story. Even if your animal character isn’t a large part of the story, what small trait can you give them that will resonate with readers?

Relationship Dynamics – Vanessa meets Tim at the airport when Carmel gives him over to Vanessa. Though not far apart in age, they are in experience. How do you introduce characters and give them context for a relationship? In the beginning it doesn’t seem that Vanessa and Tim will spend a lot of time together, but they do; how do you show a growing friendship between characters who would not naturally be friends?