Conquering Clouds by Ruth Wilson is a riveting memoir about a life that no doubt had its fair share of adventure.
Ruth, a World War II baby born to unwed mother Joyce in 1943, Rockhampton Queensland grew up with a difficult childhood. The sky became her sanctuary, and she would often dream of being picked up by the wind taking her back to her earlier, happier years when she lived with her grandparents.
During her adolescent and moving forward to her adult years Ruth’s love of adventure never faded. There were many pivotal moments she had to overcome, one being a harrowing marlin fishing accident, she attests to a pod of dolphins saving her life.
Throughout her life she achieved extraordinary feats from becoming the first female commercial balloon pilot in Australia, 1976 including owning and operating her own balloon. In 1979 she became Australia’s first National Ballooning Champion.
At age 75 she was Australia’s first female pilot-in-command to cross the Swiss Alps and the Italian Dolomites in a hydrogen balloon. Her passion has seen her travel through Europe, Japan. Canada, USA, and New Zealand.
The author’s writing style is simple and uncomplicated, and I found the anecdotes funny, gripping, and fascinating. Ruth lays the details of her life bare for all to plainly see. Any reader who has an interest in memoirs, or just a uniquely written book in general, should absolutely give this book a read. You will find it enlightening, and full of details about aspects of life as diverse as the world of pilots to traveling to interesting parts of the world.
Ruth’s passion to never give up and chase your dreams regardless of age and her sheer pleasure in her passion for life and aviation shone through on every page.
This book reminded me that even among all the bad things in the world and one’s life, there are still things to find beautiful and inspirational. I highly recommend.
Thank you., Beauty and Lace and Shawline Publishing for the opportunity to read and review.
ISBN: 9781922594648
Copy courtesy of publisher: Shawline Publishing
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club Members are reading Conquering Clouds by Ruth Wilson. You can read their comments below, or add your own review.
My love of books started at a very young age. My mum has always been a reader and encouraged me to read, buying me endless book from classic fairy tales advancing to the world of Enid Blyton, CS Lewis, Louisa May Alcott, Kathryn Kenny, Carolyn Keene, Francine Pascal. In my adult years the list of authors is endless and every room in my house is filled with books.
One of my favourite novels is Narnia which has always has a special place in my heart. I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in 1978 and when I was given this book to read it let me escape to another world where I felt like I was in the book with all the characters, it wasfun and exciting to escape from reality and eased the ups and downs of the disease at such a young age.
In books nothing is impossible and there is endless potential and hundreds of places to explore or being taken to places that are only made up from the authors’ great minds, the past and future to navigate, characters lives you step into taking you on an emotional rollercoaster ride or being scared out of your wits. I can experience things that I can’t in real life because they’re not possible or real. It challenges my perspective and mindset expanding my worldview.
I find joy, comfort and peace with books, many people may not get it, but I know bookworms like me truly understand. Reading makes my heart happy.
Conquering Clouds by Ruth Wilson is an interesting read about an interesting woman. It is Ruth Wilsons own story, and how her passion for flying hot air balloons developed, and shaped her life. As well as learning about her, and how she coped with setbacks during her life, I also learnt about the development of hot air ballooning over time.
Thank you Beauty and Lace and Shawline Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Dear Fay B
I value you positive comments on my story Conquering Clouds. THANK YOU XX
Thank you Beautyandlace for this book reading opportunity.
I enjoyed reading this book written in the first person and it was an easy to read and enjoyable book.
Every person has some vivid memories from their childhood and it was enlightening to read about Ruth’s younger years, living with her parents and siblings, struggling for money, and how even then, she would look up to the stars and the sky in awe and wonder.
We also learn about the excitement and thrills of hot air ballooning. Overall, it was a great read.
What an amazing journey!
Conquering Clouds by Ruth E Wilson is an inspirational memoir of souring high and achieving your dreams. Through devastating heartbreak, close to death experiences and failed romances, Ruth was able to find courage, striving high, and experience great adventure through her hot air ballooning. Her passion and sheer determination to succeed despite great odds is very inspirational.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Ruth’s story and learnt quite a lot about being a balloonist. Thank you Beauty and Lace and Shawline Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review this great book.
Fay
Thank you for your review on my memoir Conquering Clouds. I value your interaction with my words
and your feedback.
Kindest
Ruth
Thank you to Beauty and Lace and Shawline Publishing for the opportunity to read ‘Conquering Clouds’ by Ruth E Wilson.
This is an autobiographical book detailing Australian Ruth’s fascinating life so far. It starts from Ruth’s troubled beginning in the 1940’s and the difficulty of growing up of being the eldest daughter. It is a great insight of what she went through as a child/teenager and reminds us that not everyone has the best opportunities at times.
Once Ruth was married and had children she moved countries to live for a while. Where? Well I think you need to grab a copy to read the book and find out! Once back in Australia she took on the male dominated sport of Hot Air Ballooning. She details many of her adventures on learning to hot air balloon and go on to fly in some amazing places that made her a leader in her field. She has also experienced some sadness and gets through a few very hairy situations.
Ruth really has had an interesting life and luckily she has captured it into a book for us to read and learn about it. An inspirational read for everyone.
Thanks so much beauty and lace and shawline publishing group for the opportunity to read Ruth E Wilson’s book, Conquering clouds.
What an inspirational, well written book!
I found Conquering clouds to be such an interesting read, and a very fast read as well because Ruth’s story of her life was so captivating and interesting, although at times very sad and challenging for her.
As someone with no interest in Hot air ballooning I was surprised to read it was such a male dominated sport as I really wasn’t familiar with very much about it, but after reading Ruth’s book have better knowledge of it and actually enjoyed Ruth’s descriptions, and at times felt I was alongside her.
Ruth’s book was interesting, well written and an easy read that I would recommend to anyone looking for something different that loves a good auto biographical memoir like I do!
Dear Justine
Thank you for your review on my memoir Conquering Clouds. I value your interaction with my words
and your feedback.
Kindest
Ruth
I love this book I didn’t know anything about Ruth I found very easy to read she had her up and down thank you for the opportunity to read it
Yvette thank you so much for enjoying my story.
Kindest
Ruth
Thank you so much Beauty and Lace and Shawline publishing group for allowing me to read and review Conquering Clouds.
I found Ruth’s story and personal journey to be a great inspiration.
Ruth’s life story kept me captivated and I found it hard to put the book down because she is such a likeable person.
Prior to this I have no idea about hot air ballooning so I found the novel extremely interesting and learned a lot.
The book was very well written and easy to read and I really did thoroughly enjoy reading Ruth’s memoir. It was an honour.
Thank you again
Conquering Clouds by Ruth Wilson is a captivating memoir of a life well lived. Full of adventure, an amazing life. A really good interesting story, but a tad long winded. If you were a balloonist or worked in the field you would really enjoy it as you can relate a bit more to her story. Thanks for another great read beauty and lace.
I really enjoyed reading the life story of Ruth Wilson, Conquering Clouds. Wow so many firsts for women as well as balloonists. I found her very inspiring as well as a champion against all odds.
From a heartbreaking childhood to the highest of highs, her lifes journey and accomplishments are sure to keep any reader interested.