Katharine Wright is an unsung heroine in the story of the Wright Brothers’ creation of the first working airplane, and author Tracey Enerson Wood exhumes her from the pages of the history books via her own novel, Katharine, The Wright Sister. It’s a solidly involving piece of historical fiction, with Katharine being a fine heroine, but some unnecessary bells and whistles slow it down.

The book follows Katharine from her youth all the way through the end of her life, and is perfumed with her memories of “Will” and “Orv.” Katharine is lively and intelligent, and initially denied an education such as the one offered to her brothers. The family dynamic changes as their two older brothers, Reuchlin and Lorin, leave home, with Will and Orville getting closer and squeezing Katharine out. Then Orv’s attempt at protecting Katharine from harassment results in him losing his front teeth in a fight, changing his plans and social prospects, and re-bonding the three younger Wright siblings forever. The Wright family’s fortunes seem to cascade after that, the family in financial trouble, their mother slowly dying. Katharine becomes the family’s brain – she decides the only way to help is to get a solid education. While the boys work at their flying experiments, she gets a teaching degree and meets fellow student Harry Haskell, who proposes to Katharine near their graduation but whom she rejects.

Orv, Wil and Katharine soon make a pact: they will remain single and devote themselves to the brothers’ innovations and the running of the bicycle shop which funds them. Katharine also keeps the household together, handles the shy brothers’ correspondence, becomes involved in the lives of her students and fellow teachers, and takes on the mantle of being a suffragette and feminist after running into sexism on the job.

When Wil and Orv take their famous Kitty Hawk flight, they become celebrities – and Katharine remains the family’s driving force, handling all of the contract negotiations. She soon becomes the toast of high society and even becomes a face in the French suffragette community. Years pass by, and Harry – now a widower – returns to claim Katharine’s hand. But will Katharine break the vow she made to her siblings so many years before?

The character dynamics rather than the somewhat flat and dry prose are what make Katharine, The Wright Sister interesting. Their father, The Bishop – proud of his sons, mostly disinterested in Katharine – sets up an interesting relationship between himself and his daughter. Katharine’s thoughts on her brothers and the world around her are intriguing, and the story does not deviate far from the historical record.

Why haven’t I given the book an A? Well, while I liked the point of view chapters we get from Wilbur and Orville well enough, this is Katharine’s story, her perspective on her life, and there is really no need for the two of them to have PoV chapters. Worse, their voices could sometimes blend together. Katharine’s point of view at least remains distinct, though dry. Her relationship with Harry is cute but lacks passion, though not emotion.

And yet Enerson Woods’ talent shines through and makes this a worthwhile read. It’s a well-researched piece, and a lot of it works – and Katharine’s head is an interesting place to be. That makes Katharine worth reading, even though its maiden flight isn’t perfect.