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beastreader's review against another edition
2.0
This book is another one of those that is driven by characters. Yet, in this book I found that emotional connection with the characters lacking. Even though, Lance and Fred did get some of my sympathy. The innocence of Lance and Fred was sweet. However, because the emotions, I agree with other readers that it seemed to be over-empathized in what the characters were going through. The flow was a bit forced. Although, I did keep reading this book to the end in the hopes that I would feel differently about it. My feelings did not change. I would have liked to say that I really liked this book a lot but I can't.
krislea's review against another edition
2.0
The ending saved this book for me. It is written from three perspectives: an elementary-aged child on the autism spectrum, his mother Piper, and his problematic grandfather. Grandpa was a terror to his family for most of his life, but then suffers a brain injury and it’s his family that must decide what to do with him. Piper deals with this while coping with her son's autism diagnosis.
I initially cringed at the male perspectives because they seemed so inauthentic. I also found it difficult to get into the mother's perspectives because her actions just seemed so disingenuous and illogical. But, towards the end, the story successfully wraps up into an emotional conclusion that neatly solves all of the loose ends. On reflection, I would describe the book as very raw and honest -- the characters are very imperfect, occasionally to the point of frustration in Piper's case, but they try. And don't we all?
I initially cringed at the male perspectives because they seemed so inauthentic. I also found it difficult to get into the mother's perspectives because her actions just seemed so disingenuous and illogical. But, towards the end, the story successfully wraps up into an emotional conclusion that neatly solves all of the loose ends. On reflection, I would describe the book as very raw and honest -- the characters are very imperfect, occasionally to the point of frustration in Piper's case, but they try. And don't we all?
pianorunner421's review against another edition
3.0
This one was a very slow start for me. However, I ended up enjoying it too the end. I felt there was a really good balance of presenting characters that were flawed without over writing the drama
kbranfield's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars.
Flying at Night by Rebecca L. Brown is a bittersweet and touching novel of healing.
Piper Whitman has a lot on her plate when she unexpectedly becomes her father's caretaker. Her husband, Isaac Hart, is a law professor who is also part of The Innocence Project so he works long hours and even when he is home, he is not always engaged with his family. Their nine year old son, Fred, is a delight but his many quirks and idiosyncrasies exhaust Piper. Her relationship with her father, airplane pilot Lance "the Silver Eagle" Whitman is rife with childhood memories of his emotional abuse so she is anxious when spending time with him. When Lance suffers a heart attack, he is not expected to live but no one is really heartbroken about their impending loss. Much to everyone's shock (and dismay), he pulls through but he has brain damage so he is facing an extensive recovery period. Just as Piper and Isaac receive a troubling diagnosis about Fred, Piper is stunned when her mother decides to leave Lance, which leaves Piper responsible for his care. Will the time father and daughter spend together prove to be a period of healing? Or will Piper continue to cling tightly to her hurt and resentment?
Piper is not exactly a likable character. She is prickly, angry and resentful about many things in her life. She shoulders the brunt of responsibility for taking care of Fred, but to be fair, she has not really articulated her need for more help from Isaac. Her reaction to Fred's diagnosis is frustrating since she is focused on placing blame for his condition. While she is certainly concerned about his future, Piper wallows in self-pity at the realization his future will not be what she envisioned.
Piper's relationship with Lance is fraught with tension and residual anger over the way he treated his family during her childhood. She is upset about her current situation, but like she does in other areas of her life, she refuses to seriously examine her emotions or try to find a solution to the distressing situation. A bit of a martyr, Piper is initially only going through the motions while helping her father. However, due to the drastic changes in his personality following the brain injury from the heart attack, he is nothing like he used to be. Unlike the controlling and hypercritical man he was before, Lance is now child-like and helpless as he works to regain the skills he has lost.
Young Fred is a truly wonderful little boy who is extremely intelligent yet lacking in social skills. There is never any question that Piper deeply loves her son and she is incredibly defensive when he gets an unexpected diagnosis. Fred is surprisingly intuitive when it comes to helping his grandfather and Piper is deeply moved by their loving interactions.
Flying at Night is a wonderfully redemptive novel that is quite captivating. The characters are well developed with all too human frailties that are frustrating yet very easy to relate to. The storyline is deeply affecting and some of the passages are laugh out funny while others are so poignant it it is impossible not to become teary-eyed. A very impressive debut by Rebecca L. Brown that will touch readers' hearts as they join Piper, Fred and Lance on their sometimes painful yet ultimately heartwarming journey.
Flying at Night by Rebecca L. Brown is a bittersweet and touching novel of healing.
Piper Whitman has a lot on her plate when she unexpectedly becomes her father's caretaker. Her husband, Isaac Hart, is a law professor who is also part of The Innocence Project so he works long hours and even when he is home, he is not always engaged with his family. Their nine year old son, Fred, is a delight but his many quirks and idiosyncrasies exhaust Piper. Her relationship with her father, airplane pilot Lance "the Silver Eagle" Whitman is rife with childhood memories of his emotional abuse so she is anxious when spending time with him. When Lance suffers a heart attack, he is not expected to live but no one is really heartbroken about their impending loss. Much to everyone's shock (and dismay), he pulls through but he has brain damage so he is facing an extensive recovery period. Just as Piper and Isaac receive a troubling diagnosis about Fred, Piper is stunned when her mother decides to leave Lance, which leaves Piper responsible for his care. Will the time father and daughter spend together prove to be a period of healing? Or will Piper continue to cling tightly to her hurt and resentment?
Piper is not exactly a likable character. She is prickly, angry and resentful about many things in her life. She shoulders the brunt of responsibility for taking care of Fred, but to be fair, she has not really articulated her need for more help from Isaac. Her reaction to Fred's diagnosis is frustrating since she is focused on placing blame for his condition. While she is certainly concerned about his future, Piper wallows in self-pity at the realization his future will not be what she envisioned.
Piper's relationship with Lance is fraught with tension and residual anger over the way he treated his family during her childhood. She is upset about her current situation, but like she does in other areas of her life, she refuses to seriously examine her emotions or try to find a solution to the distressing situation. A bit of a martyr, Piper is initially only going through the motions while helping her father. However, due to the drastic changes in his personality following the brain injury from the heart attack, he is nothing like he used to be. Unlike the controlling and hypercritical man he was before, Lance is now child-like and helpless as he works to regain the skills he has lost.
Young Fred is a truly wonderful little boy who is extremely intelligent yet lacking in social skills. There is never any question that Piper deeply loves her son and she is incredibly defensive when he gets an unexpected diagnosis. Fred is surprisingly intuitive when it comes to helping his grandfather and Piper is deeply moved by their loving interactions.
Flying at Night is a wonderfully redemptive novel that is quite captivating. The characters are well developed with all too human frailties that are frustrating yet very easy to relate to. The storyline is deeply affecting and some of the passages are laugh out funny while others are so poignant it it is impossible not to become teary-eyed. A very impressive debut by Rebecca L. Brown that will touch readers' hearts as they join Piper, Fred and Lance on their sometimes painful yet ultimately heartwarming journey.
eralon's review against another edition
4.25
This was surprisingly good.
[The rest of the review has some almost-spoilers so I marked it accordingly.]
However, Piper and Isaac need serious marriage counseling. Piper has many reasons to continue to be angry at Isaac's absences also on the list is Isaac's gaslighting regarding Piper's father who is a "nice old man" until Isaac wants to compare Piper unfavorably and then suddenly he's "abusive."
Also, Judy (the grandma) not telling Piper her offer on Fred's birthday (the kid) was messed up. It wasn't for Lance (the grandpa) to decide but should have been an offer to Piper. The resolution was generally unsatisfactory and realistically caretaking can stretch out for years and years.
However, Piper and Isaac need serious marriage counseling. Piper has many reasons to continue to be angry at Isaac's absences also on the list is Isaac's gaslighting regarding Piper's father who is a "nice old man" until Isaac wants to compare Piper unfavorably and then suddenly he's "abusive."
Also, Judy (the grandma) not telling Piper her offer on Fred's birthday (the kid) was messed up. It wasn't for Lance (the grandpa) to decide but should have been an offer to Piper. The resolution was generally unsatisfactory and realistically caretaking can stretch out for years and years.
leeanne_reads_22's review against another edition
1.0
I received this ARC in a Goodreads giveaway.
I am sorry to say that this book was not for me. The writing style was too detailed and over dramatized. Yes, there were difficult things going on in the lives of the characters of the book, but I especially could not believe how the primary voice in the story dealt with it all.
I am sorry to say that this book was not for me. The writing style was too detailed and over dramatized. Yes, there were difficult things going on in the lives of the characters of the book, but I especially could not believe how the primary voice in the story dealt with it all.
jen_robins87's review against another edition
5.0
I won this book in a giveaway, and I couldn't be happier to have gotten to read this book before its April 10, 2018 release. Fred was a genuinely heart-warming character. His bluntness and honesty made me laugh at times. It melted my heart when Fred took special care of his grandpa after suffering from a traumatic brain injury following a heart attack. While Lance was originally an angry man, Fred helped him to learn how to care for others. It was also interesting to read this book from all the different views while struggling through the grandfather's injury and Fred's diagnosis of high-functioning autism. I would HIGHLY, highly recommend picking this book up. Beautiful, hard, and touching.
berthe33's review against another edition
1.0
Just couldn't finish this. I found the mother/narrator so exasperating ...
shrutinaik's review against another edition
5.0
Flying at Night is one of the most beautiful books I've ever read. It's realistic and heartbreaking; the kind of book that you wouldn't want to finish in one sitting because you wish to fully and slowly experience the emotions you feel as you read it.
The story follows the lives of Piper, a stay-at-home mom; her nine-year-old son, Fred, who doesn't make friends easily and obsesses over subjects like planes and World War II for extended periods of time before something else grabs his attention; and Piper's emotionally abusive father, Lance, who is a pilot. He is also known as The Silver Eagle, a name that was given to him after he made an emergency landing that saved the lives of all the passengers aboard.
Piper remembers her childhood as a living hell. Her father constantly yelled at everyone in the house—berating them for their mistakes, never applauding or rewarding them for their achievements, just expressing his disappointment any chance that he got. She remembers the relief they would all feel when he was flying and wasn't at home. There were times they wished he was dead but they never dared to say that out loud. Piper always wondered why her mother didn't just leave him but she never found an answer.
When Lance gets a heart attack after a game of squash, due to the lack of oxygen to his brain, he is declared brain dead. But when his brain starts to show some activity, the doctors deem it a miracle and he lives. Piper's mother confesses that she was relieved at the thought of him dying but now that he didn't, she can't look after him anymore. So Piper is left to tend to her father who has lost all his memories and has become a shell of his former self.
"…all I could think about was how this meek creature beside me felt little like the monster I had grown up with."
Lance is like a child. He can't tie his shoe laces and he doesn't recognize his own dog. When he questions Piper about things that happened in the past, Piper answers honestly and he can't bring himself to imagine he would have done such cruel things. The memories come back slowly and with each one, he doesn't recognize the man that he was.
"The doctor told me once that my memory would come back in pieces, but maybe not all of it. I hope the good parts come back last because I am still waiting."
While Piper is left to take care of her father, she is informed by her son's psychologist that Fred has high-functioning autism spectrum disorder. She blames herself for not having realized it sooner and struggles to work through the myriad of her thoughts and emotions. During this time, Fred and Lance develop an adorable friendship that helps them both fight their loneliness.
Piper worries about the kind of life that lies ahead for Fred, whether he could ever have a normal one. She dreads the day her father would regain all his memories and turn back into the monster that he once was. Flying at Night tells the story of this trio in the most beautiful way possible.
A majority of the PoVs are Piper's with the occasional ones belonging to Fred and Lance. The immediate switch in narration is utterly remarkable, a testament to Rebecca Brown's magnificent writing skills. She has managed to capture the complexity of human emotions with astonishing accuracy. The characters are flawed, making them realistic. There are things you hate and love about each of them but you empathize all the same.
Brown has shared in her author's note that, just like Piper, she too had a hard time when her son was diagnosed with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder.
Flying at Night is an ode to mothers who fight impossible battles for their children every day without blinking, go to sleep and get up and do the same again. We never know the hidden struggles that others are waging unless we bring our own pain and heartache out of the darkness and share it. We share it for one reason: so others know they are not alone.
I am surprised that this book hasn't gotten the recognition it deserves because this one's a masterpiece. I highly recommend it.
[Thank you Fergus for recommending this one!]
The story follows the lives of Piper, a stay-at-home mom; her nine-year-old son, Fred, who doesn't make friends easily and obsesses over subjects like planes and World War II for extended periods of time before something else grabs his attention; and Piper's emotionally abusive father, Lance, who is a pilot. He is also known as The Silver Eagle, a name that was given to him after he made an emergency landing that saved the lives of all the passengers aboard.
Piper remembers her childhood as a living hell. Her father constantly yelled at everyone in the house—berating them for their mistakes, never applauding or rewarding them for their achievements, just expressing his disappointment any chance that he got. She remembers the relief they would all feel when he was flying and wasn't at home. There were times they wished he was dead but they never dared to say that out loud. Piper always wondered why her mother didn't just leave him but she never found an answer.
When Lance gets a heart attack after a game of squash, due to the lack of oxygen to his brain, he is declared brain dead. But when his brain starts to show some activity, the doctors deem it a miracle and he lives. Piper's mother confesses that she was relieved at the thought of him dying but now that he didn't, she can't look after him anymore. So Piper is left to tend to her father who has lost all his memories and has become a shell of his former self.
"…all I could think about was how this meek creature beside me felt little like the monster I had grown up with."
Lance is like a child. He can't tie his shoe laces and he doesn't recognize his own dog. When he questions Piper about things that happened in the past, Piper answers honestly and he can't bring himself to imagine he would have done such cruel things. The memories come back slowly and with each one, he doesn't recognize the man that he was.
"The doctor told me once that my memory would come back in pieces, but maybe not all of it. I hope the good parts come back last because I am still waiting."
While Piper is left to take care of her father, she is informed by her son's psychologist that Fred has high-functioning autism spectrum disorder. She blames herself for not having realized it sooner and struggles to work through the myriad of her thoughts and emotions. During this time, Fred and Lance develop an adorable friendship that helps them both fight their loneliness.
Piper worries about the kind of life that lies ahead for Fred, whether he could ever have a normal one. She dreads the day her father would regain all his memories and turn back into the monster that he once was. Flying at Night tells the story of this trio in the most beautiful way possible.
A majority of the PoVs are Piper's with the occasional ones belonging to Fred and Lance. The immediate switch in narration is utterly remarkable, a testament to Rebecca Brown's magnificent writing skills. She has managed to capture the complexity of human emotions with astonishing accuracy. The characters are flawed, making them realistic. There are things you hate and love about each of them but you empathize all the same.
Brown has shared in her author's note that, just like Piper, she too had a hard time when her son was diagnosed with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder.
Flying at Night is an ode to mothers who fight impossible battles for their children every day without blinking, go to sleep and get up and do the same again. We never know the hidden struggles that others are waging unless we bring our own pain and heartache out of the darkness and share it. We share it for one reason: so others know they are not alone.
I am surprised that this book hasn't gotten the recognition it deserves because this one's a masterpiece. I highly recommend it.
[Thank you Fergus for recommending this one!]
hobbes4626's review against another edition
4.0
This was a terrific story told by three point of views. Piper, the mother of a newly diagnosed child with Autism, Fred her autistic son who just wants to be understood and Lance, Piper's father who was an abusive father and husband. Lance has a near fatal heart attach and survives. His wife, who tasted freedom the moment she thought he was going to die, decides to pack up and move, leaving the care taking to her daughter, Piper. Piper struggles to deal with her son's new diagnosis and forgiving her father. The author did a wonderful job intertwining all the characters. I highly enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to my fellow readers!