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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
It was mid-level historical fiction for me. It was a slow start.
I find myself in the odd position of being both uncertain if I should recommend this book and unable to tell you why that is in anything but the vaguest details. There is a dramatic shift in tone that occurs about two-thirds of the way through the story and that shift makes everything that proceeded it a lot more interesting. If you can make it to this shift, chances are that you will like this book.
However, if you can’t make it that far, I will not blame you.
The first two-thirds of the book are not boring, but I'd be lying if I called them gripping. They’re little more than a collection of tales, almost short-stories, of two girl’s friendship during WWII. There’s also quite a lot about being a female pilot in WWII Britain. It’s interesting stuff, but nothing you’re going to go on about to your friends. It’s the kind of story you read to pass the time and learn a bit more about the world of the past without having to do your own in-depth research.
If that sounds like torture to read, then don’t give this a chance because you will not make it to the shift and the shift is what makes this novel stand out.
Honestly, if the author had shortened the length of the first half by about 100 pages, I wouldn’t even be saying that. I’d tell you to press through it, learn a bit about WWII, and enjoy the ride. But I can’t tell people to spend 200 pages waiting for a second "half" that’s almost too short. I was ready for part-one to end, part-two left me feeling like it’d blown by and I wanted so much more. More details about what happened, more connections to part one, more, more, more!
And I can’t even tell you why because I’d be giving everything away and “careless talk costs lives.”
However, if you can’t make it that far, I will not blame you.
The first two-thirds of the book are not boring, but I'd be lying if I called them gripping. They’re little more than a collection of tales, almost short-stories, of two girl’s friendship during WWII. There’s also quite a lot about being a female pilot in WWII Britain. It’s interesting stuff, but nothing you’re going to go on about to your friends. It’s the kind of story you read to pass the time and learn a bit more about the world of the past without having to do your own in-depth research.
If that sounds like torture to read, then don’t give this a chance because you will not make it to the shift and the shift is what makes this novel stand out.
Honestly, if the author had shortened the length of the first half by about 100 pages, I wouldn’t even be saying that. I’d tell you to press through it, learn a bit about WWII, and enjoy the ride. But I can’t tell people to spend 200 pages waiting for a second "half" that’s almost too short. I was ready for part-one to end, part-two left me feeling like it’d blown by and I wanted so much more. More details about what happened, more connections to part one, more, more, more!
And I can’t even tell you why because I’d be giving everything away and “careless talk costs lives.”
3.5 ⭐️s rounded up. The first half of the book was difficult for me to get through, simply due to the writing style, but I understood its necessity as I got through the latter half. Heartbreaking story of friendship in wartime.
medium-paced
This was not an easy book to read (or, in my case, listen to), but it was a worthwhile one and held my attention the whole way. The characters really came to life for me, and there were several moments that literally made me gasp. I'd definitely recommend this to older teens as well as adults - it calls out the extremes of human behavior under some of the most stressful of circumstances.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
How the mother left the windows open for her children like the Darlings and the choice Maddie had to make because she loved Verity. My heart broke again and again
I am going to bawl for the rest of my life. Fuck this book, fuck it so hard. I'm covered in snot and tears and I'm so MAD.
This is a reread for me from 8th grade, and it’s a book I think about all the time for some reason. I don’t love the layout of the book and sometimes I feel like it gets a little technical with code and flight information but I think that’s just me wanting to be a lazy reader. One of my favorite things about this book is that it’s a platonic love story and there’s no romantic plot line to it. It would be so easy to have Maddie falling in love with Jamie part of the plot but Wein doesn’t include that and keeps the story extremely focused on the two women. Anna is also one of my favorite characters with her growth and how you subtly see so much of her.