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Three skilled aviators determined to help win the war. Three brave women who know their place is not at home. At the height of World War II, the British Air Transport Auxiliary need help. A group of young women volunteer for action, but the perils of their new job don’t end on the tarmac. Things are tough in the air, but on the ground their abilities as pilots are constantly questioned. There is friction from the start between the new recruits. Spirited American Lizzie turns heads with her audacity, but few can deny her flying skills. She couldn’t be more different from shy, petite Ruby, who is far from diminutive in the sky. It falls to pragmatic pilot May to bring the women together and create a formidable team capable of bringing the aircraft home. As these very different women fight to prove themselves up to the task at hand, they are faced with challenges and tragedies at every turn. They must fight for equal pay and respect while handling aircraft that are dangerously ill-equipped; meanwhile, lives continue to be lost in the tumult of war. Determined to assist the war effort doing what they love, can May, Lizzie and Ruby put aside their differences to overcome adversity, and will they find love in the skies?
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This story is a bit different from the other books I’ve read by this author so far, but I soon fell into the story and found myself wanting to learn more about these incredible women.
There is some romance in this story, but that’s not what it’s all about. It’s about women finding their voice. Women proving they have a use other than looking pretty. Women learning to work together to be stronger. Along the way they aren’t always treated fairly or with the respect they deserve, but they also come across some incredible men who support them for who they are and never try to hold them back. Ruby story, in particular, is quite the roller coaster. Her grit and determination, regardless of what those back home say, is inspiring.
While I respected all of the characters in this book and found them all fascinating, I feel Lizzie had the longest and most important journey. I started off loving her, until she met up with the other women. Then she really had me pulling my hair out. She had the most lessons to learn, but once she saw the light there was no stopping her. Once she learned that not everyone was opposed to her, and some people (men and women alike) were actually trying to help her, her life became much easier.
There’s nothing like the connection of a group of people who have gone through adversity together. These women are a special bunch. I like to think the real women who took on these roles in the US and Great Britain during World War II were just as spunky and full of life as these fictional ladies. Maybe even more so!
It took me a few chapters to really get deep into this story, but it was so worth the read.
**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**
This review can also be found on the book blog All In Good Time.
0Roaring Fire That Sputters Out. This was an excellent and engaging tale of the Air Transport Auxiliary and the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II and what those ladies went through to even be allowed to serve. The book spends the front two thirds dealing primarily with a race between two young pilots to be the first to fly a four engine bomber outside of training as well as the race to ferry Spitfire planes to board the USS Wasp for an emergency trip to Malta to shore up defenses there. And it is in this part of the book that it is a roaring, all consuming fire - brilliantly told and executed. Where the book sputters out a bit is in the back third, where it switches gears to more emotional punches that are often happening off screen. The mainline story ends well with the final chapter, and the epilogue adds a final exclamation point to the tale. Strong book that could have been stronger, perhaps as a duology or even trilogy.
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