I wasn't going to read another K.M. Peyton book after Minna's Quest, but there was something about the title and cover of this book that lured me in. I have always liked romance but this time there is not a horse or a pair of jodhpurs in sight.The setting is the English countryside after the fall of Dunkirk in World War 2, next to an airforce base, and the time period is the Battle of Britain.
Josie a 16 year old London girl is evacuated to the countryside to avoid the bombing and immediately meets 18 year Jumbo, an aristocratic lad who has lost a leg in a childhood accident involving his older brother Chris. There is "calf Love" between them until Chris, an ace fighter pilot, and drop-dead gorgeous to boot, crashes in on the scene. Josie is smitten and guilt ridden at the same time, but fate and wartime is to change their lives forever.
I really enjoyed this story, not just the romance but the action in the air, the effects of the constant air warfare of the Battle of Britain on the pilots, and the social change that resulted from war. K.M. Peyton is clearly writing about a subject she knows from personal experience. The battle scenes in the air are also a strength.
Suitable for secondary school and adult readers. An amazing book with a brilliant ending.
Reviewed by Bob
Published by David Fickling Books
1 comments:
I liked this a lot, and also just finished her Small Gains (which has a sequel I will have to order from the UK).
I think you would also like The Distant Summer by Sarah Patterson.
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