Thoughts

Shirley Mann's World War II collection has opened my eyes to various activities that women undertook during the conflict, so I was excited to find another one - this time the description talks of the ATA, something else that is new to me.

The book is, at heart, a romance, but I thought the focus on the details surrounding the war effort was far more interesting. Bobby is escaping a difficult home life by taking to the skies, and the ATA's activities of delivering planes from airfield to airfield sounded incredible. Never knowing where they'll be sent next, or what they'll be flying to get there, I have so much respect for these women!

Bobby ends up on a mission to France and gets left behind. The circumstances of the plane leaving without her were surprisingly believable, usually situations like this feel contrived. Those smaller moments really elevated the book for me - another being Bobby's desperate concern about what trouble she'd get into for losing her hat. A global conflict, a Spitfire to fly for the first time, and it's the hat that is going to get her into trouble.

The other Mann books I've read in this series are more contained geographically than this one, giving the romances more room to flourish. Here, Bobby flies around the country and ends up hiding in France, and I preferred it being more action than love story. There's nothing to fear from it, though. The writing is easy-going and friendly. There's no hardcore military prose here.

This is the best of Shirley Mann's collection I've read so far, and it's made me immediately want to go and find another. It gets a 5 out of 5.

Rating: 5 / 5