A Flute in the Willows (The Spies of World War II, #2)

by Carole Brown

[phyllish]

we hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.
psalm 137:2

This is the theme verse of the book, though, in our story, Josie’s harp is a flute, and thus the title. I enjoyed reading the authors thoughts on this and how the name came about.

Seeing the long list of 1940s slang at the beginning, I had a moment of concern that it was going to be overused in the book, but happily discovered that the terms were discretely sprinkled through the story in a way that seemed natural and added to the historical feeling.

The plot was interesting, starting with Jerry parachuting into Germany to steal State secrets. His daring escape and the tragedy that ensued made for a good beginning and set the stage well for the rest of the story. Having the bulk of the story take place in Cincinnati, of all places, was a nice touch, as I don’t normally think about the battle that was fought here on our shores during World War II.

Jerry and Josie both had encounters with God in the book that were more hinted at, not overt. I would consider this story more Inspirational Fiction than Christian Fiction.

It felt like some of the issues were not really resolved, and a few things didn’t get explained in such a way that made sense. There were some turns of phrases that were awkward, but not so much to make me dislike the book. Overall, though, I did like the book and am glad I read it.

As the second book in the series, there were allusions to events from the first book, With Music in Their Hearts, including the fact that Jerry and Josie had eloped. While it was not entirely necessary to read both books, I recommend that these books be read together.


This review was originally posted on Among the Reads

Be sure to read Carole's guest post at AmongTheReads.net


I would like to thank Celebrate Lit for giving me this item. My opinion and review were not influenced by this gift.