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?
Roaring 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.
Reading updates
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25 February, 2019:
Finished reading
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25 February, 2019:
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