The Battle of Britain rages and two young RAF pilots from very different stations in life must somehow find common ground—and stay alive.
On the eve of World War II, working-class Eddy Beane is a flight instructor in London. He successfully completes dangerous espionage missions for Air Commodore Keith Park and takes on society-girl June Stephenson as a student. Her ex-fiancé, Dudley Thane, is also a flyer, but upper-class and Cambridge-educated. When the German Luftwaffe attacks England in 1940, Eddy and Dudley end up serving in the same Spitfire squadron. Aerial combat is intense, and both men show their skills and courage, but can they set aside jealousy and class differences to become fighting brothers for the defence of Britain?
Review
An RAF pilot flying during World War II, soaring a glorious Spitfire through the air. Eddy didn’t come from a background that suggests he would be in RAF blue. He grew up in France, and moved to live with his aunt and uncle after the death of his mother. It is a visit from Commander Park, and an offer to let him experience flight that sets Eddy on the path of becoming a pilot, and evidently, fighting for both his adoptive country, and his home country.
I don’t know much about planes, but I didn’t need to. Reading this book settled me into the story and introduced the technical know-how as the story progressed, so I felt like I was actually learning how to fly a plane while reading. By the end, I was almost certain I had flown in a Spitfire Squadron, I was so immersed in the story — well, maybe not! The detail of the areal combat scenes was so perfect I could see every tilt of a wing, and every trail of smoke.
Of course, Eddy is not the only character in this book, there is no way he could go from tailor to RAF pilot without running into a few people along the way. First off, June is a pretty important character. It begins with her asking for flying lessons, and slowly becomes a relationship. Eddy finds himself in a different world around June, for she is upper-class, and he is very much not. In the same way, he finds his fellow RAF pilots to be of a different world. One in particular, Dudley Thane, was another interesting character. He used to be engaged to June, and Eddy finds himself in the same squadron as him. Not only is there a difference in their knowledge of seemingly trivial things like literature, but Dudley has it out for Eddy. After all, June would rather be with Eddy than Dudley. I loved how the conflict between Dudley and Eddy played out, especially since, somehow, I started to like both characters, rather than picking a side.
This novel was absolutely impossible to put down, and I feel the author has completely succeeded in telling the story they set out to tell. This is the kind of book I would happily read again and again, and I miss it sorely now I have finished reading it.
I am so glad you enjoyed Angels and Bandits. Thank you so much for hosting today's tour stop.
ReplyDeleteAll the best,
Mary Anne
The Coffee Pot Book Club