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Romance
WWII
England
‘England, 1942. After three years of WWII, Britain is showing the
scars. But in this darkest of days, three lives intertwine, changing their
destinies and those of many more. Dr Archibald McIndoe, a New Zealand plastic
surgeon with unorthodox methods, is on a mission to treat and rehabilitate
badly burned airmen – their bodies and souls. With the camaraderie and support
of the Guinea Pig Club, his boys battle to overcome disfigurement, pain, and
prejudice to learn to live again.
John ‘Mac’ Mackenzie of the US Air Force is aware of the odds. He
has one chance in five of surviving the war. Flying bombing missions through
hell and back, he’s fighting more than the Luftwaffe. Fear and doubt stalk him
on the ground and in the air, and he’s torn between his duty and his
conscience.
Shy, decent and sensible Stella Charlton’s future seems certain
until war breaks out. As a new recruit to the WAAF, she meets an American pilot
on New Year’s Eve. After just one dance, she falls head over heels for the
handsome airman. But when he survives a crash, she realises her own battle has
only just begun.”
This World War II story is a blend
of fact and fiction, and where the author is dealing with real events the
writing is excellent. The opening scene in a somewhat unconventional burns unit
of a hospital conveys that special hush of a ward at night; the following
chapter about the pilot and crew of an American bomber takes you right into the
terrifying action of airborne combat. The narrative here is faultless: I was
actually holding my breath as if watching the scene in a film. But then comes a
‘he-loves-me-he-loves-me not’ romance featuring an over-contrived love triangle
of an English landed-gentry rotter, the muscular American hero Mac (who’s from
Montana but has an attractive southern drawl), and a rather too ‘nice’ heroine
called Stella, who does find herself before the end of the story but takes
rather too long about it.
The other character of note is the
real life hero, Archie McIndoe, a plastic surgeon whose innovative procedures
and relaxed recovery unit (with a gramophone, on-tap beer and wheel-chair
gymkhanas) enabled burns victims to not only return to health but regain their
self-confidence after suffering life-changing injuries.
This is a novel for those who
enjoy wartime romances. Period details and social attitudes are spot on, and
the dialogue comes close to British films of the forties. The text has been expertly proofread, but
better editing would have eliminated the superfluous walk-on characters, and
repetitive phrases and images. Stella, Mac and Archie McIndoe indulge in repetitious
agonising, and the romance chapters need tightening up to give the novel a
sharper, page-turner pace, which a wartime story – where daily survival is
genuinely threatened – requires. Having said that, Suzy Henderson is a good
writer but maybe in need of a more experienced editor to give that little bit extra polish.
All the same, this is a good book
for detail – and an author to watch!
© J.G. Harlond
I ticked 'I'll buy the book' but, in fact, I bought it a short while ago and enjoyed it very much. Shared details to my Facebook page.
ReplyDeletethanks Loretta
DeleteHi Loretta. Thank you so much for that. I'm so thrilled you enjoyed reading my book and thank you for sharing on Facebook. I wish you a wonderful week.
DeleteI look forward to reading this too!
ReplyDeletesounds good doesn't it?
DeleteThank you so much, Samantha. I hope you're having a wonderful week so far.
Delete