The Secrets of Flight

Funny how the older we get, the more we tend to love history. I can honestly say, I hated it in school but truly appreciate it now, especially the role women played in the war efforts that sad to say were missing from my history books growing up. Maybe that is why I appreciate it so much now and to know that few of our WWII veterans remain living, so their stories are just waiting to be told if we simply sit down with them while they are still here to listen to.

In the novel The Secrets of Flight by Maggie Leffler, I was drawn to the story of Mary Browning, a 87-year-old woman who used to be a WASP pilot during WWII but is now wishing she had the time to write down her memoir. She can't write because she suffers from tremors and using a computer now is beyond her knowledge of technology. She resolves to spend her time, meeting with a group of fellow seniors, sharing their love of writing once a week at the library and collaborating and editing them although many will never be published. Perhaps it just keeps them young at heart.

However when 15-year-old Elyse Strickler arrives at the library one day to answer an add one of the members places in the local paper seeking new writing talent, things are about to get interesting. Mary now realizes that she can get Elyse to write her story as a part time job, but it will mean divulging all those secrets of a life she left behind in WWII that no one including her writing group is aware she holds. Elyse on the other hand is suffering her own issues at home, dealing with the potential divorce of her family and gaining the attention of a young boy at school, while she is less than popular at school This is where her and Mary becoming peer and mentor of sorts and an unlikely friendship is born of the secrets they keep.

I received The Secrets of Flight by Maggie Leffler compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation aside from a free copy of the novel in exchange for my honest and personal evaluation. While I was initially drawn to this story because of the WWII side of it, I was left a bit disappointed first, by the amount of profanity used in the novel, but the disconnection I felt for the characters. For me, that is what makes a great novel, is that you can connect with them on some level, but this one for me fell short of my own expectations, but others might feel differently. Mary's secrets in this novel are many and for those close to her, she felt the need to lie to them about virtually everything in her life, from going to flight school at the University to enrolling in the WASP program and it affects those relationships throughout her life. For me this one rates a 3 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

For more information about The Secrets of Flight, Maggie Leffler or where you can pre-order a copy of this novel that is available in May of 2016, please click on the links below:

The Secrets of Flight by Maggie Leffler 

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To read more reviews on The Secrets of Flight, please visit William Morrow's website.