This is a fantastic book that hooked me from the first pages and kept me enthralled to the very end. Based on historical events and people, this is the story of a group of women and their critical contribution to the war effort. With every male pilot needed to fly combat missions, the Air Transport Auxiliary desperately needed pilots to ferry new planes to the front and damaged ones back to be repaired. A group of very determined young women fought the odds and made a place for themselves as those pilots. This story is told from the point of view of three of those pilots.
May is the pilot who has been with the ATA the longest and is the commander of the women's unit. Flying was something that she and her brother Johnny did together. She was furious when he went off to war, leaving her behind. His death left her reeling with grief and guilt and an increased need to do something for the war effort. She is practical and clear-headed and excels at bringing out the best in the women she works with. There were some terrific scenes that demonstrated those abilities and highlighted the diversity of the personalities she had to deal with. She keeps her emotions in check and focuses on her work. I loved her care for her "girls" as she called them and her determination that they get the respect they deserve.
Ruby is a pretty and petite young woman whose love of flying is right up there with her love for her pilot fiancé. They flew together until he left to fly for the RAF. She was stuck at home, growing more frustrated by her desire to do something more important than keeping the home fires burning. The ATA was just what she needed, but she had an uphill battle to achieve that goal. Her future mother-in-law was vociferous in her disapproval, and even her fiancé was not supportive. I wanted to shake Tom because of the letters he wrote to Ruby, letters that did terrible things to her self-confidence. I loved May's confidence in Ruby and her efforts to show Ruby what she was capable of. Ruby's journey was an inspiration to read.
Lizzie was the American sent to Britain to learn about the ATA and bring that information home to America. She was a no-holds-barred woman when it came to going after what she wanted. She was raised on her father's tales of his efforts during World War One and a belief that she could do anything she put her mind to. I liked her determination at the beginning as she worked to make her dream of the American equivalent of the ATA come true. But she lost some of my admiration after she arrived in Britain and became the model for the Ugly American. Her extreme competitiveness, disregard for the rules, and general rudeness made it very difficult to like her. It took the efforts of multiple people before Lizzie was able to see that the ATA's strength was in their teamwork, not in the hands of individuals. Once she saw the light, the change in her was amazing, and there were few limits to what she could do. She had quite the challenge when she took what she learned back to America.
The book takes place between 1940 and 1946 and chronicles the joys and challenges of the work the "Spitfire Girls" accomplished. I felt their frustration at the lack of respect they received from their male counterparts, and how they had to work so much harder to prove themselves. I loved learning about the training they received, and how they excelled under incredible handicaps, such as being forced to fly without the use of instruments and radios, putting them in unthinkable danger. I loved seeing them shock the male pilots and ground crews regularly. I especially loved the scene where Ruby delivered the four-engine bomber, the men's disbelief that one tiny woman flew a plane (perfectly) that took a flight crew of four men to fly. I really liked how the women developed into a sisterhood that always had each other's backs. I ached for their losses and cheered their victories.
There was also a touch of romance in the book. Ruby had her relationship with her fiancé challenged by her work with the ATA. I loved her determination to follow her dream and ached for the pain he caused her. I cheered at the surprise waiting for her at the end of one flight. It was so much fun seeing the change in Tom's attitude when he realized the truth. Their challenges continued thanks to the war, but their faith in each other and their love pulled them through. Neither May nor Lizzie had been looking for love, but it found them anyway. May had closed herself off to the thought of love, wanting to protect herself from more loss. I loved how friendship and support from an unexpected source slowly grew into deeper feelings. Then there was Lizzie. The sparks flew between her and a certain Captain, but it took her a long time to realize there was more than antagonism there. I enjoyed seeing that relationship develop, especially with Lizzie's frequently volatile reactions to him on the job.
I loved the ending of the book. There was a wonderful surprise that Ben and Tom had cooked up for May and Ruby about a year after the war ended. I loved their teasing and how pleased they were with themselves. This was followed by a grand epilogue that took place at the sixty-fourth anniversary of V-J day. I loved seeing May, Lizzie, and Ruby together at the place that had been such a big part of their lives. I loved the part with Ruby, her grandson, and the Spitfire. I enjoyed her surprise, and loved the twist she added to it.
May is the pilot who has been with the ATA the longest and is the commander of the women's unit. Flying was something that she and her brother Johnny did together. She was furious when he went off to war, leaving her behind. His death left her reeling with grief and guilt and an increased need to do something for the war effort. She is practical and clear-headed and excels at bringing out the best in the women she works with. There were some terrific scenes that demonstrated those abilities and highlighted the diversity of the personalities she had to deal with. She keeps her emotions in check and focuses on her work. I loved her care for her "girls" as she called them and her determination that they get the respect they deserve.
Ruby is a pretty and petite young woman whose love of flying is right up there with her love for her pilot fiancé. They flew together until he left to fly for the RAF. She was stuck at home, growing more frustrated by her desire to do something more important than keeping the home fires burning. The ATA was just what she needed, but she had an uphill battle to achieve that goal. Her future mother-in-law was vociferous in her disapproval, and even her fiancé was not supportive. I wanted to shake Tom because of the letters he wrote to Ruby, letters that did terrible things to her self-confidence. I loved May's confidence in Ruby and her efforts to show Ruby what she was capable of. Ruby's journey was an inspiration to read.
Lizzie was the American sent to Britain to learn about the ATA and bring that information home to America. She was a no-holds-barred woman when it came to going after what she wanted. She was raised on her father's tales of his efforts during World War One and a belief that she could do anything she put her mind to. I liked her determination at the beginning as she worked to make her dream of the American equivalent of the ATA come true. But she lost some of my admiration after she arrived in Britain and became the model for the Ugly American. Her extreme competitiveness, disregard for the rules, and general rudeness made it very difficult to like her. It took the efforts of multiple people before Lizzie was able to see that the ATA's strength was in their teamwork, not in the hands of individuals. Once she saw the light, the change in her was amazing, and there were few limits to what she could do. She had quite the challenge when she took what she learned back to America.
The book takes place between 1940 and 1946 and chronicles the joys and challenges of the work the "Spitfire Girls" accomplished. I felt their frustration at the lack of respect they received from their male counterparts, and how they had to work so much harder to prove themselves. I loved learning about the training they received, and how they excelled under incredible handicaps, such as being forced to fly without the use of instruments and radios, putting them in unthinkable danger. I loved seeing them shock the male pilots and ground crews regularly. I especially loved the scene where Ruby delivered the four-engine bomber, the men's disbelief that one tiny woman flew a plane (perfectly) that took a flight crew of four men to fly. I really liked how the women developed into a sisterhood that always had each other's backs. I ached for their losses and cheered their victories.
There was also a touch of romance in the book. Ruby had her relationship with her fiancé challenged by her work with the ATA. I loved her determination to follow her dream and ached for the pain he caused her. I cheered at the surprise waiting for her at the end of one flight. It was so much fun seeing the change in Tom's attitude when he realized the truth. Their challenges continued thanks to the war, but their faith in each other and their love pulled them through. Neither May nor Lizzie had been looking for love, but it found them anyway. May had closed herself off to the thought of love, wanting to protect herself from more loss. I loved how friendship and support from an unexpected source slowly grew into deeper feelings. Then there was Lizzie. The sparks flew between her and a certain Captain, but it took her a long time to realize there was more than antagonism there. I enjoyed seeing that relationship develop, especially with Lizzie's frequently volatile reactions to him on the job.
I loved the ending of the book. There was a wonderful surprise that Ben and Tom had cooked up for May and Ruby about a year after the war ended. I loved their teasing and how pleased they were with themselves. This was followed by a grand epilogue that took place at the sixty-fourth anniversary of V-J day. I loved seeing May, Lizzie, and Ruby together at the place that had been such a big part of their lives. I loved the part with Ruby, her grandson, and the Spitfire. I enjoyed her surprise, and loved the twist she added to it.
I like that The Spitfire Girls shows the role of female pilots in England and America during World War II. I enjoyed learning more about the WASPs and ATA. I thought the author accurately portrayed how women were treated during this time period. The powers that be may not have wanted the women's help, but they needed their assistance (I can just imagine the discussions that took place). Of course, once the war was over, females were soon ousted from their wartime positions. May Jones was a strong female character with a hard exterior. She kept her emotions in check while fighting for the women in her command. It was hard for May to show weakness and open up to someone. Ruby Sanders is the petite beauty who lacks confidence. She is engaged to Tom who is under his society mother's thumb and feels that women belong at home. Ruby is a good flyer, but she needs to believe in herself. Lizzie Dunlop is a talented flyer and lets people know it. She is big, bold and brash (from Texas). Lizzie feels that flyers are on their own in the sky and does not understand the team mentality. Each woman has a different issue that they need to overcome. I thought the characters lacked depth. Each lady finds the right man for her and they fall in love. The story played out in a predictable manner. The pace was steady in the first half and slowed down considerably in the second. I liked the author's note at the end which provided additional information on the WASPs, ATA and female pilots from WWII. I can tell the author did her research for The Spitfire Girls. However, I wanted more depth, realism and emotion. Readers who take pleasure in reading light, historical romance novels will appreciate The Spitfire Girls.
