Published by MIRA on July 2, 2019
Genres: Fiction, Friendship, Historical, War & Military, Women, World War II
Pages: 400
Format: Paperback
Source: ARC
Shining a light on a little-known piece of history The Flight Girls is a sweeping portrayal of women’s fearlessness, love, and the power of friendship to make us soar.
1941. Audrey Coltrane has always wanted to fly. It’s why she implored her father to teach her at the little airfield back home in Texas. It’s why she signed up to train military pilots in Hawaii when the war in Europe began. And it’s why she insists she is not interested in any dream-derailing romantic involvements, even with the disarming Lieutenant James Hart, who fast becomes a friend as treasured as the women she flies with. Then one fateful day, she gets caught in the air over Pearl Harbor just as the bombs begin to fall, and suddenly, nowhere feels safe.
To make everything she’s lost count for something, Audrey joins the Women Airforce Service Pilots program. The bonds she forms with her fellow pilots reignite a spark of hope in the face war, and—when James goes missing in action—give Audrey the strength to cross the front lines and fight not only for her country, but for the love she holds so dear.
“Captivated me from the first page and never let go...a powerful tale of courage and sacrifice by the Women Airforce Service Pilots during WWII. A spectacular first novel.”—Sara Ackerman, USA TODAY bestselling author of The Lieutenant’s Nurse
An inspiring tale of bravery, friendship, and love, The Flight Girls is a stunning debut that chronicles one young woman’s path to join the Women Airforce Service Pilots program during WWII. Each of the characters felt real, as though we are watching history play out. Admittedly, Salazar takes some timeline liberties but I don’t believe this adversely impacts her approach to the topic. Her casual writing style makes this piece of historic fiction approachable for most readers.
While often my chest will ache for characters in the books I read, it isn’t often that I tear up or cry. Salazar definitely accomplished this as Audrey and James parted ways. As a military spouse, I have had my fair share of difficult farewells due to deployments and extended training. Admirably, Salazar captured the whirlwind of emotions that marks those moments and proved to be equal parts comforting and difficult to read.
My only issue keeping this exceptional novel from being five stars (I have it ranked around at 4.5 stars) is the quick, almost harried, pace during key parts of the story. The story takes place over a number of years, from Pearl Harbor to just after Germany’s surrender, in four different locations. I only felt satisfied with the pace when Audrey was in training. If that dedication to detail and character development had been constant throughout the book there is no doubt in my mind that this would be a five star read for me. I would have been happy to read another 100 pages which just shows how much I enjoyed Salazar’s writing.
There are so many things that I enjoyed about this book. The women’s grace, strength, camaraderie, and gumption as they labored to complete their WASP training and join the effort was truly inspiring. I feel like this would be a great book for high schoolers, particularly young women and men with an interest in how women served in WWII and introduce them to the world of historic fiction. For others, I highly recommend this book for fans of Amy K. Runyan’s Girls on the Line, Sara Ackerman’s The Lieutenant’s Nurse. I can’t wait to see what Noelle Salazar writes next!
