Poor Splendid Wings

I have long been a fan of Patricia Veryan. It began when I read The Tyrant, and I've collected every book of hers I could get my hands on. She's got a rather extensive backlist, and I have most of them. Poor Splendid Wings is one I hadn't been able to find--not without spending a great deal of money, anyway.

So Kristie, bless her heart, came to my rescue. She has a copy and sent it to me late last year so I could read it. Then, I was a bit intimidated by the length; it's 512 pages. This week, I finally vowed to finish it.

The American born son of European parents, Michael Owens' love for Britain and his detestation of the Hitler regime drove him to enlist in the Eagle Squadrom long before the United States enters World War II. He transfers to the U.S.A.A.F. and heavy bombers when the first Flying Fortresses arrive in Enlgland. Engaged to a beautiful American actress, Owens' life is complicated by an encounter with a charming English widow.

The war has brought tragedy to Victoria Craig-Bell but with quiet courage she copes with the many challenges that come her way, and tries to keep what is left of her family together. Victoria falls deeply in love with Owens, and he soon reciprocates her feelings, but he is a lead pilot during the darkest days of the war, and he knows his chances of survival are slim. The responsibility for bringing his crews safely home from missions dogged by staggeringly heavy losses is crushing. He is accustomed to the risks on the ground--the blackout, the sirens, the enemy air attacks, but now he must deal with his fears for Victoria's safety.

When the ambitious and ruthless Cynthia Stuart refuses to free him from their engagement, Owens faces a different kind of battle. He thinks he has all the burdens he can carry, but gradually it becomes apparent that a new danger is looming: a danger that threatens not only his life but his honour, and appears to involve the woman he loves. His crew and friends support him loyally, but the web that closes around him is so cunningly contrived that there seems little hope of proving his innocence, even if he survives the second strike at a target dreaded by all combat flyers.

For the first 100 or so pages, I was a little worried that my taste had changed and that I wouldn't enjoy the story. I think in many cases, I've grown tired of subplots and prefer the focus of the story to be on the main couple. In this case, though, I shouldn't have worried: 4 out of 5.

There are a number of subplots, but I had forgotten how well Veryan ties various plot threads together. Reading the story is very much like putting together a puzzle where even the smallest piece is a vital part of the whole.

Victoria and Michael fall in love fairly quickly--their feelings are engaged and expressed by page 150. That doesn't mean that their relationship is without conflict, however. There's Cynthia, who isn't as much an impediment as the book blurb makes it sound. There are several other challenges as well.

There's a secondary romance between Victoria's sister and another flyer, and I thought it was quite sweet.

This is a very unique time period--in fact, I can't remember reading another romance set during this time. As far as I know, it's the only book Veryan wrote that's set in this period. Kristie told me the air battle scenes were very suspenseful, and she was right. The more I read, the more I worried that something terrible was going to happen. This is, after all, the same writer who wrote The Dedicated Villain, a book in which the hero is tortured for some time. I won't give anything away, but I'll just say that the ending is not achieved without cost.

There is a villain, a face to the evil. There's another character (Washburn) I wanted to strangle by the end of the book. But the main antagonist is the war itself, which takes a dramatic toll on everyone--those who are left behind as well as those who enter combat.

The book could have been tightened a little. I think it was a little too long, although I didn't want to stop by the time I hit page 200. I'll leave it on my wish list in hopes of getting a copy of my own, although I don't hold out much hope in that regard.

Now I can finally return the book to Kristie. I'd like to send it back along with a few other books, but she needs to (ahem!) update her wish list.

FYI: I'm attending a conference beginning tomorrow night, so I probably won't post again until after the weekend.