Spitfire: A Very British Love Story, book review. (John Nichol)

Reading non-fiction tends to fall into two categories for me, historic and military and well, this book happened to fall into both, so I had high hopes.

Knowing a fare bit about the Supermarine Spitfire from past exploits into factual books and visits to museums around the country, I was hoping that this would be more than a history lesson and I wasn’t disappointed.

This book is very much about the war in which the Spitfire is so famously known and the constant improvements the aircraft gained through its many different variants, but it’s also about the people who lived, worked, flew and died in and around the influential sphere that this most famous of aircraft created, many of whom the author interviewed for the book and whose tails of valour and heroism – although they never saw it that way - brings tears to the eyes.

Being written chronologically the reading is quickly immersed in the fiercely fought Battle of Britain before the narrative takes you to the heat of Malta and Africa and on through Italy, Europe and Asia all whilst new marks of Spitfire are developed and delivered to those theatres of war, and it is with great interest that we find out from those who flew and fought in them, how those improvements changed, not only the outcome of battle but buoyed the pilot’s confidence in the air.

One particular stand out incident is recalled by Alan Peart, an Australian pilot flying a Mk VIII over Burma and is told in such a way that you really are there, in the cockpit, twisting, turning, sweating, fearing that this is your last, and having seen his wingman and commanding officer downed and surrounded by no less than twenty Japanese pilots baying for his blood, the action is relentless. In contrast and with no enemy but mother nature, what at first appeared to be a simple ferry flight for Mary Ellis, quickly turned into a life threatening situation when the weather closed in - female pilots were never taught to fly on instruments so were only ever supposed to fly in good visibility -  but with luck and skill she managed a safe landing and was back in the air almost immediately, Along with so many others, Alan Peart and Mary Ellis are the backbone of this book and are why this aeroplane, the Supermarine Spitfire, has become so synonymous with allied victory in World War II.

This book is about so much more than just an aeroplane - albeit one of the most recognisable and well-regarded aeroplanes ever to have been built - it is about people. These who flew them, serviced them, designed and maintain them to this day but above all, it is about those who lost their lives whilst defending freedom, and for that, this book is a truly excellent read and comes highly recommended.

Four and a Half Stars.

Don't forget to search my blog for your favourite authors and books and if I haven't read them, message me with your recommendations.

Mad Mike's Writing blog, book of the year 2022

Welcome friends, book bloggers and avid readers alike, to my annual book of the year post. As usual, this post is not necessarily about books written or published this year, it’s about books that I have read this year, and with dozens to choose from it hasn't been easy whittling them down. I won’t bore you with a big long list of all my reads from 2022, for that you can look me up on Goodreads, so without further ado –

Kicking things off at number five is: A Slow Fire Burning

by PaulaHawkins (20/02/22 post). 'Who cares for labels when a book takes you through so much at such pace with characters you root for (and some you don’t), in such a great setting in the heart of London? I don’t and I suggest neither should you because whether it's Laura, Theo, Carla, little old Irene (remember Miss Marple, who fools everyone time and again into thinking she's a frail old lady sticking her nose in where it wasn’t wanted?), Angela, before she had her ‘fall’ or invisible Miriam on her nice tidy narrowboat, who is the murderer, you are going to love finding out.' I said back in February and it's stuck in my mind ever since.

In fourth place this year, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (24/04/2022 post). 'Hosseini's writing is brilliant throughout and has a way about it that elicits multiple emotions, sometimes even on a single page, and I praise him highly for that. The chapters that deal with the 'changing of the guard' shall we say, when Baba's influence and power is no more and he and Amir have to make for Pakistan, had my heart in my mouth, whereas the chapter where Hassan takes a beating and more, and Amir is too scared, to cowardly to intervene, (which comes back to haunt him, of course), made me both angry and sad and then there's the euphoria that Hassan and Amir feel when flying their kite and running it down, which I wish could be bottled.' I said back in April.

 

In bronze position then, Animal Farm by George Orwell. The writing here is simple but effective, not a word is wasted or unnecessary and so it is a short book, more novella than novel, so you’ll speed through it, but the power each of those words holds, the images they depict, the subtleties they portray, are superb. You envisage the farm with ease, the windmill as it is built and then destroyed, the animals and their traits: the cat sloping off, as any cat would, Boxer the Shire horse and Benjamin the donkey, working hard and doing virtually nothing in equal measure, the hens laying ever more eggs to just fatten up the pigs and Napoleon, their self-appointed leader, who surrounds himself with dogs and sows fear through misinformation - which is so close to reality around the world at the moment it’s scary - all feels so real. (21/01/23 post).

So, the runner up spot goes to, Spitfire: A Very British Love Story by John Nichol. This book is about so much more than just an aeroplane - albeit one of the most recognisable and well-regarded aeroplanes ever to have been built - it is about people. These who flew them, serviced them, designed and maintained them and it’s about tails of valour and heroism – not that those who risked their lives saw it that way - but above all else it's about those who lost their lives whilst defending freedom, and for that, this book is a truly excellent read and comes highly recommended. (18/02/23 post).

And the winner, my book of the year 2022 is: How (Not) To Be Strong by Alex Scott. (05/12/2022 post). 'Enjoying a book when the subject matter is so personal and to a large degree about abuse, is probably the wrong word to use but I did enjoy it. I enjoyed the discovery, both mine and the author's as I got the profound sense that she discovered something about herself whilst writing this memoir and has found her way out of her darkness and is moving towards the light - at least I hope she is. 
So, a very good read in my opinion, very much a, konnichiwa rather than a, konnichi-nah (you had us laughing out loud with that one Alex), and comes highly recommended,' is what I told you all earlier this month, and it came as a big surprise to me that a memoir would ever interest me, let alone move me in the way that this one has. NB: All proceeds from this book are being donated to the domestic abuse charity, Refuge. refuge.org.uk

To finish, I would just like to wish you all a very happy New Year and hope you all find happiness, in whatever form that might take, in 2023.