This story takes place in England, mostly in East Grinstead, and in the air over Europe during 1942 and 1943. Mac, short for John Mackenzie of the US air force, flies bombing missions with several men in his plane and fights with the Luftwaffe. When he catches sight of the shy and beautiful Stella Charlton of the WAAF, he can’t erase her from his mind. Then, in a joint party between the Americans and the British, when Stella and Mac dance, they fall in love with each other. Stella has a friend in the British air force, who her mother pushes as Stella’s future mate, although Stella doesn’t love him but feels bound to him in some way.

When Mac gets burns in a crash and is disfigured afterward, he is sent to the burn unit of Dr. Archibald McIndoe, a plastic surgeon from New Zealand with unorthodox methods and a truly dedicated man to his profession. Dr. McIndoe is a real character of World War II as is the Guinea Pig Club formed of his patients. His burn unit is called the Beauty Shop.

In the meantime, Stella has a difficult time getting through to Mac who is upset with his disfigurement and is grieving the friend who he couldn’t save in the crash. The air fights, the lovers’ up and down affair, and the burn unit stories all add to the success of this story, which ends on a high note.

I enjoyed reading this story very much. It began with Archie’s burn unit and eased into Mac’s story as Mac being the main character with Stella as his counterpart; however, as the story progressed Dr. Archie McIndoe stole the show, and for a while there, overshadowed and took the place of the protagonist. Or maybe, who the real protagonist was became clouded somewhat. As well as the story is written, I am wondering if it wouldn’t be better to have Dr. McIndoe as the protagonist from the beginning and making Mac and Stella’s strong romance story a subplot.

Still, I applaud the author for the amount of research she must have conducted. The building of suspense, use of the language, storytelling, characterization, and handling of the setting also shine. The details in the story-- the air fights, crashes, burns, and wounds of the soldiers—are gory and probably not for the faint-hearted; yet, despite the pain and the gore, evading this story may be a loss for any historical fiction reader. I am glad I read it, and I feel enlightened by it.

catching a glimpse of what the World War II was like from the angle of the British and those who served.

Dr. McIndoe's character.

Stella's wavering between the two men in the beginning. She annoyed me.

is Suzy Henderson.

It is something to learn from and is well written.

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Created May 20, 2018 at 9:41pm • Submit your own review...