This was a great second book in the Velma Jean series. You didn't need to read the first book to get the beauty of Velma Jeans tale.
I loved the way the book blended history with Velma Jean's determination. Velma Jean is an unforgettable character ! I loved the book and have recommended it to friends. ( )

"Velva Jean Learns to Fly" is a fascinating journey of a young woman who had her heart set on singing, but opened herself up to an equally, if not more, exciting career - flying. Her bravery, loyalty, perseverance, and love for herself are inspiring. I sense a sequel coming, and I will read "Velva Jean Learns to Drive" in the future. I loved that VJ was not whiny, and had realistic views of the situations at hand, including seeing her ex-husband when she returned home to visit her family. ( )

I never would have picked this book up on my own. I would have turned it down for review if it were offered. But it wasn't. It just came one day and I always at least try to read the books that come. Because I knew if this one sat on my shelf for long I would start to dread even trying to read it, I picked it up immediately. I figured I'd get bored and I would send it on to my mom to read and review instead. So I was shocked when I was immediately sucked into the story and how much I came to love Velva Jean Hart and her determination in all the things she set her heart on doing. This book touched me in so many ways and it had me laughing, crying, and incredibly angry at some of the things and people she had to deal with. My emotions were all over the place, but I was definitely feeling this book.

I fell in love with Velva Jean. I think she's a person that we would all love to be. Even though she was afraid she still stuck with her determination in whatever she set her heart out to do. She left her safe sanctuary of a home in the NC mountains and took off to sing in the Opry in Nashville. She worked to get herself there and did everything she could possibly do, but when it didn't work out and the war came about she found her love of flying. And yes, she was afraid to get in that airplane, but her brother pushed her and once she was in the air she realized she wanted to fly that thing. And she did. She took lessons and eventually went off to school and in the end she flew pretty much every sort of plane the US military flew. And some that many men in the military wouldn't even fly. She dealt with prejudice and sabotage and watched friends die in planes, and even had some bad situations herself, but she stuck with it. And I couldn't admire her more. She had every sort of obstacle there could possibly be, but Velva Jean Hart, with her big heart, her voice of an angel and her resolve of steel, did what she felt she had to do.

Maybe now your thinking that yeah, Velva Jean might be a great character, but the whole flying thing... it just sounds boring. Well, maybe it would be boring for you. I grew up flying in a small airplane, my grandfather had one and he flew from farm to farm selling livestock feed to farmers and I went with him a few times and I know the feeling of being in a small plane, but I never flew one and I never had the strong urge to. In Velva Jean Learns to Fly we get some details of flying, but there were no long descriptions and everything just seemed to go so fast. Seriously, with all that happened in this book I would think it would be some 2,000 page book and not 416. So everything that happened wasn't real lengthy which kept the pace of the book up. And it's not all about her flying. It has so much more about her life, and even some romance which I actually loved (like loved, loved, loved). And while everything wasn't all rainbows and unicorns, it was a book that really made me feel. I felt the love, the hate, the pain, the anger... I felt so much that it hurt. But it was perfect.

I did not read Velva Jean Learns to Drive and this book stood just fine on it's own. But at times I was really wishing I had because I think I would have understood things just a bit more. Things happened in her past that haunt her a bit and while I got the gist of much of it, it would have been nice to know just a bit more. I'll definitely pick it up in the future because Velva Jean has become a favorite character of mine. I really hope the author continues Velva Jeans story, I don't think it's quite finished yet. But she didn't leave it with a cliffhanger or anything. It kind of felt like the perfect ending, but yet I still wish for more.

I very highly recommend this book. I'm glad that I stepped out of my normal comfort zone and tried something different. It ended up being the perfect book and it made me realize that sometimes we really don't know what we'll like until we try it. Also, I think this book is considered adult but it would definitely work as a YA. Velva Jean is on her own and has gone through much more then most girls of 19, but it would still be a book appropriate and appreciated by girls of any age. ( )

I just loved this book. I wish I had had a chance to read it's predecessor, 'Velva Jean Learns to Drive' but the author does a great job of filling in the blanks regarding our heroine Velva Jeans history before we meet her in her new adventures. Velva Jean is a lovable, likeable and believable character who grows from a backwoods country girl bride to a woman with amazing talents. She has come of age and she knows what she wants and will not stop until she gets it. And she can sing! The description of her training as a pilot rang very true to me. I have taken ground school and been around many airplanes as my husband and I own a flight school, we have taken many cross country trips in our own plane. The author did a fantastic job of sharing what it must have been like for these young women training as pilots during WWII. They were harassed and some of their planes were sabotaged by some of the jealous male pilots in training at the same base. Unbelievable to think that that was what was happening - but I know it was true as I've read about it elsewhere.

Velva jean Learns to fly is a bit funny, a bit sad, historically accurate (as far as I could tell) and thought provoking. I look forward to the next adventures of Velva Jean Hart. I highly recommend this novel. ( )

Velva Jean Learns to Fly is a fun piece of chick lit with a strong, daring protagonist. Set against the backdrop of World War II, Jennifer Niven delivers a story of a young woman who leaves a bad marriage in search of a career on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry. She quickly learns that you don’t just walk onto the stage and that she will need to find steady income while she pursues her dream. Along the way Velva Jean develops an interest in the war effort and a passion for flying. ( )