Normally when reviewing a trilogy, I put placeholder reviews in for each of the books and write an overall review at the end. But one of the surprising things about Flambards is just how different each of the books feels. The first book was horses and hunting and big stately homes and being swept off your feet by love, whereas the second book is aeroplanes and poverty and trying to get by by working all the hours and a really interesting story about being in love with someone who is more obsessed with their work than they will ever be with you, and being dragged out of your comfort zone to do things they want you to do while they are mostly oblivious to your feelings.

The amazing world of the early days of British aviation (what would be fun? I know! Let's take planes that crash quite a lot and do acrobatic tricks in them over fields full of spectators!) is a wonderful setting for this fascinating character study. ( )

Christina's romance with Will is frustrating but realistic. He loves nothing in the world as much as flying and designing airplanes, and she loves nothing as much as him. It's sad that he can't even begin to understand her fears for his safety and the way that she heroically tramps down her own feelings EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. But he's also a fascinating genius, which attracts and, at the same time, isolates. It's no wonder Christina loves him, but she has to make do with what she can get, because the skills of human interaction are always going to be a bit out of his reach. Interesting tale, and not one I would have labeled as YA fiction, but it was originally written for younger readers. ( )

The sequel to Flambards, this one follows Christine and Will as they try to find their places in the real world as adults and wait out will's father's/Christine's uncle's unwillingness to let them get married. Will finds a job as a mechanic with a flying lessons business while trying to scrape together enough money to make his own plane, and christine gets a job in a nearby hotel. Christine spends all her time on the edge of a panic attack about Will's flying, while Will seems fairly oblivious.

While Flambards was fine, this one was quite a bit worse than fine. It's clearly meant to be a romantic story about the struggles of a young couple on their way to marriage, but Christine just seems weak and desperate and not at all in touch with the idea of living for herself and not wholly for the man she thinks the loves, while Will is portrayed - or at least I think we're meant to see him - as a slightly unaware but still gallant boyfriend, when in fact he's just as unhealthily obsessed with the idea of getting his own plane and flying it as Christine is with him. Completely unhealthy relationship all round. Bah. ( )

NA

The sequel to Flambards by KM Peyton, The Edge of the Cloud tells the story of William and Christina's life after escaping from Flambards. Despite their intention to marry, Will is jobless and penniless with no means of supporting a new wife. Armed with a single-minded determination to forge a career as a pioneer aviator and aeroplane designer, Will sets off to Farnborough to seek work as a flyer. Beset by obstacles, Will's quest seems hopeless. When his fortunes do begin to change, Christina realises a new fear every time the fragile canvass and wood flying machines take to the air.

Superbly researched, KM Peyton has no fear of dealing out death to her characters making this a compelling and exciting drama from beginning to end...

This story held a special significance for me because I wanted to use it for research for my new writing project and I was acquainted with David Boddington, the gentleman who built and flew the flying machine models for the television drama based on the KM Peyton Flambards books. ( )