I listened to the audio version and it was nice. And nice is pretty much my thought about the book. The Secrets of Flight is about Mary Browning, an old woman that retells her life's story to a young girl, Elyse Strickler. And through this do, we learn about her big secret while we also learn more about Elyse and her family and all their problems.

I wish I could have connected more with the characters. I found Mary's story interesting, her Jewish upbringing, her love for flying and the secret she has hidden all these years. However, as much as I enjoyed Elyse's story did I feel that her story took away the spotlight from Mary's story which was far more interesting. Not to mention the over the top "Hollywood" ending. I mean come on? Way too cheesy!

The book's best part is definitely Mary's story and I would have loved this book way more if her youth as a fly girl together with the other women would have taken center stage. The discrimination, the friendship and the losses. It would have been great to have learned more about the other women, their lives after they went their separate ways. I did enjoy Elyse story, but it almost felt like reading another book when the story focused on her.

I want to thank William Morrow Paperbacks for providing me with a free copy through Edelweiss for an honest review! ( )

I listened to the audio version and it was nice. And nice is pretty much my thought about the book. The Secrets of Flight is about Mary Browning, an old woman that retells her life's story to a young girl, Elyse Strickler. And through this do, we learn about her big secret while we also learn more about Elyse and her family and all their problems.

I wish I could have connected more with the characters. I found Mary's story interesting, her Jewish upbringing, her love for flying and the secret she has hidden all these years. However, as much as I enjoyed Elyse's story did I feel that her story took away the spotlight from Mary's story which was far more interesting. Not to mention the over the top "Hollywood" ending. I mean come on? Way too cheesy!

The book's best part is definitely Mary's story and I would have loved this book way more if her youth as a fly girl together with the other women would have taken center stage. The discrimination, the friendship and the losses. It would have been great to have learned more about the other women, their lives after they went their separate ways. I did enjoy Elyse story, but it almost felt like reading another book when the story focused on her.

I want to thank William Morrow Paperbacks for providing me with a free copy through Edelweiss for an honest review! ( )

3.5 Stars

I was hesitant to read this as I generally like my fiction faster paced, but this novel snuck up on me. Told in alternating POV, what starts out as an elderly lady and high school girl meeting in a writing group turns into a quiet saga that is ultimately about growing up and family. Mary and Elyse are both very relateable characters and I loved that both had flaws as well. A very touching, bittersweet novel.

I received a copy from LirbaryThing in return for an honest review. ( )

Secrets and lies are revealed as an eighty-seven year old women and a fifteen year old girl forge a friendship. They meet in a writers group and the young girl agrees to help the woman write a memoir about her time as a pilot during World War 2. I like the smooth way the narration moves between present events and the memories of the past. There are some surprises and some not-so-surprising revelations. As the older woman tries to unburden herself of what she once felt were necessary lies, the younger is getting caught up in her own "necessary" lies. An interesting cross generation story with perhaps one too many twists, but a nice read. Advance review copy courtesy of the publisher. ( )

I loved so many things about this book. First it is a very well written piece of historical fiction about the World War II fly girls which I found very interesting. But at the core it is about family relationships, a coming of age story and second chances. The story is about a teenage girl, Elyse, who is experiencing family problems at home and joins a writers group at her local library. What she didn’t know is that the group is composed of senior citizens, including elderly Mary Browning who is very secretive about her past life. Mary recruits Elyse to type her memoirs for her, and their friendship grows. Some of the things that teenage Elyse wrote about, and her experiences made me laugh. Other times some of the situations were very sad. Mary’s past as a pilot and falling in love with her husband were really interesting. I loved the way the secrets of the book were unveiled. The author wrapped up the book by intertwining the past and the present that I found very satisfying.

An advanced reader copy of this book was received from Library Thing. ( )