REVIEW: The Long Flight Home by Alan Hlad

As many of our library frequenters have observed I cannot turn away from a work of historical fiction. That being said, the genre of World War II historical fiction has been very popular in recent years and I have longed for a new time period to get lost in. Social distancing has led me to retreat into books even more than usual, and when I stumbled upon Alan Hlad’s The Long Flight Home in the NH Downloadable Books Consortium I was hesitant to dive into yet another WWII story. Despite my initial hesitation I truly got lost in this heartfelt and unique tale!

The Long Flight Home is the story of two characters set in 1940 Britain during the Blitz.  We meet Susan, an English woman with a background in training homing pigeons, and Ollie, an American crop duster from Maine with hopes to join the Royal Airforce.  Fate brings them together (like any good story!) on a mission with Susan’s pigeons to aid Great Britain in its espionage efforts in France, a German occupied country. I was swept away by this story but also learned a thing or two about the use of homing pigeons in the war effort during World War II. What made this book memorable was that the heroes and heroines were average people, and birds, living in an extraordinary time that chose to act for the betterment of others and at a great risk.  With the current situation at hand celebrating the efforts of ordinary citizens is both relatable and inspiring. 

I’d recommend getting lost in The Long Flight Home, it may help you forget even if only for a few hours, that you’ve been staring at the same walls for weeks! If you have not already tried out the NH Downloadable Books Consortium to access e-books or audio books give it a go at https://nh.overdrive.com/nh-griffin/content This title is also available on Hoopla as an audiobook and an e-book at https://www.hoopladigital.com/my/hoopla All you need to access these services is your library card number and your pin. Please let us know if you have any questions to get started with either of these services.

Wishing you all health, happiness, and a good book!

– Jamie