Daughters of the Night Sky

By: Aimie K. Runyan

Narrated by: Kathleen Gati

Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's Summary

A novel—inspired by the most celebrated regiment in the Red Army—about a woman's sacrifice, courage, and love in a time of war.

Russia, 1941. Katya Ivanova is a young pilot in a far-flung military academy in the Ural Mountains. From childhood, she's dreamed of taking to the skies to escape her bleak mountain life. With the Nazis on the march across Europe, she is called on to use her wings to serve her country in its darkest hour. Not even the entreaties of her new husband—a sensitive artist who fears for her safety—can dissuade her from doing her part as a proud daughter of Russia.

After years of arduous training, Katya is assigned to the 588th Night Bomber Regiment—one of the only Soviet air units composed entirely of women. The Germans quickly learn to fear nocturnal raids by the daring fliers they call "Night Witches." But the brutal campaign will exact a bitter toll on Katya and her sisters-in-arms. When the smoke of war clears, nothing will ever be the same—and one of Russia's most decorated military heroines will face the most agonizing choice of all.

©2017 Aimie K. Runyan (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved

Narrator sets the scene

fascinating look at World War II from a completely different angle. The narrator made it easy to distinguish characters and follow with all the confusing Russian names. The only thing I didn't like was the very cliched ending. it is as if the author had an appointment she needed to get to, so just closed the book.

28 of 28 people found this review helpful

Amazing

This is the amazing story of an even more amazing all women Soviet pilots serving in WW2. I had never heard of them and found the whole story simply incredible. So much of history we just never hear about. Theses amazing women trained and used old planes made of Little More then paper and some metal. The faced freezing temperatures in oversized men shoes and uniforms because no one took the time to make a women’s uniform. Just a fabulous portrayal of determination by womenfolk help their country. How sad so few know of their courage. Narrator did wonderful job with names. Easy to hear the difference in characters. So impressed looked up the “night witches” now that’s a good book when you can’t get enough.

57 of 59 people found this review helpful

Incredible Story of Incredible Women

I am an aviation fan, a WAC Veteran, and a lover of stories that show how women can persevere in times of great need. Although fiction, this story is based on the women who flew flimsy bi-planes at night with no radar, night vision, armor or radios to drop bombs on the German Army invading Russia during WWII. Their incredible bravery helped them to succeed. Aimie Runyan wrote a story so poignant as to have me cheering and laughing and in tears. Kathleen Gati performed spectacularly with a Russian accent that gave the narrative a genuine feel. I have no doubt that I will listen to this book again and again.

17 of 17 people found this review helpful

Grabs you from the beginning!

Where does Daughters of the Night Sky rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I loved this story so much I listened to it after reading it! This was amazing to listen to, it made me feel like I was in the story.

What about Kathleen Gati’s performance did you like?

I loved the emotion she put into it!

14 of 14 people found this review helpful

Gripping & informative story of WWII Women Pilots

Where does Daughters of the Night Sky rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It is difficult for me to rank a book against others since this is the first I've listened to & read about historically based fictional WWII novels. I can say it was well written, well performed, and according to the author close to the historical record so we actually learn about who these women were, what they did, and how well they did it.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Daughters of the Night Sky?

For me there were two, the almost defection of the main character and the death of one of the leaders.

What does Kathleen Gati bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

All I can say is that she did a wonderful job and I was able to tell which character's voice I was listening to during the entire reading.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The death of one of the leaders.

Any additional comments?

I found this book interesting and at times gripping. Like the author, I too am interested in WWII and found this book informative. I knew nothing about these women pilots and was impressed by their dedication and angered by their treatment by the men in their own service. Unfortunately, all too often it becomes evident that things have changed little for women since then.I strongly recommend that you read the after word by the author. It is here she tells us what facts she changed to make it the story she wanted to tell. I was pleased to find out that the basic truths about this group of women were not changed enough to stop us from understanding who they were, what they did, and how well they did it.

11 of 11 people found this review helpful

Historical fiction at it best

Where does Daughters of the Night Sky rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book would be at the top 10% of the books I have listened to The top 5% of historical fiction.

What other book might you compare Daughters of the Night Sky to and why?

(The Children's House of Belsen) Both books are filled with human weakness, suffering and heroism joy. If you want the human side of war, I would recommend both of these books.

What about Kathleen Gati’s performance did you like?

Her soft and gentle voice was rich and calm making the story equally rich.

If you could rename Daughters of the Night Sky, what would you call it?

I think the name is excellent as is. I sums up the subject matter extremely well.

32 of 34 people found this review helpful

Awesome story of great heroines!

What drew me to this book was the fact that I am a pilot and love stories about heroic levels of aviation and honor!. What I found was a terrific and entertaining story about flying, courage and the difficulties of women fighting in the war.

I appreciate the work and dedication of women in aviation as my best instructor was female, and the most genuine and dedicated instructor I had throughout my training.

She helped me become an excellent pilot.

This was a fun read and great naration kept it very exciting.

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

meh...

I was so disappointed in this book. After reading the reviews, I was expecting a much richer story with more complexity. This is not a bad book or story but the pace is slow and it is full of cliches and is highly predictable.The narrator was excellent and helped set the atmosphere with the Russian accent.

15 of 16 people found this review helpful

Excellent Story, excellent narration

I read a lot of historical fiction in the WW1/WW2 with strong female leads, mostly based out of England and set in Europe. For instance, I loved listening to The Alice Network. It was so fascinating to hear a similar tale set in a place you read so much less about, Russia. I loved everything about it. The narrator was so spot on. Her gentle and deliberate pace made you want to lean closer to not miss a word. My husband even loved listening in when he got the chance.

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

Loved the book

This is a story that needed to be told. I enjoyed the story and the reader who represented the main character very well. So, when is the movie coming out?

12 of 13 people found this review helpful

Powerfully Moving

This is a beautiful, heart wrenching book set in a country and period I know little about. The characters are beautifully drawn and the story is gripping, poignant and remarkable. Incredible that such high honours were bestowed on a female flying unit and interesting to see that Stalin believed in equal rights.

At times the prose is over written, but this could easily be down to sounding authentically Russian. At times the book lacks tension, despite dramatic action in the story. I felt the narrator was trying to take the story to its conclusion, rather than expanding on the important individual events/scenes, which lost tension significantly.

The story is so well researched and authentic it's hard to believe it isn't autobiography, which is a sign of a brilliant writer. The end has a sudden, unexpected plot twist.

Outstanding book.

Fascinating subject and would highly recommend it. Emotional and moving and well researched. Great performance by the narrator too.