The Spitfire Girls

By: Soraya M. Lane

Narrated by: Sarah Zimmerman

Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

Three skilled aviators determined to help win the war. Three brave women who know their place is not at home.

At the height of World War II, the British Air Transport Auxiliary need help. A group of young women volunteer for action, but the perils of their new job don’t end on the tarmac. Things are tough in the air, but on the ground their abilities as pilots are constantly questioned.

There is friction from the start between the new recruits. Spirited American Lizzie turns heads with her audacity, but few can deny her flying skills. She couldn’t be more different from shy, petite Ruby, who is far from diminutive in the sky. It falls to pragmatic pilot May to bring the women together and create a formidable team capable of bringing the aircraft home.

As these very different women fight to prove themselves up to the task at hand, they are faced with challenges and tragedies at every turn. They must fight for equal pay and respect while handling aircraft that are dangerously ill-equipped; meanwhile, lives continue to be lost in the tumult of war.

Determined to assist the war effort doing what they love, can May, Lizzie and Ruby put aside their differences to overcome adversity, and will they find love in the skies?

©2019 Soraya M. Lane (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Soraya M. Lane’s terrific historical novel…is about strong, remarkable women that carved out their own unique roles in WWII history. I loved this story and can’t recommend it enough!” (Jane Healey, best-selling author of The Saturday Evening Girls Club)

Magnificent! The story & the narration!

If only those boring textbooks could be written into a fictional story... It is really difficult to find books about women with even tolerable narration, so, I feel like I hit the jackpot to have found a great story filled with facts and narrated by a professional. Well done!!

Engaging

When I brought this book, I thought it was non-fiction. When I started reading, I discovered it was a historical fiction book. Over the years, I had read a number of non-fiction books about the role of women pilots in the United States during World War II. I was looking forward to learning about the role of women pilots in the UK.

The book is well written, but the research was minimal. I did learn that the British women pilots had as much difficulty as those in the USA. The story of the British Air Transport Auxiliary was most interesting. The story follows three women: two British and one American pilot and their role in the British ATA. The story was interesting and kept my attention.

The book is nine hours and twenty-one minutes. Sarah Zimmerman does a good job narrating the book. Zimmerman is an actress and an Audie Award-nominated narrator.

Incredible

This is an incredible story that we should all be proud of! It is a sweet romance between women and their country, flying for their families, and finding friendship and love in the oddest of relationships. WWII brings incredible heartbreak, just as it breaks the mold! It allowed both men and women the opportunity to spread their wings and soar to new heights! I’m so grateful for these people who led the way for women to join the ranks with the men, and win the war, not just the Second World War, but all the future wars both big and small! As a woman, wife, and mother who also retired from 20 years in the US Navy, I can’t thank them enough, for setting the ground work and putting the wheels in motion! My country and I are so very grateful for each woman who went before me and who continue the fight for our future!
This narrator was superb and the story fascinating! Thank you both for this wonderful story!

Formula Romance Novel Dribble

I was really disappointed in this book, because the subject of women pilots in WWII was of interest to me. About a fourth of the way through, however, I started getting the uneasy feeling this was nothing but a formula romance novel with a theme of "women pilots" to carry it through. As a former romance novel writer, I am very familiar with the genre. Heroine with faults meets brave hero. Sexual tension (means the two butt heads at the beginning) finally resolved as the stubborn heroine realizes the man is everything she ever wanted. Nothing wrong with that if that's what you are looking for in a book. But don't choose this if you are looking for substance or pursuing knowledge. It was pretty clear the author didn't have much background, personal experience or knowledge in the subject she was writing about. Too much talking about "dimples popping out" and applying lipstick and powder in the cockpit of a four-engine bomber prior to landing. I want to know what the cockpit looked like, smelled like, how it felt, and what levers and buttons she had to push. How did she enter and exit the plane? Instead, all I heard was how she removed her helmet and shook out her long, gorgeous brunette hair like a pinup girl.

There are some good books out there about women flyers and the valuable roles they played in WWII. There's some quality historical fiction on the subject. This book is not one of them.

Engaging, informative

I learned so much that I did not know about women pilots. The author mixed facts and fiction beautifully. Excellent read.

Beautiful

Loved this book from start to finish. my teenage daughter was listening from the other room, and would randomly ask about the characters, when I listened when she wasn't home.
highly recommend!

Truly inspiring

Soaring inspiring wonderful. A truly entertaining book with incredibly powerful moments of joy, friendship, loyalty. I enjoyed reading this book that gave me the women's point of view of war.

Great read (or listen)

Very nicely narrated fictionalization of the women who flew WWII aircraft to the pilots on the front lines. Great character development. I'm going to listen to another book by this author, if I can decide which one first!

Broke my heart in places

I really enjoy stories about WWII, especially those that have truth to them as this one does.

It is the story of female pilots who came forward in the US and America to free male flyers from non-combat situations.

The part that made me cry isn't a spoiler, because it is written in history. Once these women, who put their lives on the line so their counterparts could fight, were sent home when the war was over. Basically patted on the head and told to go home and mind the house.

Women doing what they do best

took me to an era my parents told stories about. showcased women breaking down the gender barrier and being patriots. enjoyable book.

Absolutely awful narration... Buy kindle instead

Great story... Ruined by the worst narration I have ever heard. Diabolical English accent with words pronounced so badly I finished reading the kindle format instead

Entertaining enough

An entertaining enough story, loosely woven around historical events, even if some of the story-telling is rather "by the numbers".
I was surprised to realise the author hadn't done some really basic research, like getting to grips with the ATA and RAF ranks, nor bothered to check the colour of footwear a USAAF officer wore with his full uniform (brown shoes not black boots). And we wear dinner jackets in the UK, not tuxedos.
I immediately suspected the narrator was from the US, as her "British" accents were, um, well, rather idiosyncratic.

Brilliant and thought provoking

I know this is fiction but very much based on fact and I feel so proud of these women. Thank you ladies 🙏🏻

tame no excitement

struggled to finish it rather tame not a brilliant narator prefer not to keep it in my library

American or British narrator?!

Okay, so it took me a while to work out why the British accent sounded a bit odd to my British ear, especially when some of the words were pronounced incorrectly. Discovered that the narrator is American and reading in a peculiar British accent! Even some of the conversational intonation is off. The Austria accent is terrible!

The author also uses words such as Fall rather than Autumn which, if spoken by a British character, is wrong.

I'm enjoying the book, but these issues are just annoying, especially when it's easy enough to get someone to read in their own accent, not a fake one!