When We Had Wings (3/5)

Ariel Lawhon (author of one of my favorite novels, Frozen River), Kristina McMorris, and Susan Meissner joined forces to write this World War II historic fiction novel When We Had Wings. The three authors write about three nurses, Penny, Lita, and Eleanor, who end up in the Philippines during the Japanese takeover in World War II. The three woman bring their own background and stories into the mix as they fight to survive the horrid conditions of prisoners of war.

In this novel, my absolute favorite of the three main characters is Penny because of what she has already endured before arriving in the Philippines. She's humble, she's tough, and she's the "mother" of her new friends, Eleanor and Lita. I could relate to Penny and wanted to read more about her as the book went on.

I ranked this novel 3 out of 5 because although the story was very engaging, I found it to be slower and more even-paced; in many novels that grasp my attention, I struggle to put it down and often can't wait to read the next page. In this book, it was easy to take breaks and put it down which, for some, might be the way they like to read a book that is 432 pages long. The story is compelling enough to pull you through to finding out what happens to each character, so no worries there. I absolutely believe it is worth the read, so do pick up your copy today and let me know what you think!