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The Pilot's Wife

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The Pilot's Wife

By: Cynthia Anderson
Narrated by: Laurence Bouvard
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About this listen

 1944. As darkness descends over Europe, nineteen-year-old Hedy chooses hope in the face of the evil that grips the continent and stalks the streets of her quiet Swiss hometown.

One night in the forest, with only the light of the moon to guide her, Hedy finds a wounded American airman. Second Lieutenant Samuel Reardon was dropping supplies to the French resistance when his plane crashed. Despite the grave danger it will bring her whole family to harbour an Allied soldier, Hedy can't leave Samuel injured and alone, so she hides him in her father's mountain hut.

Risking everything, Hedy cares for Samuel in secret. And, as burgeoning feelings grow between them, their dangerous resistance work leaves them facing a decision that could tear them apart forever. . .

2018, America. Nineteen-year-old Gina looks at her grandmother's wrinkled hands. They tell the story of Hedy's whole life. Since Gina's mother died, Mamie Hedy is all she has - and Gina can't help wonder how much time they have left together. But then her grandmother reveals a shocking secret that takes them all the way back to her childhood home in the Swiss mountains . . .©2025 Cynthia Anderson (P)2025 Bonnier Books UK 20th Century Historical Historical Fiction Military Heartfelt Aviation
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I liked the story and the characters. I also learnt a lot about how Switzerland was in the war . A very good book .

Pilots wife

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I actually really enjoyed this book, but there are several glaring historical errors, hence the star rating. Samuel is looking forward to reaching his 25th mission, so he'll be able to go back to the States. Yet at this point in the war, airmen's required missions had been increased to 30 and later the same year it was 35. Rolex did in fact send watches to any Allied internees stuck in Switzerland, not just British nationals. American airmen were also able to order these watches. However, the author fails to mention that anyone ordering a watch from Rolex to be delivered to the internment camps via the Red Cross, did actually sign documentation pledging to pay for their watch after the war. Also parachutes are mentioned as being made of silk. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Allies had no access to silk from the East. Hence from 1942 onwards parachutes were produced from nylon. One error is perhaps acceptable but several errors shows a lack of proper research, which would make the finished novel much more authentic. That aside, I did enjoy the plot and felt the characters were all really interesting and well developed. The narrator was absolutely perfect for this book.

Enjoyable read despite historical errors

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