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Book Review, That Burning Summer by Lydia Syson

 

That Burning Summer

By Lydia Syson

It’s July 1940 on the south coast of England. A plane crash-lands in the marsh, and sixteen-year-old Peggy finds its broken pilot—a young Polish airman named Henryk. Afraid and unwilling to return to the fight, Henryk needs a place to hide, and Peggy helps him find his way to a remote, abandoned church.

Meanwhile, Peggy’s eleven-year-old brother Ernest is doing his best to try to understand the war happening around him. He’s reading all the pamphlets—he knows all the rules, he knows exactly what to do in every situation. He’s prepared, but not for Peggy’s hidden pilot.

Told in alternating points of view, this is a beautifully written story about growing up in wartime and finding the difference between following the rules and following your heart.

This book has been on my to-read list forever. I was immediately drawn to this novel by the cover, which is pretty darn fabulous. The story itself was a little bit of a slow burn for me, but the characters were exceedingly likeable and the story was very realistic in the telling. The historical aspect of the novel was certainly very enjoyable and I came away from this book feeling like I had learnt something about this era.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley, but you can also pick it up on Amazon