specialk136's review against another edition
3.0
The story of a mid-air meeting between a German fighter pilot and an American pilot, it truly is an amazing encounter. The author can write a really good action scene. For someone (okay, it's me) who doesn't know a lot about planes, or the military, he did a good job helping me visualize the mid-air battles.
I learned a lot about the German Air Force, too, and I especially liked how the book teaches us that there were good guys on both sides of the war.
So why only 3 stars? The encounter between Franz and Charlie, while incredible, is just that: an encounter. It's the climax of the book, the heart of the story, and yet it's about enough material for a magazine article. Plus, the author has chosen to put it in about 2/3 of the way in...I kept thinking something else had to happen between these two; there had to be more (there wasn't). The rest of the book is about Franz' wartime experiences as a German Air Force Pilot. We don't meet Charlie until well into the book, and after their encounter, the story moves back to Franz almost exclusively. I wish equal time had been given to both pilots or at least that the book description had been written so we expect the bulk of the book to tell Franz' story.
I learned a lot about the German Air Force, too, and I especially liked how the book teaches us that there were good guys on both sides of the war.
So why only 3 stars? The encounter between Franz and Charlie, while incredible, is just that: an encounter. It's the climax of the book, the heart of the story, and yet it's about enough material for a magazine article. Plus, the author has chosen to put it in about 2/3 of the way in...I kept thinking something else had to happen between these two; there had to be more (there wasn't). The rest of the book is about Franz' wartime experiences as a German Air Force Pilot. We don't meet Charlie until well into the book, and after their encounter, the story moves back to Franz almost exclusively. I wish equal time had been given to both pilots or at least that the book description had been written so we expect the bulk of the book to tell Franz' story.
ambermain90's review against another edition
5.0
I'm so sad I'm done reading this book. So so good. I loved every minute of it. I really enjoyed getting to read about both the American (Charlie Brown) and the German (Franz Stigler) point of views. Focusing primarily on Franz's story you see that Franz is a real hero and gentleman. He's such an honorable pilot and inspirational person in general. It's so interesting getting to read about WWII. I started this book around the 4th of July and I think it perfectly describes the sacrifice that all military personnel make during wartime and thereafter. This is not a book that I think I would be drawn to but it makes me want to read more books like it. I would definitely recommend; it's a page turner!
superiorweasel's review against another edition
5.0
This is a terrific tale of enemies made friends.
michromeu's review against another edition
4.0
What an interesting, eye-opening book. I really enjoyed the fact that the narrative focused on the innate good in people, regardless of which side of the war they were on.
kyliegiff's review against another edition
5.0
The story itself is incredible but the authors did an IMMACULATE job of laying out the story and really doing the journey some justice in writing. This is the type of book, at least for me, that I sat down and didn’t stop reading until it was done. Really a page turner.
thebeechbabe's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-paced
3.0
lindasdarby's review against another edition
5.0
What a wonderful story especially during a divisive and uncertainty. I listened to the audiobook and the reader was fantastic. A terrific example of how people can come from very different backgrounds and beliefs and be good people. I loved listening to the story of Franz and how he came to be a fighter pilot. I learned a lot about the Germans and the nazis and the war that I somehow hadn't learned in all of my previous reading! I also thought Charlie Brown was amazing and I loved how they end up meeting in the end. Marvelous read that is totally inspiring. There are so many good people everywhere.
emilybriano's review against another edition
4.0
Lots of great historical detail and an amazing story that gave me a lot of empathy for men on both sides of the war.
bookcrazyamy's review against another edition
4.0
Amazing story, makes you realize that the "enemy" is not always that.
mary_r_m's review against another edition
5.0
11/7/21
Audio this time. A beautiful story that I'm glad was shared. It is good to know that even in the darkest times we can choose to do good.
Audio this time. A beautiful story that I'm glad was shared. It is good to know that even in the darkest times we can choose to do good.