A review by ejpass
Firebird by Elizabeth Wein
4.0
4/5 stars
Recommended for people who like: historical fiction, Russian history, WWII, feminism, female leads, aviation, novellas
This books was much shorter than the other 'Young Pilot' books Wein has written. Likewise, I feel the narrator is younger than the other girls as well (her age was not given, just that she was no longer in school). The narrative style for Firebird is in the same style as the others as well, the narrator knows she's narrating, but it's not a journal or diary per-se.
I enjoyed the interactions between Nastia, our main character, and the Chief, her mentor. The Chief took on an obvious mentor role in the story, though she doesn't ever strictly command Nastia. As usual, Wein adds complexity even to her side-characters, giving the Chief depth as if she were real. I also really liked the descriptions Nastia gave of her parents, who were fighters in Russia's Civil War. I can't quite tell though if I fully like Nastia, however. As mentioned, her voice comes across as more immature than Maddie's, Verity's, and Rose's voices did in their stories.
Another bit of an issue I had with the book is that I was unsure of where exactly it was supposed to be going. Was it for the big reveal at the end that had little to do with Nastia? Or are we, as readers, supposed to judge Nastia's decision based on what Wein has given us about the war and Stalin's directives? Nastia says she's writing for a tribunal, but we never see any of that either. It makes the story feel a bit like it's supposed to be part of a larger whole, instead of a singular piece.
Overall, however, the writing was superb, as usual. Wein keeps many aspects of history true to how they occurred--there's a book coming out by Wein in January about the Russian female pilots during WWII--and subtly dropped in pieces of truth while weaving the fictional story around it.
Recommended for people who like: historical fiction, Russian history, WWII, feminism, female leads, aviation, novellas
This books was much shorter than the other 'Young Pilot' books Wein has written. Likewise, I feel the narrator is younger than the other girls as well (her age was not given, just that she was no longer in school). The narrative style for Firebird is in the same style as the others as well, the narrator knows she's narrating, but it's not a journal or diary per-se.
I enjoyed the interactions between Nastia, our main character, and the Chief, her mentor. The Chief took on an obvious mentor role in the story, though she doesn't ever strictly command Nastia. As usual, Wein adds complexity even to her side-characters, giving the Chief depth as if she were real. I also really liked the descriptions Nastia gave of her parents, who were fighters in Russia's Civil War. I can't quite tell though if I fully like Nastia, however. As mentioned, her voice comes across as more immature than Maddie's, Verity's, and Rose's voices did in their stories.
Another bit of an issue I had with the book is that I was unsure of where exactly it was supposed to be going. Was it for the big reveal at the end that had little to do with Nastia? Or are we, as readers, supposed to judge Nastia's decision based on what Wein has given us about the war and Stalin's directives? Nastia says she's writing for a tribunal, but we never see any of that either. It makes the story feel a bit like it's supposed to be part of a larger whole, instead of a singular piece.
Overall, however, the writing was superb, as usual. Wein keeps many aspects of history true to how they occurred--there's a book coming out by Wein in January about the Russian female pilots during WWII--and subtly dropped in pieces of truth while weaving the fictional story around it.