I loved this book when I first read it in 2012. I picked it up again for our blog on Activist Heroines and fell hard all over again. This is the story of Lulu Davies, a pilot for the English Air Transport Auxiliary, the only organization that allowed women to fly planes in WWII. She falls in love with American medic Joe Weber whom she meets when he’s the medic sent to save her after she makes a crash landing.
Lulu and Joe and their WWII context are brilliantly rendered by Ms. Lofty for whom this book was a true labor of love. His Very Own Girl is a my favorite wartime romance. Joe and Lulu meet in January of 1944 and in June, Joe heads to Normandy as part of the D-Day invasion. Lulu stays in Britain, flying planes and pushing to be allowed in the combat zones. Joe survives in part by staying focused on the life he wants when the war ends, a life with Lulu. Lulu takes on increasingly dangerous missions and writes Joe letters she’s worried he’ll never get. Their romance is so real–it’s rather like reading a movie. This is a love story that showcases genuine heroes; Joe and Lulu are willing to give up their lives if it means defeating Hitler and his armies.
Will Lulu fly combat planes? Will she and Joe find a future together? What happened to the women who were given so much responsibility in WWII only to see it whisked away when the men came back from war? Ms. Lofty answers all these questions deftly. His Very Own Girl is a DIK in every way.
Sensuality: Warm
Publication Date: 09/2013
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Me too! Can’t wait.
By the way, we watched Diner last night. In general, it held up wonderfully. Very fun.