A Place to Land
The sequel to A Tale of Wild Geese, A Place to Land picks up Johnny Reilly's story in Africa at the end of 1944.
World War Two had left all of them with scars, not all of them visible, and it wasn't over yet. At night the Focke-Wulf still hunted him and the people he loved.
When his career as a fighter pilot had ended, Johnny Reilly had come to Africa to make peace with his beloved cousin, to bring her husband home to her. He hadn't meant to stay, but the lovely Louise Viljoen had changed that when she kissed him in front of the hotel...
Lou was the only girl who had him off guard and kept him that way. Somehow she knew how to help him through the nightmares. But he'd never had sense, then, had he? So he made more mistakes and then he was going to be father. He was a penniless, broken-down pilot and somehow he had to find a way to build a life for them, and he had to do it quickly.
To do that, he needed a plane and when he learned of a man in Southwest Africa who could help him, he ventured to a little town called Kolmanskop to meet the Little Bird of the Namib Desert.
It was another venture that went south, badly, and Johnny is forced to face the past, the things haunting him, and a man who had been an enemy. Suddenly the mission is no more to find a plane, but to survive and pray that the people he loves will come search for them, find them before it's too late.
It's a story of love, brotherhood, adventure and one man's quest to find a place to land and a way to put his demons to rest.
I am the least objective person in the world to review this book because Johnny Reilly has owned my whole heart since he and his Irish charm swaggered into A Tale of Wild Geese dodging drops of rain, but here we go.
This book reads like a poem and that works perfectly because the Irish airman is a poet and a story teller with a love of beautiful words. I loved checking in with the characters from Wild Geese, it was like having a long overdue catch up with old friends. But this is Johnny's story and he draws you in from the very first page, perhaps because he is so brutally honest about the harsh after effects of war, about the cracks that fighting had left in his soul even though flying in the RAF was ultimately the thing that kept him whole.
You see the damage, you read about Louise with her fae green eyes and you hope Johnny can find his wings again, but also discover a safe place to land.
The story takes you to unexpected places, you meet people who leave a permanent imprint on your heart and when you turn that final page, you wish for just one more chapter, a glimpse into the happily ever after that great books never offer because they know the characters will walk with you long after their story has been told and you'll write that final perfect scene in a hundred different ways over the years.
There were moments that made me laugh out loud and others where I sobbed into my pillow and they blend and weave together to create a story of love and loss, of hardship and recovery, of finding friends in unexpected places and undertaking a journey into the deepest parts of your soul where the very essence of who you are lies, so that you can face the memories that haunt you, lay the ghosts of the past to rest and ultimately find a plane to carry you home, knowing that when you get there, you'll have a place to land.
- Genevieve Croeser, Goodreads -
I feel in love with this world and characters in Book 1 but I think A Place to Land is my favourite of the two. The story is about Johnny, a very reckless (and a bit desperate), swoon worthy fighter pilot who has to navigate life in a new country and then gets plunged into the Namib desert. If you enjoy historical fiction (WW2) with a bit of love, despair and hope, then this is a must read. I enjoyed the descriptions of each scene, there is a lot of research that went into this book.
Highly recommend!
- Arini Vlotman, Goodreads -
What a wonderful book. I absolutely adored it. Some awesome surprises in it, some unexpected turns along the way too but wow! Thank you for making it so enjoyable to read! Absolutely recommend too!
- Tamsyn Swart, Goodreads -
