The Philippines, 1941. When U.S. Navy nurse Eleanor Lindstrom, U.S. Army nurse Penny Franklin, and Filipina nurse Lita Capel forge a friendship at the Army Navy Club in Manila, they believe they’re living a paradise assignment. All three are seeking a way to escape their pasts, but soon the beauty and promise of their surroundings give way to the heavy mantle of war.
Caught in the crosshairs of a fight between the U.S. military and the Imperial Japanese Army for control of the Philippine Islands, the nurses are forced to serve under combat conditions and, ultimately, endure captivity as the first female prisoners of the Second World War. As their resiliency is tested in the face of squalid living arrangements, food shortages, and the enemy’s blatant disregard for the articles of the Geneva Convention, the women strive to keep their hope— and their fellow inmates—alive, though not without great cost.
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Something about World War I &II novels seems to draw me. Those types of books will have you reaching for tissues every time, yet you can’t seem to put the book down. When We Had Wings was one of those books, a story I can still get out of my head. I love reading books that feature strong women and tell the story from multiple points of view—telling the story from numerous points of view, giving you a chance to know each of those characters better. For example, I loved reading Penny, Eleanor, and Lita’s stories; their emotions were so vivid that I could feel their fear, anger, and hope. On every single page, I found myself hoping that this war would end, for a chance for the three of them to be rescued. Even though I couldn’t begin to imagine what it must be like for them during the war, reading the book, I felt as if I was transported there, experiencing everything they were going through.
When I came across the book on Netgalley , I felt that it would be a challenging novel to read. Yet, I wasn’t prepared how hard it was going to be. If it weren’t for all the testing and assignments at school the past few weeks, I would read it within the first week of starting the book. Multiple times I had to force myself to put the book down because I had school in the morning or had to study for a test. I couldn’t wait for a chance to pick up the book so I could see what would happen next. I wondered about the title when I first came across the book, but now it makes sense; it fits the story perfectly. I have read a few books in these genres about strong women, but I haven’t read books about women like Penny, Eleanor, and Lita. I loved that despite what was happening and what they were dealing with, they were always there for each other, always thinking about one another. I loved that none of them gave up, even though I knew that sometimes it was hard not to give up.
Penny, Eleanor, and Lita’s friendship are my favorite. Their friendship is the type of friendship that lasts a lifetime. The friendship between the three reminds me of one between me and some of my best friends. I did feel like the last couple of chapters of the book were a bit slow; it felt as if it dragged on a little, but I loved the rest of the book. I have read a few books by Susan Meissner , and recently read one by Kristina McMorris, but I haven’t read any by Ariel Lawhon, but now that I have read this book, I am curious about rest of her works. I would highly recommend this book to any historical fiction fans. I hope that the three of them will write another book together.
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