For Love and Glory
In the dramatic historical novel For Love and Glory, two people strive to forge their own identities against the backdrop of WWII.
In Cindy Bonner’s endearing historical novel For Love and Glory, an American pilot joins the Royal Air Force during WWII and kindles a romance with a feisty Canadian pilot.
Lange ekes out a living as a crop duster in Texas. His wife, from whom he is separated, is in a coma following a car crash. With no money, no car, and no purpose in life, he takes solace in the one activity that brings him happiness: flying. When he hears that the Royal Air Force is recruiting any American with verifiable piloting experience, he enlists. He is assigned to a fighter squadron. En route to his posting, he meets a widowed ferry pilot, Mackie.
Mackie and Lange bond over their traumas, turning what might have been a fling into the start of a lifelong love. In part because of their connection, Lange evolves as the novel progresses. He confronts his weaknesses and leans on his strengths to find his life’s purpose: first flying, but also building a life with Mackie. But each mission over Europe feels like it might be Lange’s last, and near the end of the war, this is validated: Lange is shot down over Belgium. Mackie fears the worst.
Though Mackie and Lange’s love story holds interest, the novel includes frequent asides devoted to its many supporting characters, too. These include members of Lange’s family, his fellow pilots, and the resistance group he relies upon while in Belgium. Their individual opinions of the war are noted; these inform how each person interacts with others, including Lange and Mackie. They’re also used to pronounce ideas about the rippling consequences of one’s choices, leading both to rewarding revelations and painful downfalls.
Throughout the book, both witty observations and subtle sensory details are used to ground scenes. Lange’s harrowing combat experiences are covered in staccato form to emphasize their intensity; when Lange is at home with his family, the tone leans more toward languid romanticism. As the novel progresses, it becomes clear that its interest is less in the war than it is in Lange and Mackie’s futures. The novel ends where the war does, and it’s a resolution that is variously painful and uplifting.
In the dramatic historical novel For Love and Glory, two people strive to forge their own identities against the backdrop of WWII.
Reviewed by
John M. Murray
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