Bird’s Eye View
by Elinor Florence
Genre: Historical Fiction
Bird’s Eye View is fact-based fiction about a young woman from Saskatchewan who joins the Royal Canadian Air Force and becomes an interpreter of aerial photographs. Stationed with hundreds of other intelligence officers at a converted mansion in England called RAF Medmenham, Rose Jolliffe spies on the enemy from the sky, watching the war unfold through her sterescope. Lonely and homesick, she keeps in touch with the home front through letters from her family and friends back home.
Why I recommend this book:
What I enjoy most about reading historical fiction is the glimpse into a by-gone era. It’s the small things that hold my attention — the slap of liver to a plate, the scratch of woolens, the damp of grey slush — and Bird’s Eye View offers many such insights. That Elinor Florence tells the story through a Canadian lens adds an interesting layer, as does her young protagonist, Rose Joliff, a farmer’s daughter who learns some painful personal and professional lessons during the war. The writing is superb, the setting and characterization are fascinating and the story will squeeze your heart.
Links for people to buy it:
Dundurn Press
Amazon
Guest reviewer’s latest title or project:
Penance, Book IV of The Gift Legacy
J.P. McLean has previously been featured twice on Reading Recommendations, first in January, 2014, and recently in Reading Recommendations Revisited.
Reading Recommendations 
Thank you Susan. It’s lovely to have a place where we can share in the discovery of new books.
Thank YOU for telling us about Elinor and her book! Looks very interesting.
I read Bird’s Eye View last month and loved it. I whole heartedly recommend this to others.