The Good Pilot Peter Woodhouse

By Alexander McCall Smith

Published by Polygon, 2018

By the author of the No1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, something quite different.

Set in and after the Second World War and described as a “wartime romance”, this is a story of love and friendship. Managing to be both gentle and brutal, always moving, even if occasionally it is less than believable.

The plot is simple: Val is a Land Girl who meets, falls in love and marries Mike, an America pilot stationed locally. There are parallel stories: how Peter Woodhouse becomes a US mascot and how Ubi’s decision leads to a lifelong friendship between Ilse and Val.

It’s good to be reminded that, even in the toughest of times, so-called enemies can still be our friends and that, whilst we’re all different, we’re all the same.

Well written and a pleasant enough read, if not particularly memorable. Something to read on holiday (remember those?) perhaps.