Blue Skies Tomorrow. Sarah Sundin. 2011. Revell. 434 pages. [Source: Review copy]
First sentence: Helen Carlisle strolled up G street, careful to keep a pained expression. Some days the performance of grief was easier than others, but it was always necessary for her son's sake.
Blue Skies Tomorrow is the third book in the Wings of Glory trilogy by Sarah Sundin. The series focuses on the Novak brothers--Walter, Jack, and now Ray. Ray Novak is a flight instructor who--at the start of the novel--hasn't seen combat. Helen Carlisle, our heroine, is a war widow with a heavy burden and daunting task.
I decided to reread all three books in 2021. I'm posting my original review below, with additional comments in red.
I really LOVED Sarah Sundin's A Memory Between Us, the love story between Jack Novak and Ruth Doherty. I LOVED Blue Skies Tomorrow just as much. This third novel in the Wings of Glory series focuses on Ray Novak, another pastor-pilot in the family. He has been able to spend most of the war flying out of combat as an instructor, but, times are changing and he's given a choice, an opportunity, to risk more for his country. And soon Ray has joined his brother Jack in England flying dangerous missions. But. Before Ray leaves, he has the opportunity to fall deeply in love with "grieving" widow Helen Carlisle.
Helen has become used to hiding the truth. When the novel opens, Helen is hiding the fact that she was secretly relieved when her husband died. She hides behind her work, her charity work, her good causes, etc. She hides behind her roles. The truth is, there are very few people in Helen's life she feels comfortable being completely honest and open with. But that begins to change when Helen begins to fall in love with Ray. She tells him the truth, and he believes her. But the truth-telling, well, it's a little too late or so it appears. For it gets a bit ugly and tense BEFORE his departure, and, well, correspondence helps mend a friendship, but there is so much left unsaid by both. [Blue Skies Tomorrow needs trigger warnings. It does. I almost felt like I was reading a different book this time around. The book is HEAVY and deals with serious topics: spousal abuse, child abuse, gaslighting and manipulation, and dare I say blackmail? Helen's biggest fear is that her son--now a toddler--will grow up to be physically abusive. She seems to think it is in his genes--that he cannot escape this destiny. She sees his fits as a toddler as proof of that. Granted, I'm not saying that fits should be dismissed and not dealt with. (I'm really not). But just because you have a toddler that hits, slaps, or bites in anger at age 2 doesn't mean he's going to behave the exact same way at 22. This book doesn't focus solely on nature versus nurture.]
Helen has become used to hiding the truth. When the novel opens, Helen is hiding the fact that she was secretly relieved when her husband died. She hides behind her work, her charity work, her good causes, etc. She hides behind her roles. The truth is, there are very few people in Helen's life she feels comfortable being completely honest and open with. But that begins to change when Helen begins to fall in love with Ray. She tells him the truth, and he believes her. But the truth-telling, well, it's a little too late or so it appears. For it gets a bit ugly and tense BEFORE his departure, and, well, correspondence helps mend a friendship, but there is so much left unsaid by both. [Blue Skies Tomorrow needs trigger warnings. It does. I almost felt like I was reading a different book this time around. The book is HEAVY and deals with serious topics: spousal abuse, child abuse, gaslighting and manipulation, and dare I say blackmail? Helen's biggest fear is that her son--now a toddler--will grow up to be physically abusive. She seems to think it is in his genes--that he cannot escape this destiny. She sees his fits as a toddler as proof of that. Granted, I'm not saying that fits should be dismissed and not dealt with. (I'm really not). But just because you have a toddler that hits, slaps, or bites in anger at age 2 doesn't mean he's going to behave the exact same way at 22. This book doesn't focus solely on nature versus nurture.]
[Also what seems to have slipped my mind completely in my first review, was the book's treatment of the Port Chicago Disaster. I'm linking to the wikipedia article. I have since read a nonfiction book on the subject, and am more familiar with it. But the book in addition to all the heaviness of physical and mental abuse deals with racial injustice. It isn't just background, but plays an integral role in the story.]
This one is told in alternating voices, and it is intense--very, very, very, very intense in some places. It is incredibly compelling. If you enjoyed Memory Between Us, then you HAVE to read this one too. Readers will continue to learn about Jack and Ruth! (Also Allie and Walter).
This one has plenty of romance and plenty of drama!!!
This one is told in alternating voices, and it is intense--very, very, very, very intense in some places. It is incredibly compelling. If you enjoyed Memory Between Us, then you HAVE to read this one too. Readers will continue to learn about Jack and Ruth! (Also Allie and Walter).
This one has plenty of romance and plenty of drama!!!
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