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Pitsford Series #1
The Flyer
The first book in the Pitsford Series, The flyer is set against the background of an English country house, and the skies above France during the First World War, The Flyer is a story of love and loyalty.
When a young aviator crashes in a Northamptonshire field and is pulled from the wreckage by William Reynolds, it is the beginning of a close friendship. Christopher is the son of the Earl of Pitsford, whereas William runs a small garage and though clearly well-educated, his background remains a mystery. After William agrees to help Christopher build a new plane to compete in an air-trial, he is introduced to Elizabeth, and a complex relationship develops between the three young people. As William falls in love, he is plagued by the suspicion that Elizabeth is really in love with Christopher. Since the mystery surrounding William masks a deep seated loneliness and insecurity, it will only take one shattering event to expose the undercurrents of tension and destroy everything that William has tried to believe in.
The second half of the story takes place several years later, during the First World War. William is a pilot in France, but his formative experiences have made him insular and bitter towards the class-ridden hierarchy of the Flying Corps. When he is shot down and crash-lands in enemy territory, he is helped by a young woman. Through Helene, he learns to trust again, and his distant exterior begins to thaw. However, he is unaware that Elizabeth, who hurt him so badly, has trained as a nurse and has come to France to try to find him and make amends for the past. It is Christopher who Elizabeth finds first though, and the complexities of the tangled relationships between these three will become the catalyst that drives the story to its conclusion. Loyalty and love are once again put to the test, but this time the stakes are literally life and death.
The Flyer is a realistic blend of friendship, love and tragedy, set against a carefree summer that precedes the grim reality of the first war in history to be fought in the air.
When a young aviator crashes in a Northamptonshire field and is pulled from the wreckage by William Reynolds, it is the beginning of a close friendship. Christopher is the son of the Earl of Pitsford, whereas William runs a small garage and though clearly well-educated, his background remains a mystery. After William agrees to help Christopher build a new plane to compete in an air-trial, he is introduced to Elizabeth, and a complex relationship develops between the three young people. As William falls in love, he is plagued by the suspicion that Elizabeth is really in love with Christopher. Since the mystery surrounding William masks a deep seated loneliness and insecurity, it will only take one shattering event to expose the undercurrents of tension and destroy everything that William has tried to believe in.
The second half of the story takes place several years later, during the First World War. William is a pilot in France, but his formative experiences have made him insular and bitter towards the class-ridden hierarchy of the Flying Corps. When he is shot down and crash-lands in enemy territory, he is helped by a young woman. Through Helene, he learns to trust again, and his distant exterior begins to thaw. However, he is unaware that Elizabeth, who hurt him so badly, has trained as a nurse and has come to France to try to find him and make amends for the past. It is Christopher who Elizabeth finds first though, and the complexities of the tangled relationships between these three will become the catalyst that drives the story to its conclusion. Loyalty and love are once again put to the test, but this time the stakes are literally life and death.
The Flyer is a realistic blend of friendship, love and tragedy, set against a carefree summer that precedes the grim reality of the first war in history to be fought in the air.
480 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 4, 2012
41 people are currently reading
499 people want to read
About the author
Stuart Harrison
16 books22 followersI was born in 1958 in Northamptonshire, England. Left school at 16 with no particular distinction and moved to New Zealand in 1980 where I subsequently worked in a variety of occupations until I began writing novels at the age of thirty seven. Three were universally rejected until The Snow Falcon was bought by publishers in sixteen countries in 1999 and went on to become a bestseller. At the time I was living in England again and during the next few years lived in Ireland and Australia before returning to New Zealand where I now live with my family in the Bay Of Islands.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
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August 24, 2014I found The Flyer to be very interesting and intriguing story. A story with many twists and turns, ups and downs. It had you guessing at each turn of events. It is a story of love and loyalty. I found that I held my breath during the aierial battles.
September 22, 2014
An interesting plot and a likeable main character.
June 19, 2014
story kept me interested all the way through the book
March 23, 2018
A thought provoking read reminding me of Oliver Twist and David Copperfield – very detailed life about a young boy growing up with not much and through life learning what life is. The book just kind of rambled along and kept going, It was a tad too long and I didn’t care for how it ended - leaving you in doubt………but, it is a series so….
June 22, 2023
The Flyer ( The Pitsford Series Book 1)
A very emotional story of one man's overcoming adversity. The reader follows William, from childhood to World War I, and the circumstances that shaped his life. Looking forward to the next book in the series. Recommend!
A very emotional story of one man's overcoming adversity. The reader follows William, from childhood to World War I, and the circumstances that shaped his life. Looking forward to the next book in the series. Recommend!
December 7, 2020
Fantastic read
I love historical novels, esp WWI and WWII Great twists and turns til the last page. Great detail and characters.
I love historical novels, esp WWI and WWII Great twists and turns til the last page. Great detail and characters.
September 19, 2014
Great story about a man with a will to survive against all odds, beating death in childhood, surviving bullying as a youth, then facing death again as an aviator in World War I -- the first war where the fighting front included the air and "aero planes" as weapons.
Other challenges included dealing with social class disparity in England during the early 20th century and surviving on the basis of character, ingenuity and ability, even while struggling to find his place, knowing he fits in nowhere; falling in love with a woman long-smitten with her childhood best friend; and being shot down over France behind enemy lines, and trying to return to British territory.
Quote from Chapter 26: "'My squadron was losing men faster than they could be replaced ... The new chaps were lucky if they lasted two weeks. Did you know they won't let us have parachutes?' [Christopher] snorted with derision? 'They think it would encourage us to abandon our planes unnecessarily, and so men are condemned to burn to death.'"
Historical fiction or romance? The historical context added excitement in regard to aviation information and the planes that evolved during the war. The ending was too blunt and lacked the perspective of the rest of the story, was not well done. Many words had British (old style English?) spelling, and typos and grammatical errors were a distraction.
Other challenges included dealing with social class disparity in England during the early 20th century and surviving on the basis of character, ingenuity and ability, even while struggling to find his place, knowing he fits in nowhere; falling in love with a woman long-smitten with her childhood best friend; and being shot down over France behind enemy lines, and trying to return to British territory.
Quote from Chapter 26: "'My squadron was losing men faster than they could be replaced ... The new chaps were lucky if they lasted two weeks. Did you know they won't let us have parachutes?' [Christopher] snorted with derision? 'They think it would encourage us to abandon our planes unnecessarily, and so men are condemned to burn to death.'"
Historical fiction or romance? The historical context added excitement in regard to aviation information and the planes that evolved during the war. The ending was too blunt and lacked the perspective of the rest of the story, was not well done. Many words had British (old style English?) spelling, and typos and grammatical errors were a distraction.
July 19, 2016
I really enjoyed this book...which takes place in the early 1900's.
A young man whose father is a blacksmith and whose mother had died finds he has a wealthy grandfather who pay for him to attend a very prestigious boys' school. He never really fit it and after graduation he returned to his father.
The father passed shortly after and the story follows the young man's journey of trying to find work and have his life.
He is a skilled mechanic and eventually opens his own garage...as luck would have it a "flying machine" crashes and the story takes off as he becomes interested in flying and building airplanes,
Lots of twists and turns...love...love lost...and progresses into WWI
I found it very interesting the description of what it was like to fly in those days and the descriptive battles fought in the air during the war...things we no longer think about
A young man whose father is a blacksmith and whose mother had died finds he has a wealthy grandfather who pay for him to attend a very prestigious boys' school. He never really fit it and after graduation he returned to his father.
The father passed shortly after and the story follows the young man's journey of trying to find work and have his life.
He is a skilled mechanic and eventually opens his own garage...as luck would have it a "flying machine" crashes and the story takes off as he becomes interested in flying and building airplanes,
Lots of twists and turns...love...love lost...and progresses into WWI
I found it very interesting the description of what it was like to fly in those days and the descriptive battles fought in the air during the war...things we no longer think about
December 1, 2014
Stuart Harrison's novel is a combination WWI story about air battles, a love story with a few twists, and a commentary on the British class structure of the early 1900s. The first part of the story is about William Reynolds and how he eventually forms relationships with other characters that lead to additional plot lines. The writing is good, but slightly repetitive and just a little predictable. The ending was abrupt. The author definitely makes a point about how the war's brutality changes William and other characters. Overall, an interesting read. This is my first book by Stuart Harrison, and I would certainly read others.
July 16, 2014
A Good War-Time Novel
Author Stuart Harrison includes all of the elements of a good war-time novel, introducing the characters from childhood, tracking them through the challenges of adolescence, and young adults finding their way during war-torn times. Packed with adventure, sorrow, romance and emotions, "The Flyer" is an informative, entertaining novel that leaves the reader with a credible sense of life during the early years of aviation.
Author Stuart Harrison includes all of the elements of a good war-time novel, introducing the characters from childhood, tracking them through the challenges of adolescence, and young adults finding their way during war-torn times. Packed with adventure, sorrow, romance and emotions, "The Flyer" is an informative, entertaining novel that leaves the reader with a credible sense of life during the early years of aviation.
August 14, 2014
This was a strangely written book, it took enormous leaps in time and left many things unexplained and the story lacks continuity.
I am revising my review, I liked the overall storyline, the characters and the historical background. I just did not enjoy the disjointedness of this story. This is a personal preference.
I am revising my review, I liked the overall storyline, the characters and the historical background. I just did not enjoy the disjointedness of this story. This is a personal preference.
October 28, 2014
There were parts that really kept my attention and had me enthralled, but then there were parts that either felt a bit disjointed or kind of annoyed me. It was a fairly discouraging book to read and I didn't feel fulfilled when I finished it. The plane things were interesting and some of the fight scenes were fun to read.
June 12, 2014
I've really enjoyed Stuart Harrison's work in the past, so I knew I should enjoy this, and I did. The first half of the book is slow going but we get to know the characters well because of this and the later half picks up speed considerably.
June 23, 2014
A good historical read
This was a good book, good story situated within a fascinating time in history. I didn't find the book to be as wonderful as everyone depicted but it definitely is worth the read.
This was a good book, good story situated within a fascinating time in history. I didn't find the book to be as wonderful as everyone depicted but it definitely is worth the read.
July 17, 2014
Good story
Good story
I enjoyed the historical information, and it is well written. I had issues with the graphic nature of some scenes, in my opinion, it did not need it.
Good story
I enjoyed the historical information, and it is well written. I had issues with the graphic nature of some scenes, in my opinion, it did not need it.
May 18, 2013
Absolutely brilliant as are all his books that I have read so far.
June 25, 2013
First half of the book moved too slowly for my taste....last half was really great. At times, too much "aviation speak" or maybe I just wasn't expecting that...
October 28, 2014
The parts dealing with aviation and WW 1 were quite good. The rest was pretty much a cliched romance.
June 14, 2014
Love story set to backdrop of beginning of aviation and WWI. Little of Downton Abbey thrown in with the English classes playing a major role. Flying was exhilarating and horrific at the same time.
June 27, 2014
Depressing and not at all what I thought it was going to be like: self-absorbed people, IMO.
June 23, 2014
Good book, although it has it's fair share of hard times and tragedy. I solid read.
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June 30, 2014Great story about the early days of flying and WW1.
June 30, 2014
Excellent saga and interesting read of pre-WWI England, through the war
July 6, 2014
interesting look at WWI era aviation. with a predictable love story tacked on.
July 10, 2014
Story's decent, but the writing's weak.
July 14, 2014
Really enjoyed this book.
August 25, 2014
very good
September 12, 2014
Not something I would normally read (thanks Free Book Friday). I was pleasantly surprised. Easy to read and hard to put down and thoroughly enjoyable. Glad I read it.
September 26, 2014
Stuart Harrison is a wonderful story teller. This isn't my usualy genre, but I found myself caught up in the story - I didn't want to put it down!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews