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Flying Time
In 1939, Kay Jeynes, a lively, ambitious young working-class woman, goes to work for the only Japanese businessman in town, the elderly, wealthy, Oxford-educated Mr. Miyashita. Despite differences in their age, race, and class, a friendship develops between them in the peaceful vacuum of Mr. Miyashita’s office. But outside, on the city streets, a dark chapter in recent history is taking shape. As war looms, relations between North America and Japan grow steadily worse. Travel becomes impossible for Mr. Miyashita, so he asks Kay to cross the Pacific Ocean to retrieve a family heirloom, even as the Imperial Navy is maneuvering into position for the attack on Pearl Harbor. On this journey, Kay commits some seemingly small sins of omission. But in the paranoid climate of the times, these little white lies put Mr. Miyashita at risk of being arrested as a spy.
312 pages, Paperback
First published April 8, 2014
2 people are currently reading
264 people want to read
About the author
Suzanne North
5 books5 followersSuzanne North now Lives in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan with her husband who is an arachnologist and 30,000 dead spiders. She is probably the only author in Canada who writes mysteries on a computer purchased with her racetrack winnings.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 21, 2019
This is the story of Kay Jeynes, a somewhat ordinary young woman living and working in Calgary, Canada, in the pre-WWII years of the late 1930's. The plot unfolds as we meet Kay in her later years in Foothills Sunset assisted living, where she is recovering from a fall. She signs up for a memoir writing class to help pass the time until she can return home- and realizes that writing about one's life is harder than it looks. The class offers 11 prompts for the would-be writers and they also offer the reader some wonderful opportunities to think about one's own life. Kay's life at Foothills Sunset is sometimes poignant but often quite funny. Her take on her life near the end of it matches her take on her life in her late teens and early 20s: give things a try; gratitude; be realistic but add humor; a long life is hard to quantify in writing.
I didn't know that Canada also sent its Japanese citizens to internment camps. Kay takes a chance and offers to become a temporary secretary for a local and wealthy Japanese business man. Soon, her family becomes accustomed to the idea and a deep bond of friendship ensues among them all. When he can't leave the country to get some art left to him by his uncle, Kay agrees to go to Hong Kong to fetch it for him. Of course, this is a month before the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The trip is a wild adventure in many ways (not all of them good). As the war begins for real, the cost of racially-charged citizenry becomes fully known, as does the cost of war itself in lives.
I really loved the characters in this book. I also love the literary device of learning to write a memoir. And the reminders of the pain of social upheaval are starkly similar to contemporary life.
This fiction book was published in Canada and is not currently available through Columbus Metropolitan Library. But I put in a request for them to purchase it and hope that it will be available soon. It's a compelling, wonderful read.
I didn't know that Canada also sent its Japanese citizens to internment camps. Kay takes a chance and offers to become a temporary secretary for a local and wealthy Japanese business man. Soon, her family becomes accustomed to the idea and a deep bond of friendship ensues among them all. When he can't leave the country to get some art left to him by his uncle, Kay agrees to go to Hong Kong to fetch it for him. Of course, this is a month before the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The trip is a wild adventure in many ways (not all of them good). As the war begins for real, the cost of racially-charged citizenry becomes fully known, as does the cost of war itself in lives.
I really loved the characters in this book. I also love the literary device of learning to write a memoir. And the reminders of the pain of social upheaval are starkly similar to contemporary life.
This fiction book was published in Canada and is not currently available through Columbus Metropolitan Library. But I put in a request for them to purchase it and hope that it will be available soon. It's a compelling, wonderful read.
December 27, 2014
Where I got the book: review copy provided by publisher. This review first appeared on the Historical Novel Society website.
On the eve of the Second World War, Kay Jeynes volunteers to transfer out of her typist’s job to work for Japanese businessman Hero Miyashita. The relationship between the sophisticated Japanese gentleman and the naïve working-class Canadian rapidly turns into that of mentor and disciple, and Kay’s family and friends learn to view the Miyashitas with less prejudice than is the norm in the Calgary of the Thirties. But war is looming, and in the wider Canadian context, prejudice against the Japanese is fast turning to fear and hatred.
Flying Time is an example of what literary historical fiction does well: provides a snapshot of a time and place through the small evolutions in relationships in a clearly defined context. North’s evocation of Calgary in 1939 is masterly, a clear sketch that is never too heavy on detail. Her writing style is fluid, chatty, and engaging, and the pages of this novel flew by for me. I was not initially thrilled by the framing device for Kay’s reminiscences, a memoir writing class in a nursing home, but North made it work through Kay’s awareness of the poignancy of old age and the fleeting nature of youth.
Personally, I could have enjoyed the story without Kay’s journey to Hong Kong, even though I found the depiction of international travel by flying boat fascinating. I felt that the really engaging aspect of Flying Time was the delineation of the relationships that built up from a chance meeting, enhanced by the poignancy of historical hindsight.
On the eve of the Second World War, Kay Jeynes volunteers to transfer out of her typist’s job to work for Japanese businessman Hero Miyashita. The relationship between the sophisticated Japanese gentleman and the naïve working-class Canadian rapidly turns into that of mentor and disciple, and Kay’s family and friends learn to view the Miyashitas with less prejudice than is the norm in the Calgary of the Thirties. But war is looming, and in the wider Canadian context, prejudice against the Japanese is fast turning to fear and hatred.
Flying Time is an example of what literary historical fiction does well: provides a snapshot of a time and place through the small evolutions in relationships in a clearly defined context. North’s evocation of Calgary in 1939 is masterly, a clear sketch that is never too heavy on detail. Her writing style is fluid, chatty, and engaging, and the pages of this novel flew by for me. I was not initially thrilled by the framing device for Kay’s reminiscences, a memoir writing class in a nursing home, but North made it work through Kay’s awareness of the poignancy of old age and the fleeting nature of youth.
Personally, I could have enjoyed the story without Kay’s journey to Hong Kong, even though I found the depiction of international travel by flying boat fascinating. I felt that the really engaging aspect of Flying Time was the delineation of the relationships that built up from a chance meeting, enhanced by the poignancy of historical hindsight.
March 31, 2019
Debated between 3 and 4 stars - would perhaps have preferred 3.5, but in writing this review, I downgraded it. Read on, you'll see why.
The story is mainly set in Calgary, which was part of the appeal for me because I know that city well. I liked being able to picture the places mentioned in the book. The main character lives here, working for a Japanese businessman, before WW2 and during the first few years of the war.
Then she has to go to Hong Kong to retrieve some valuables for the Japanese businessman, but it happens to be on the eve of the bombing of Pearl Harbour and Hong Kong.
I found the first part of the book more interesting. A period piece, where the customs and mores of life in the prairies of Canada, pre-war, are discussed.
Even getting to Hong Kong, on the Clipper, was interesting. Her boss knows what's up though in world politics and when she is in Honolulu, he cables her to demand she return because clearly he fears for her safety. But oh no, she has fallen for a guy she meets on the Clipper, spends most of the time in bed with him in Honolulu for a couple of weeks, ignores the cable, continues to Hong Kong and has further adventures. I felt like slapping her and thought that if she died in the bombing of Hong Kong, it would serve her right.
Interesting enough due to the historical perspective the author brought to the book, which seemed quite accurate. Is it the best book I've ever read? No. But I did finish it, which says something.
The story is mainly set in Calgary, which was part of the appeal for me because I know that city well. I liked being able to picture the places mentioned in the book. The main character lives here, working for a Japanese businessman, before WW2 and during the first few years of the war.
Then she has to go to Hong Kong to retrieve some valuables for the Japanese businessman, but it happens to be on the eve of the bombing of Pearl Harbour and Hong Kong.
I found the first part of the book more interesting. A period piece, where the customs and mores of life in the prairies of Canada, pre-war, are discussed.
Even getting to Hong Kong, on the Clipper, was interesting. Her boss knows what's up though in world politics and when she is in Honolulu, he cables her to demand she return because clearly he fears for her safety. But oh no, she has fallen for a guy she meets on the Clipper, spends most of the time in bed with him in Honolulu for a couple of weeks, ignores the cable, continues to Hong Kong and has further adventures. I felt like slapping her and thought that if she died in the bombing of Hong Kong, it would serve her right.
Interesting enough due to the historical perspective the author brought to the book, which seemed quite accurate. Is it the best book I've ever read? No. But I did finish it, which says something.
April 16, 2019
A poignant, well-crafted story. North created complex characters who despite their difference and some of their prejudices manage to forge friendships and a shameful time in Canadian history when such friendships would have been difficult to make.
I enjoyed the device of having protagonist Kay writing her memoirs, or at least the notes for her memoirs in present times about those from the lead-up to and into WWII. The episodes in the senior's home gave a bit of a light break from some of the more intense times in Kay's remembrances of the past. And, these memories felt real, and while they well-captured some of the everyday moments of the time, they were also so well developed, and included enough humour and interesting events that I stayed engaged with Kay's story throughout the book.
Overall, I really enjoyed this read. I will look up other work by this author.
I enjoyed the device of having protagonist Kay writing her memoirs, or at least the notes for her memoirs in present times about those from the lead-up to and into WWII. The episodes in the senior's home gave a bit of a light break from some of the more intense times in Kay's remembrances of the past. And, these memories felt real, and while they well-captured some of the everyday moments of the time, they were also so well developed, and included enough humour and interesting events that I stayed engaged with Kay's story throughout the book.
Overall, I really enjoyed this read. I will look up other work by this author.
July 24, 2024
3 1/2
I read this book at the same time as I listened to The Last Year of the War. Both stories are about 80 year old women writing about their experiences during the war. I kept confusing the two stories. That might have influenced my rating on this book. 🤷♀️
I read this book at the same time as I listened to The Last Year of the War. Both stories are about 80 year old women writing about their experiences during the war. I kept confusing the two stories. That might have influenced my rating on this book. 🤷♀️
September 27, 2019
Great read! Characters are so believable.
June 8, 2015
An intriguing setting: Calgary 1939 at the eve of WWII when Kay, a young women born and raised in this prairie town, gets the opportunity to work as a secretary for the only Japanese business man far and wide and to even travel overseas on his behalf. What a contrast! Calgary is far from the multicultural global city we see today, Japanese and Canadian culture did not mix well.
The story is told from the perspective of an aging Kay who today lives in a seniors home. At first I thought, “oh no, not again!”, fearful that this all-too-popular narrative device would be just another unnecessary subplot which could only deter from the real story I wanted to read. But I was pleasantly surprised that the older Kay brought not only another exciting layer of contrasts to the book but also a healthy dose of humor.
Author Suzanne North, also born and raised in Calgary and now living in Saskatoon, brings this time to life by creating a very real sense of place and engaging and likable characters. Kay comes from a tight-knit family. She might be a bit naïve but is ready to embrace life and the world beyond her daily job as a typist for a local coal company. At first, her parents aren’t exactly overjoyed when she starts a new position with Mr. Miyashita. Racist attitudes abound in Calgary and are normal for them as well. But they eventually become friends with the Japanese business man and his wife who have been calling Canada their home for over 30 years.
I loved the seemingly effortless writing style, the feeling of having a grandmother narrating her life story. I loved the study of contrasts, of pre-war and today’s Calgary, the young and naïve Kay and her much older well-educated boss, Japanese and Canadian culture, the wealthy and working class … all in the end building a perfect story arc and one of my favourite books of the year.
The story is told from the perspective of an aging Kay who today lives in a seniors home. At first I thought, “oh no, not again!”, fearful that this all-too-popular narrative device would be just another unnecessary subplot which could only deter from the real story I wanted to read. But I was pleasantly surprised that the older Kay brought not only another exciting layer of contrasts to the book but also a healthy dose of humor.
Author Suzanne North, also born and raised in Calgary and now living in Saskatoon, brings this time to life by creating a very real sense of place and engaging and likable characters. Kay comes from a tight-knit family. She might be a bit naïve but is ready to embrace life and the world beyond her daily job as a typist for a local coal company. At first, her parents aren’t exactly overjoyed when she starts a new position with Mr. Miyashita. Racist attitudes abound in Calgary and are normal for them as well. But they eventually become friends with the Japanese business man and his wife who have been calling Canada their home for over 30 years.
I loved the seemingly effortless writing style, the feeling of having a grandmother narrating her life story. I loved the study of contrasts, of pre-war and today’s Calgary, the young and naïve Kay and her much older well-educated boss, Japanese and Canadian culture, the wealthy and working class … all in the end building a perfect story arc and one of my favourite books of the year.
September 10, 2014
Absolutely loved this book. An elderly woman tells her story through a series of memoir exercises while she recuperates from a fall in a senior care home. Highlights the Japanese Canadian experience during the Second World War, along with a great love story and a grand adventure. I particularly liked how the structure changed throughout the book as the main character got wrapped up in telling the story and started to discard the formal exercises and just write.
July 16, 2014
Absolutely exquisite. I'm not sure I can even find words. It's the story of a woman in a nursing home remembering her friendship with a Japanese businessman; How he set her off on a grand adventure and changed her life. So much heart in it, a big, bruised, gloriously open heart. It's one of those books that makes me wish I could write something that good.
October 28, 2015
I can't think of a thing I would change about this book. The juxtaposition between time frames is impeccably done. The characters are developed with care and empathy. The changing political times are beautifully crafted. And I caught myself laughing out loud a couple of times! This is not just a winner in my books; I hope that it will be nominated for other prestigious awards.
June 30, 2015
Thoroughly enjoyed it.
May 15, 2015
Well told, engaging. Humour and atmosphere. Totally enjoyable.
June 1, 2015
Great book.
March 28, 2016
An engaging read that takes you back to pre-World War II Calgary. All the familiar landmarks are enjoyable to revisit but at the same time unsettling knowing what is to come...
Want to read
April 9, 2019Synopsis: in 1939, a young working-class woman enters the employ of a Japanese businessman. He sends her on a mission.
October 22, 2014
Lovely story
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews