For the Children

by David Laws

A young British war widow embarks on a dangerous journey that will change her life, and those of countless others, in this gripping, emotional novel by the author of The Fuhrer’s Orphans.

Helen Fairfax is a ferry pilot and the mother of Peter, aged six. From Monday to Friday she flies from factories to airfields, then returns to the family farmhouse where her parents look after the boy. She feels torn being away from her son so much, but after her husband died in the Battle of Britain she vowed to live up to his example of courage and strike back at the enemy.

Now the Germans are about to launch the V-2 against London, and MI6 is desperate to get its hands on an undamaged prototype of the rocket to discover how it might be defeated. One has fallen in Poland—and Helen must pilot a secret flight into enemy territory to obtain it, accompanied by Leo Beck who, ashamed of his part in building the rocket, volunteers to assist her.

But after a successful landing, they find themselves pulled into another mission. Parents beg her to fly their kids to safety, far from Nazi squads that have begun kidnapping children. It will mean defying military regulations—but that is far from the only risk she will take when she agrees to this unofficial rescue operation . . .

Genres: Historical Fiction

316 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 11, 2024

Reviews

[June · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful and most enjoyable book, which had me captured from beginning to end.
It's a wonderful, well written, gripping storyline with very strong characters.
It features part of the life of a very brave woman, Helen Fairfax, a widow and mother of a boy, Peter aged six.
Even though she is torn with her love of her son, she still feels she must play her part in the war. To fight for her country and also honour her husband, who was killed in the battle of Britain.
As an acumplished pilot, how better than flying.
This book shows the courage and the different way a person looked upon it, being their duty to help and to fight during war time.
My thanks to Bloodhound books.
This is my honest and unbiased review.

[Sheelagh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given a copy of this book by Bloodhound books in return for a fair review. I was disappointed from the start of this story because there were some historical inaccuracies . I realise this is a work of fiction, and therefore not meant to be realistic but it spoiled the flow of the story for me. The premise of the story was an enjoyable one, I liked Helen, and desperately wanted her to succeed in her mission, to retrieve the V2, to find homes for the children . Again, I was disappointed by the ending, it was all a bit rushed and "happily ever after" . If you just want a good story then this is the book for you, but if you like things to be believable then I would say don't bother

[Sarah Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really didn’t enjoy this one - couldn’t connect with any if the characters and everything was just “saved the world now on to the next thing”

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book since the beginning, even though there were some slow parts in it. I wish the author would have seen the reception by the public of his book and I’m glad his family decided to publish it posthumously, so this review is for them.
The main character in the book is a female pilot in England during WWII, we know that there were some female pilots during that time, but Helen, our protagonist not only pilots planes but also is recruited by MI6 after she crashes near the Jersey Island and is saved by the highest German officer in the island, is she in danger over there or is there something else going on?
She returns to London with a German engineer who wants to help the British war effort, and that is why she gets recruited by MI6, to pilot a plane thru German occupied territories to Poland to retrieved a rocket that fell unbroken into Poland and bring it to England. Of course things don’t happened as easy as she would have liked and she ends up having to risk her life traveling to retrieve information from Polish scientist about the rocket as prove of its existence. She also suffers from insubordination of her second in command and encounters the actions of the Nazis against the Polish children, their kidnapping to take them to German.
This prompts her to bring many of this children back to England she’s finally able to fly back.
The book was very well written and as historical fiction the author took some liberties with history to fit the narrative, but this didn’t deterred from being a very good book.

[Crystal Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, I'd like to give my condolences to the family & friends of David Law. & many thanks for giving me the honor of the ARC read. ♡

I absolutely loved this book. From the first page, I was immediately sucked in. The writing style was absolutely beautiful, & I love the story that was told. It is a wonderful example of how one person's determination to not give up or give in when faced with something difficult and life changing can change things for a multitude of people by standing firm in their resolve. How doing the right thing isn't always the easy thing but to keep true to yourself, beliefs, and unwillingness to look past what is wrong and keep fighting for what you believe in. It also shows that even though you've done things that go against your morals, it's never too late to turn back and do everything you can to fix your mistakes and prevent more damage from being done.
How one decision can snowball into something major and how the waves from that decision can change the world.

[Jacqueline Moxon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an exciting and moving novel. Helen is a young mother and war widow. She is also an experienced and well respected RAF pilot with a burning desire to avenge the attacks being committed against the British people during the Second World War. When a routine flight goes wrong, due to lack of navigating equipment, she becomes embroiled in a vital mission to prevent random and deadly rocket attacks. Despite opposition from her mother, who is looking after Helen’s young son, Peter, she is determined to do her bit. She has to fight not only the enemy, but prejudice and misogyny. To complicate matters still further, there are the children… This is an inspiring story of bravery and humanity. I found it a real page turner. However, it did appear to fizzle out and end rather more abruptly than I expected. Nevertheless, I highly recommend it as a gripping, feel good read.

[Booklover BEV · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the Children is one inspirational read that you wont be able to put down.
Grab a tissue or maybe a box and enjoy.
Helen Fairfax a ferry pilot, widowed with a six year old son Peter who is left in the care of her parents.
Defying military regulations she is asked by begging parents to fly their kids to safety from the mazi squads to London but will she do it?
Here we have Professor Peter Fairfax and his ninety years old mother Helen's remarkable story.
It's a tough story with a dark beginning on a dusty London street July 1944 WW2.
What a brave woman she is going through this task to save the children and then care for them in England with her parents help.
I loved reading it all the way through.

[TheGoodEReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given a copy of this book via Bloodhound Books and I am voluntarily leaving this review.

Starting off, this is historical fiction so not all events are accurate. It did have a bit of a slow start for me but once it picked up I was captivated by the overall story.

The overall premise is that Helen understate the task of rescuing children from being kidnapped during the war. Watching Helen navigate the times and the operation gave light to the pressure women face throughout the war. The story was a bit long winded and I was hoping for a better ending that didn’t feel rushed. I did enjoy the journey of the tale.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good insight into how things can change quickly when under pressure which I would have thought most pilots operating in German occupied areas in WWII would have been. I already knew that female pilots came under extreme pressure from their male counterparts and this book showed that side of their lives brilliantly. I did think this book was in parts a little slow and maybe a little longwinded in sections but that is only my opinion but it is why I only gave it 4* and not the 5* the storyline deserves.

[Keeley Ribchester · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having received a copy of this book thanks to bloodhound books for arc here is my feedback.
The story for me was insightful as to the pressures women faced through the war which undoubtedly the men also felt but being female this was ever more present. Taking risk Helen undertakes a terrifying operation during the war to rescue children from being kidnapped.
I found some parts longwinded but then rushed towards the end but over all it was a pleasant read and a nice change from the thrillers I tend to read most! I gave it a 4 star review on the higher side as a 3 felt too less.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very enjoyable read, I was hooked, from the start really didn’t want to put it down once I started.
The main character is Helen, who husband was killed in the war leaving her widow with a young six year old son Peter. She is an experienced pilot and works for the RAF delivering planes. On a mission her plane crashes into the sea and a run of events leads her to a secret mission behind enemy lines in Poland.
Love the way the book was written keeping me hooked and wanting to read more as the story comes alive through the pages of the book.

[Helga Sutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, it was beautifully written and I found I couldn’t put it down. I was holding out hope for our heroine throughout. It really made me think about the bravery of those who went to fight for us, and the women who stepped up during WW2 and also, the plight of those caught in occupied territory. It was heartbreaking at times but uplifting too,most of all I found it to be a thoroughly engrossing and well researched story. I cried buckets and went through a whole box of tissues.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Although a work of fiction it still gave a Sense of what it was like during the second world war for women and children. It was Nice to have the main character a woman in a predominantly male environment and to see how differently she approached the situations she found herself in.

[Alison Bryant · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a slower start and took a while to get me hooked. About half way through the book I could not put it down and wanted to know what happened to them all. Strong characters (more character insight might have been good) and a desire to see good triumph over evil.

[Jill Coates · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took me a while to get into this book, really enjoyed the middle, but disappointed by the ending. Apparently it has been released posthumously and I wonder if someone else finished it.
The characters were strong and believable, the story behind it very interesting but not quite 5 star for me.

[Yvette Salmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book about the pressures of the woman involved in the war. How people react under pressure . Good strong characters and storyline just a little disappointed with the ending. The ending seemed to happen all of a sudden. Worth a read.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book, telling a moving story. Overall I enjoyed it.

I received a free copy of this book via Bloodhound Books and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sandy L Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

I loved this book. A strong woman making a difference. Not sure if it is a true story but I hope it is.

[Kerri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartwarming story

Really enjoyed reading this heartwarming story about a pilot, Helen, who flies a mission to Poland to retrieve a downed V-2 bomb so the British can dismantle it and hopefully figure out how it works. In the meantime she manages to rescue all 15 children from the small village close to where her plane landed. Mostly taking place during WWII with just a couple chapters about a party celebrating her life. A very heartwarming story for sure.