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Flambards #2
The Edge of the Cloud
Christina and Will have escaped Flambards for London with their heads full of dreams, only to find a whole new set of problems. Not only the basic ones of work and a place to live, but Will's single-minded ambition to design and pilot flying machines, which terrifies Christina every time he leaves the ground. Will is certain he can become a success, but what price is he willing to pay for the glory? This book was the winner of the prestigious Carnegie Medal.
Library Binding
First published January 1, 1969
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About the author
K.M. Peyton
109 books149 followersKathleen Wendy Herald Peyton MBE, who wrote primarily as K. M. Peyton, was a British author of fiction for children and young adults
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
October 14, 2022
I've been wanting to read this book for about twenty years, so it was quite a thrill to finally have a copy to read. I've read Flambards, the first in the series, several times and have often wondered what happened in the next three books. I've been in a bit of a Flambards induced haze recently, reading the entire quartet during our most recent lockdown, and I am now watching the TV series from 1979.
The Edge of the Cloud is the book I had the most difficult time finding, and I was so pleased that it lived up to all those years of expectation. After the dramatically romantic conclusion of the previous book, Christina and Will have left Flambards behind. Will's focus on designing and flying planes is all-consuming, and Christina finds herself in an odd situation. Happy with Will, unable to marry him until she is twenty-one (prior to that they cannot marry without parental consent) or his father dies. She gets a job that she enjoys, and spends the rest of her time in a state of suppressed terror, knowing that Will's life in always at risk. There is a kind of unbalanced quality to their relationship -- Will thrives away from Flambards of course, but he gives little thought to the fact that in many ways Christina was well suited it. He hates horses, but never seems bothered that Christina loved them and left them behind for him. I doubt he would leave his planes for her.
I must admit, if I hadn't read the back of the third book prior to starting this, I would have had less patience for Will. In a way Christina takes a backseat to him in this book. Most of her time is spent following and watching. Though I missed the freedom she had when younger, it did feel realistic. And to Will's credit, he does insist on treating Christina as his equal, something she sometimes struggles with, when she feels unable to live up to that.
There's a strangeness to this atmosphere of this novel too -- there's the mix of romance and near-death experiences stemming from the planes, and also the impending war, which is particularly felt in the final chapter. It ends happily in that Will and Christina are about to get married, but there is a heaviness to it, knowing that Mark is already in the army and Will is going to join the RFC.
Updated for reread 2022:
Although there are less horses in this one, and although I'm not that passionate about planes, I loved every page of this. I loved Sandy even more this time around, and admired Will's determination. I also appreciate how clear K. M. Peyton is about the unbalanced aspect of Will and Christina's relationship, without ever undermining their love. Will is beautiful and brilliant, but is often thoughtless, selfish, yet also compassionate and insightful. Both Will and Mark are fascinating characters, but Will is certainly more gentle and sensitive - but even Will is excited by danger, and the prospect of war. In this, as well as their love for Christina, he and his brother are alike!
As ever Peyton's writing is evocative and brilliant in a way that I find awe-inspiring.
The Edge of the Cloud is the book I had the most difficult time finding, and I was so pleased that it lived up to all those years of expectation. After the dramatically romantic conclusion of the previous book, Christina and Will have left Flambards behind. Will's focus on designing and flying planes is all-consuming, and Christina finds herself in an odd situation. Happy with Will, unable to marry him until she is twenty-one (prior to that they cannot marry without parental consent) or his father dies. She gets a job that she enjoys, and spends the rest of her time in a state of suppressed terror, knowing that Will's life in always at risk. There is a kind of unbalanced quality to their relationship -- Will thrives away from Flambards of course, but he gives little thought to the fact that in many ways Christina was well suited it. He hates horses, but never seems bothered that Christina loved them and left them behind for him. I doubt he would leave his planes for her.
I must admit, if I hadn't read the back of the third book prior to starting this, I would have had less patience for Will. In a way Christina takes a backseat to him in this book. Most of her time is spent following and watching. Though I missed the freedom she had when younger, it did feel realistic. And to Will's credit, he does insist on treating Christina as his equal, something she sometimes struggles with, when she feels unable to live up to that.
There's a strangeness to this atmosphere of this novel too -- there's the mix of romance and near-death experiences stemming from the planes, and also the impending war, which is particularly felt in the final chapter. It ends happily in that Will and Christina are about to get married, but there is a heaviness to it, knowing that Mark is already in the army and Will is going to join the RFC.
Updated for reread 2022:
Although there are less horses in this one, and although I'm not that passionate about planes, I loved every page of this. I loved Sandy even more this time around, and admired Will's determination. I also appreciate how clear K. M. Peyton is about the unbalanced aspect of Will and Christina's relationship, without ever undermining their love. Will is beautiful and brilliant, but is often thoughtless, selfish, yet also compassionate and insightful. Both Will and Mark are fascinating characters, but Will is certainly more gentle and sensitive - but even Will is excited by danger, and the prospect of war. In this, as well as their love for Christina, he and his brother are alike!
As ever Peyton's writing is evocative and brilliant in a way that I find awe-inspiring.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 13, 2022
Well and indeed, I probably, I likely have read both Flambards and the sequel The Edge of the Cloud just a bit too quickly and too cursively to post a truly meaningful and detailed review (as I basically just skimmed through both novels on Open Library in less than two hours very early this morning). But I do have to say that with The Edge of the Cloud, I have from a personal reading pleasure point of view not really enjoyed myself AT ALL and as such also have some major personal questions and issues understanding why author K.M. Peyton was awarded the prestigious Carnegie Medal in 1969 for The Edge of the Cloud (as Antonia Barber's The Ghosts, which was the runner-up in 1969, is in my humble opinion considerably more engaging and readable than The Edge of the Cloud).
For one, I have (and even as a teenager, even as a young adult) never enjoyed so-called Romance Novels as a fiction genre all that much, and that therefore both Flambards and even more so The Edge of the Cloud are simply not really my cup of reading tea so to speak anyhow (and the rest of the series as well, I imagine). And therefore, for me to enjoy Flambards and its Carnegie Medal winning sequel, for me to find The Edge of the Cloud to my tastes, both novels would need to be truly magical and wonderful in every way, and this has just not been the case by any stretch of my imagination (and particular since in Flambards the presence of horses which I had expected to rather adore feels mostly ridiculously on the surface and at best functions like a narrative tool and that in The Edge of the Cloud, not only are there no horses at all to be textually encountered but that K.M. Peyton's textual focus on all things aviation and aeroplanes is proving, or rather has proven to be a major source of intense and boring tedium for me, as I am NOT AT ALL interested in planes and reading about this theme constantly and in such meticulous detail in The Edge of the Cloud, this is draggingly slow and majorly, painfully joyless).
And for two, I also tend to find how in The Edge of the Cloud the entire romantic relationship between Christina and Will is being depicted by K.M. Peyton mostly really emotionally annoying, frustrating, rather dysfunctional, and ultimately absolutely textually unsatisfying, with Christina obviously playing totally second fiddle to Will's love of airplanes and somehow being content with this as well, with me neither understanding nor being able to accept how Christina keeps putting up with Will's one-sidedness regarding flying, that she really means nothing to Will, and that for him, that for Will flying and airplanes will always be his first and his best love (and with there also being in The Edge of the Cloud and with K.M. Peyton's text no horses present at all to mitigate my annoyance and my boredom regarding aviation and nothing but aviation and a truly uncomfortable romance that I for one find so one-sided and so horribly problematic that I only feel like screaming).
For one, I have (and even as a teenager, even as a young adult) never enjoyed so-called Romance Novels as a fiction genre all that much, and that therefore both Flambards and even more so The Edge of the Cloud are simply not really my cup of reading tea so to speak anyhow (and the rest of the series as well, I imagine). And therefore, for me to enjoy Flambards and its Carnegie Medal winning sequel, for me to find The Edge of the Cloud to my tastes, both novels would need to be truly magical and wonderful in every way, and this has just not been the case by any stretch of my imagination (and particular since in Flambards the presence of horses which I had expected to rather adore feels mostly ridiculously on the surface and at best functions like a narrative tool and that in The Edge of the Cloud, not only are there no horses at all to be textually encountered but that K.M. Peyton's textual focus on all things aviation and aeroplanes is proving, or rather has proven to be a major source of intense and boring tedium for me, as I am NOT AT ALL interested in planes and reading about this theme constantly and in such meticulous detail in The Edge of the Cloud, this is draggingly slow and majorly, painfully joyless).
And for two, I also tend to find how in The Edge of the Cloud the entire romantic relationship between Christina and Will is being depicted by K.M. Peyton mostly really emotionally annoying, frustrating, rather dysfunctional, and ultimately absolutely textually unsatisfying, with Christina obviously playing totally second fiddle to Will's love of airplanes and somehow being content with this as well, with me neither understanding nor being able to accept how Christina keeps putting up with Will's one-sidedness regarding flying, that she really means nothing to Will, and that for him, that for Will flying and airplanes will always be his first and his best love (and with there also being in The Edge of the Cloud and with K.M. Peyton's text no horses present at all to mitigate my annoyance and my boredom regarding aviation and nothing but aviation and a truly uncomfortable romance that I for one find so one-sided and so horribly problematic that I only feel like screaming).
March 1, 2017
I love these Flambards books SO MUCH I can't believe I never heard of them before. One of my Goodreads pals inadvertently brought them to my attention. I can't remember who it was so please declare yourself if you happen to read this. Then we can share our flaming Flambards love.
The first one is all about dysfunctional family dynamics in an aristocratic English "county" family. Christina is an orphan heiress and her bullying uncle takes her in and expects her to marry her elder cousin Mark and keep up the family estate, Flambards. Much to her surprise, she finds she adores hunting, the uncle's idee fixe. But she doesn't adore the cousin. In fact, she falls in love and runs off with Will, Mark's younger brother, who has deliberately lamed himself to escape the tyranny of hunting and his tyrant father. That's where the last book ended.
In this book, Christina and Will are refusing to go back to Flambards and trying to make their way in the world. Will is heavily involved in the early days of aviation, obsessed with creating and flying airplanes. Christina gets a job in the office of a big hotel to support herself and be near him, forgoing her beloved hunting. (They can't marry because they're underage and the evil bullying uncle won't give consent.) Christina's biggest dilemma in this book is pretending she isn't horribly, constantly, nauseatingly beyond terrified of flying, both for herself and Will. (Talk about keeping a stiff upper lip! Christina makes a frozen mummy at Madame Tussaud's seem over-emotive!) And it's not like her fears are irrational because planes are basically made out of popsicle sticks held together with chewing gun and string at that point. Open cockpits--shudder.
Anyway, by the end of the book evil bully uncle Russell finally dies and Christina and Will finally get married. But just in case you were worried that things were going to be peaceful (i.e. boring), Will enlists in the nascent RAF because WWI is breaking out.
My sense is that Will is going to die in the next book because otherwise we'd just have to hear about how happy they are all the time, which wouldn't be much of a book. Or we would have to lose faith in their love. Of the two, I'd much rather he die so I can cry about it. Anyway, I can't wait to find out what happens next. Peyton is such a wonderful writer, she brings them all to life and makes me care about them all.
I would just like to say I would NOT have gone up in an open cockpit airplane made out of popsicle sticks and Elmer's glue no matter how much in love I was or how much I wanted to impress my boyfriend. Never. And if I loved horses as much as Christina, I would find a way to keep them in my life. But again, her intense conflicts are part of what make the book so compelling.
The first one is all about dysfunctional family dynamics in an aristocratic English "county" family. Christina is an orphan heiress and her bullying uncle takes her in and expects her to marry her elder cousin Mark and keep up the family estate, Flambards. Much to her surprise, she finds she adores hunting, the uncle's idee fixe. But she doesn't adore the cousin. In fact, she falls in love and runs off with Will, Mark's younger brother, who has deliberately lamed himself to escape the tyranny of hunting and his tyrant father. That's where the last book ended.
In this book, Christina and Will are refusing to go back to Flambards and trying to make their way in the world. Will is heavily involved in the early days of aviation, obsessed with creating and flying airplanes. Christina gets a job in the office of a big hotel to support herself and be near him, forgoing her beloved hunting. (They can't marry because they're underage and the evil bullying uncle won't give consent.) Christina's biggest dilemma in this book is pretending she isn't horribly, constantly, nauseatingly beyond terrified of flying, both for herself and Will. (Talk about keeping a stiff upper lip! Christina makes a frozen mummy at Madame Tussaud's seem over-emotive!) And it's not like her fears are irrational because planes are basically made out of popsicle sticks held together with chewing gun and string at that point. Open cockpits--shudder.
Anyway, by the end of the book evil bully uncle Russell finally dies and Christina and Will finally get married. But just in case you were worried that things were going to be peaceful (i.e. boring), Will enlists in the nascent RAF because WWI is breaking out.
My sense is that Will is going to die in the next book because otherwise we'd just have to hear about how happy they are all the time, which wouldn't be much of a book. Or we would have to lose faith in their love. Of the two, I'd much rather he die so I can cry about it. Anyway, I can't wait to find out what happens next. Peyton is such a wonderful writer, she brings them all to life and makes me care about them all.
I would just like to say I would NOT have gone up in an open cockpit airplane made out of popsicle sticks and Elmer's glue no matter how much in love I was or how much I wanted to impress my boyfriend. Never. And if I loved horses as much as Christina, I would find a way to keep them in my life. But again, her intense conflicts are part of what make the book so compelling.
June 27, 2019
Christina's romance with Will is frustrating but realistic. He loves nothing in the world as much as flying and designing airplanes, and she loves nothing as much as him. It's sad that he can't even begin to understand her fears for his safety and the way that she heroically tramps down her own feelings EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. But he's also a fascinating genius, which attracts and, at the same time, isolates. It's no wonder Christina loves him, but she has to make do with what she can get, because the skills of human interaction are always going to be a bit out of his reach. Interesting tale, and not one I would have labeled as YA fiction, but it was originally written for younger readers.
July 30, 2022
After Christina and Will unexpectedly elope to London, she learns that Will's obsession with airplanes will continue to be his first priority as he not only tries to make a living but continue to build a plane. In addition, Will learns that the disability resulting from his hunting accident is going to impede his flying abilities. Christina is not happy living with her Aunt Grace, helping her with sewing, so gets a job at a hotel where she can see Will when he has a few free hours, and enjoys the freedom beginning to be available to young working women if they follow the rules. At first, she is too busy to miss Flambards but she does miss the horses . . .
September 27, 2018
Although I wasn't sure at first, the second in the Flambards trilogy turned out to be a highly accomplished, tense read. Taking up from hours after Flambards, Christina and Will look to make a new life away from the decaying stately home and in the new world of aviation. Still though, for me, Christina remains trapped and completely at the beck and call of Will's passion for planes. Just as this was beginning to become frustrating, Peyton cranked up the tension and the last quarter of the book was gripping.
April 21, 2014
The sequel to Flambards by KM Peyton, The Edge of the Cloud tells the story of William and Christina's life after escaping from Flambards. Despite their intention to marry, Will is jobless and penniless with no means of supporting a new wife. Armed with a single-minded determination to forge a career as a pioneer aviator and aeroplane designer, Will sets off to Farnborough to seek work as a flyer. Beset by obstacles, Will's quest seems hopeless. When his fortunes do begin to change, Christina realises a new fear every time the fragile canvass and wood flying machines take to the air.
Superbly researched, KM Peyton has no fear of dealing out death to her characters making this a compelling and exciting drama from beginning to end...
This story held a special significance for me because I wanted to use it for research for my new writing project and I was acquainted with David Boddington, the gentleman who built and flew the flying machine models for the television drama based on the KM Peyton Flambards books.
Superbly researched, KM Peyton has no fear of dealing out death to her characters making this a compelling and exciting drama from beginning to end...
This story held a special significance for me because I wanted to use it for research for my new writing project and I was acquainted with David Boddington, the gentleman who built and flew the flying machine models for the television drama based on the KM Peyton Flambards books.
January 2, 2010
This is alleged to be the sequel to Flambards, and the characters have the same names- but the only one who bears the slightest resemblance to the character in the prior book is Will. Christina has become a trembling, mealy-mouthed package of fear and mousiness. There is a lot of detail about airplanes and Will's love of same- but if one wants early aviation detail, one would be far better served to read the magnificent memoirs penned by St. Exupery. I kept reading this just to find out how it ended. But I'm not happy about it.
February 6, 2021
The Edge Of The Cloud by K.M. Peyton is a marvellous YA historical novel and the second book in the Flambards series. I recommend reading book one first as this one starts where book one ended.
The first book focused on the old order of horses, this one focuses on the future that is planes. Planes are the passion of Will, whom we met in book one. We see how he lives and breathes them to the exclusion of all else.
In contrast his cousin Christina tolerates them because she knows how much planes mean to Will. Her passion is horses. Within the novel we witness both characters face their fears.
Planes in 1912 were flimsy and unreliable. They brought their fair share of tragedies.
Planes unite. There is no class within the aeronautical world, all are viewed equally and earn their merit. “There was no distinction of class or underdog: the mechanics, the pilots, the pupils, and the owners all mingled without status.” It is the dawn of a new era.
The book follows the characters as they are on the cusp of adulthood. As they grow and make their plans, the reader is aware that World War I is looming ever closer.
I am loving this Flambards series. It is every bit as good as when I read it as a teen.
The first book focused on the old order of horses, this one focuses on the future that is planes. Planes are the passion of Will, whom we met in book one. We see how he lives and breathes them to the exclusion of all else.
In contrast his cousin Christina tolerates them because she knows how much planes mean to Will. Her passion is horses. Within the novel we witness both characters face their fears.
Planes in 1912 were flimsy and unreliable. They brought their fair share of tragedies.
Planes unite. There is no class within the aeronautical world, all are viewed equally and earn their merit. “There was no distinction of class or underdog: the mechanics, the pilots, the pupils, and the owners all mingled without status.” It is the dawn of a new era.
The book follows the characters as they are on the cusp of adulthood. As they grow and make their plans, the reader is aware that World War I is looming ever closer.
I am loving this Flambards series. It is every bit as good as when I read it as a teen.
January 20, 2021
I had again forgotten how good this book is and can see why it won The Carnegie Medal.
This is the second instalment of the Flambards Quartet and starts after Christina leaves Flambards and goes up until the outbreak of World War One. In this book, Christina moves back to London and ends up getting a job in a hotel. She matures in this book and falls in love.
Without giving anything away for those who haven't read the first book, this book brilliantly captures the Edwardian era and how girls were becoming more independent and the suffrage movement. There is also a lot about flying the first aircrafts which I found fascinating.
An excellent sequel which is a classic coming of age novel with plenty of history.
This is the second instalment of the Flambards Quartet and starts after Christina leaves Flambards and goes up until the outbreak of World War One. In this book, Christina moves back to London and ends up getting a job in a hotel. She matures in this book and falls in love.
Without giving anything away for those who haven't read the first book, this book brilliantly captures the Edwardian era and how girls were becoming more independent and the suffrage movement. There is also a lot about flying the first aircrafts which I found fascinating.
An excellent sequel which is a classic coming of age novel with plenty of history.
September 3, 2017
I really love the way K.M. Peyton writes! I find her descriptions really evocative and the way she delves into her characters' thoughts and feelings very real - the conflicting and sometimes irrational worries and dreams and emotions. I also loved the details about a very interesting point in history, the development of flight and the stirrings of social change, from the strict class hierarchy of Victorian times to a new era where anyone could make something of themselves, even if they were 'low born'.
However. I found Will and Christina's relationship quite frustrating, and as that was the main thrust of the plot, it was a little unsatisfying to read. Christina got this idea into her head early on that the main thing Will liked about her was that she "didn't fuss". So for the whole rest of the book she was just bottling up and trying to conceal all her perfectly normal concerns for his safety and perfectly valid fear of flying, just because she didn't want him to think ill of her. Knowing his history, e.g. passionate fear and dislike of horseriding to the point where he set out to deliberately cripple himself so that he'd never have to ride again - SURELY knowing that she could expect him to have a little understanding for her feelings!? I just didn't get why she was so besotted with him when he made it VERY clear how much more he loved flying than he loved her, and treated her like a good mate at best and handy unpaid assistant at worst. But then even in the previous novel I never really got on board with their relationship. Oh well. Perhaps it's for the best.
However. I found Will and Christina's relationship quite frustrating, and as that was the main thrust of the plot, it was a little unsatisfying to read. Christina got this idea into her head early on that the main thing Will liked about her was that she "didn't fuss". So for the whole rest of the book she was just bottling up and trying to conceal all her perfectly normal concerns for his safety and perfectly valid fear of flying, just because she didn't want him to think ill of her. Knowing his history, e.g. passionate fear and dislike of horseriding to the point where he set out to deliberately cripple himself so that he'd never have to ride again - SURELY knowing that she could expect him to have a little understanding for her feelings!? I just didn't get why she was so besotted with him when he made it VERY clear how much more he loved flying than he loved her, and treated her like a good mate at best and handy unpaid assistant at worst. But then even in the previous novel I never really got on board with their relationship. Oh well. Perhaps it's for the best.
November 9, 2018
Omläsning, andra delen av två. Det är ovanligt med serier där den andra boken är bättre än den första, men det här är ett sådant fall. Flickan från Flambards är mycket mera sammanhållen.
Borta är ridturerna och rävjakterna, nu handlar allt om flygning eftersom Christina följt sin älskade Will och genom honom följer med flygpionjärernas tillvaro. Det är rejält intressant och lärorikt att läsa om dessa tidiga flygplan, till min förvåning intressantare än att läsa om hästarna på Flambards.
Däremot stör jag mig rejält på bristen på ärlig kommunikation mellan Christina och Will, att hon aldrig kan vara ärlig med hur mycket flygningen skrämmer henne. Möjligen ska det här anses vara någon sorts tidsanda, men det känns ändå både orättvist och snudd på osannolikt.
Borta är ridturerna och rävjakterna, nu handlar allt om flygning eftersom Christina följt sin älskade Will och genom honom följer med flygpionjärernas tillvaro. Det är rejält intressant och lärorikt att läsa om dessa tidiga flygplan, till min förvåning intressantare än att läsa om hästarna på Flambards.
Däremot stör jag mig rejält på bristen på ärlig kommunikation mellan Christina och Will, att hon aldrig kan vara ärlig med hur mycket flygningen skrämmer henne. Möjligen ska det här anses vara någon sorts tidsanda, men det känns ändå både orättvist och snudd på osannolikt.
January 10, 2024
It was the end of this that touched me, when war is an inevitability, and yet still a surprise. We carry on with our lives while war away things seem not to affect us, until they do. This is not a horsy novel, or even an early flying one, and I was surprised at how human it all was. Given that this is a popular tween book, it is a delight.
July 24, 2012
I liked this one just as much as I liked the first one in this trilogy. Christina is such a likeable character. Looking forward to the day when the last book comes to my local library. It is on order and coming soon!
December 2, 2020
This series is absolutely my favourite comfort read. There were lots of details I had forgotten, as this installment was the one I used to re-read the least, but I loved rediscovering Will and Christina's relationship, as well as the joys and terrors of early aviation.
October 30, 2008
Romantic but also realistic; love doesn't solve problems.
July 21, 2015
It’s a strange sequel to Flambards. Christina has run off with Will, but they don’t get married. This is a book just about their courtship; a courtship that is spent with Will mostly flying, working on airplanes, and disappearing to the Swiss Alps for a surgery to fix the lameness he caused at the beginning of Flambards. And while it seems like Christina truly loves Will, her happiness seems more like a glamour. She’s always hiding herself, her true feelings, from him. She never wants to make him angry by showing how scared she is. So I’m left wondering who Will thinks that he loves. But at least she finally has a girlfriend in Dorothy, and that’s something.
January 4, 2016
Flambards, Mk II. Escapist rubbish. Christina's life revolves around her man, and the entirety of it is told rather than shown.
From the blurb: "Christina realises that with Will, she will always come second to his passion for machines." One might get the impression that it's a cautionary tale about the effects of mechanophilia upon relationships.
From the blurb: "Christina realises that with Will, she will always come second to his passion for machines." One might get the impression that it's a cautionary tale about the effects of mechanophilia upon relationships.
September 15, 2019
Christina's whole life now is Will. She doesn't like planes and he is OBSESSED, so that's her life now too, I guess. She snipes at Mark that he only wanted a housekeeper, but it's not like Will is that great in this book. He (jokingly) calls Christina his slave girl and lavishes cutesy nicknames on his stupid plane and almost dies a bunch and doesn't give a damn about her anxieties and fears even though people are constantly dying and getting hurt INCLUDING THEIR DEAR FRIEND (not that Will seems to give a crap), and it's just so gross and AND THEN HE JOINS THE ARMY WITHOUT EVEN TALKING TO HER ABOUT IT AND UGH IT'S SO BORING I MISS THE HORSES. The first book felt a bit like the Secret Garden, but with teenagers and horses. Just like in the Secret Garden, where I wanted more of Dickon and less of Colin, here I want more of Dick and less of William, who USED to be a decent guy. At least there's less Mark, and he's reasonable for once. Christina deserves better than all of this. They go riding once and have a nice time, but Christina is like "welp, I guess we're never riding horses again." LITERALLY THE ONLY THING SHE ENJOYS IN LIFE OTHER THAN OBSESSING OVER WILL.
Dorothy was whatever, it's kinda sad to see that jealously hating other women and basically calling them harlots for talking to your man has been a thing forever. Sandy was probably the only worthwhile character in this book except the aunt, but she's barely there again.
AND AFTER ALL CHRISTINA HAS BEEN THROUGH PUTTING UP WITH WILLIAM'S BS, HE HAS THE NERVE TO GIVE HER SH*T FOR WANTING A NICE CHURCH WEDDING. He's done nothing for her, the selfish twat, and can't do that one thing for her? She's given up all her free time and he can't get her an afternoon? And then the wedding is like two pages and she talks to MARK the whole time, and Will is barely mentioned, and I hate their relationship and it's not even redeemed at the end. Maybe Will will be killed off in the war and Christina can move on with her life. Maybe Dick will come back and they will train horses together and there will be entertaining horse drama again.
Ah well, I'll probably read this stupid series to the bitter end, because while KM Peyton is an annoying author with stupid plots, her writing is good, and I want something good to happen to Christina one day, because so far her life feels like something out of A Series of Unfortunate Events, without any of the clever, funny stuff and no loving siblings to give her any modicum of affection.
Dorothy was whatever, it's kinda sad to see that jealously hating other women and basically calling them harlots for talking to your man has been a thing forever. Sandy was probably the only worthwhile character in this book except the aunt, but she's barely there again.
AND AFTER ALL CHRISTINA HAS BEEN THROUGH PUTTING UP WITH WILLIAM'S BS, HE HAS THE NERVE TO GIVE HER SH*T FOR WANTING A NICE CHURCH WEDDING. He's done nothing for her, the selfish twat, and can't do that one thing for her? She's given up all her free time and he can't get her an afternoon? And then the wedding is like two pages and she talks to MARK the whole time, and Will is barely mentioned, and I hate their relationship and it's not even redeemed at the end. Maybe Will will be killed off in the war and Christina can move on with her life. Maybe Dick will come back and they will train horses together and there will be entertaining horse drama again.
Ah well, I'll probably read this stupid series to the bitter end, because while KM Peyton is an annoying author with stupid plots, her writing is good, and I want something good to happen to Christina one day, because so far her life feels like something out of A Series of Unfortunate Events, without any of the clever, funny stuff and no loving siblings to give her any modicum of affection.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 26, 2021
The frustration and sadness that I felt in the story was related to the events that occurred. It was like, "Christina is a grown woman who doesn't need Aunt Grace to control every aspect of her life. If she wants to quit sewing for money and start a new career, let her walk her path". Christina shouldn't have been given a second chance to work as the hotel worker instead of getting terminated. She needed to learn from her mistakes and not be punished for them. It's so sad that Uncle Dermot and Sandy passed away from flying accidents. Mr. Dermot made a huge impact on William and Sandy was his good friend.
I felt disappointment when William and Christina didn't end up getting married. I was so excited to finally see Christina in her gorgeous wedding dress with her hair all done and William in his beautiful suit, when I found out that they didn't end up reaching their goal and getting married. William left to enlist in the war and Christina became fearful of what would happen to William. It was like, "things were going so well for the two of them when all the excitement and hope went down the drain".
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this story. I loved how Christina and William were brave enough to escape Flambards and move on with their lives. Many great things were happening to the two of them. William's career in aviation began and Christina was finally employed as a hotel worker and then an office assistant. Christina eventually learns to fly and William's income increases as he enters flying competitions and does more things like designing and fixing airplanes. They befriend aviation students Sandy and his girlfriend Dorothy.
I felt disappointment when William and Christina didn't end up getting married. I was so excited to finally see Christina in her gorgeous wedding dress with her hair all done and William in his beautiful suit, when I found out that they didn't end up reaching their goal and getting married. William left to enlist in the war and Christina became fearful of what would happen to William. It was like, "things were going so well for the two of them when all the excitement and hope went down the drain".
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this story. I loved how Christina and William were brave enough to escape Flambards and move on with their lives. Many great things were happening to the two of them. William's career in aviation began and Christina was finally employed as a hotel worker and then an office assistant. Christina eventually learns to fly and William's income increases as he enters flying competitions and does more things like designing and fixing airplanes. They befriend aviation students Sandy and his girlfriend Dorothy.
September 24, 2022
The sequel to Flambards, this one follows Christine and Will as they try to find their places in the real world as adults and wait out will's father's/Christine's uncle's unwillingness to let them get married. Will finds a job as a mechanic with a flying lessons business while trying to scrape together enough money to make his own plane, and christine gets a job in a nearby hotel. Christine spends all her time on the edge of a panic attack about Will's flying, while Will seems fairly oblivious.
While Flambards was fine, this one was quite a bit worse than fine. It's clearly meant to be a romantic story about the struggles of a young couple on their way to marriage, but Christine just seems weak and desperate and not at all in touch with the idea of living for herself and not wholly for the man she thinks the loves, while Will is portrayed - or at least I think we're meant to see him - as a slightly unaware but still gallant boyfriend, when in fact he's just as unhealthily obsessed with the idea of getting his own plane and flying it as Christine is with him. Completely unhealthy relationship all round. Bah.
While Flambards was fine, this one was quite a bit worse than fine. It's clearly meant to be a romantic story about the struggles of a young couple on their way to marriage, but Christine just seems weak and desperate and not at all in touch with the idea of living for herself and not wholly for the man she thinks the loves, while Will is portrayed - or at least I think we're meant to see him - as a slightly unaware but still gallant boyfriend, when in fact he's just as unhealthily obsessed with the idea of getting his own plane and flying it as Christine is with him. Completely unhealthy relationship all round. Bah.
December 31, 2019
This was my favorite of the Flambards books back when I was younger, which was odd because there are no horses in it. But I did have a thing for biplanes (still do) too. Rereading it now is an interesting experience, because the love between Christina and Will is a bit hard to understand. She adores him and puts up with everything, including his one track mind regarding flying. He never notices her fear of the machines, he doesn't seem to really see her at all. His love for her is very hard to believe.
And yet - she loves him. And she accepts her secondary spot so she can be with him.
All righty then.
And yet - she loves him. And she accepts her secondary spot so she can be with him.
All righty then.
July 1, 2025
Loved the descriptions of the early days of aviation and how dangerous these simple little planes were. Believable characters and equal parts joy and sadness.
This series is only available as used books and not as ebooks sadly. If you come across in a book sale or used book store - pick it up!
This series is only available as used books and not as ebooks sadly. If you come across in a book sale or used book store - pick it up!
February 9, 2019
The second of the series. William is totally involved in his aircraft career, Christina is working at the hotel. They are waiting until their 21st birthdays to be able to marry. WWI is approaching.
July 1, 2025
It was a great, enjoyable book although some challenging language for younger readers. I haven’t read any of the other books so I’m not sure if there was more of an explanation behind it, but it took until the end of the book to realise they were cousins 😧 which did throw me off a little bit
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 27, 2025
An addictive follow-on to Flambards and a perfect book (for me anyways) to get lost in for a few hours. Lovely descriptions and yearnings for love and life just before the Great War. Just annoyed at the spoiler in the blurb for the third installment!
Want to read
September 23, 2020HJNJNJN
November 18, 2021
Planes rather than horses. Excellent analysis of 1910's sexism. Not as much fun as the first one.
April 17, 2023
C-. fiction, YA, early airplane fight, relationship; series (Flambards Trilogy, #2); from stash, discard
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