What do you think?
Rate this book
Trophy for Eagles
TROPHY FOR EAGLES
Walter J. Boyne
Colonel Walter J. Boyne, coauthor of The Wild Blue, here explores the golden age of the years from 1927 to 1937, when flying airplanes developed from an art to a craft and building them evolved from a craft to an industry. While peopled with historical characters such as Lindbergh, Howard Hughes and Ernst Udet, the relationship between two pilots, American Frank Bandfield and expatriate German Bruno Hafner, is at the novel's heart; their rivalry is the thread on which Boyne strings his vignettes. High-risk air racing in Depression America, innovations in design and production, the creation of Hitler's Luftwaffe , the bombing of Guernica during the Spanish Civil Warâ all find their place in this complex, compelling narrative. A former director of the National Air and Space Museum, Boyne impressively details flight techniques and aircraft construction. He even writes convincingly of the shortcomings that keep imaginary aircraft from entering production in his fictional universe. Technical material is so well integrated into the narrative, and human relationships are so dominated by flying, that it seems only natural when lovers talk of airplanes at intimate moments.
Walter J. Boyne
Colonel Walter J. Boyne, coauthor of The Wild Blue, here explores the golden age of the years from 1927 to 1937, when flying airplanes developed from an art to a craft and building them evolved from a craft to an industry. While peopled with historical characters such as Lindbergh, Howard Hughes and Ernst Udet, the relationship between two pilots, American Frank Bandfield and expatriate German Bruno Hafner, is at the novel's heart; their rivalry is the thread on which Boyne strings his vignettes. High-risk air racing in Depression America, innovations in design and production, the creation of Hitler's Luftwaffe , the bombing of Guernica during the Spanish Civil Warâ all find their place in this complex, compelling narrative. A former director of the National Air and Space Museum, Boyne impressively details flight techniques and aircraft construction. He even writes convincingly of the shortcomings that keep imaginary aircraft from entering production in his fictional universe. Technical material is so well integrated into the narrative, and human relationships are so dominated by flying, that it seems only natural when lovers talk of airplanes at intimate moments.
455 pages, Hardcover
First published January 25, 1989
29 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 29, 2020
This is a historical fiction novel set in the 20s & 30s in the interwar period leading into and including the Spanish Civil War.
If you're an aviation fan, you'll probably love it, for those of us who aren't it's okay. There's certainly a story in there yet the start is cumbersome and slow, which becomes average towards the middle and slowly builds toward good quality reading in the last 100 or so pages.
There's a few historical figures within the novel, yet they're used more for set dressing than pivotal story moments which I found took away from the picture it was trying to paint rather than adding to it.
Overall, it was decent but if you're not into aircraft & aviation there's better historical fiction books out there to sink your teeth into.
If you're an aviation fan, you'll probably love it, for those of us who aren't it's okay. There's certainly a story in there yet the start is cumbersome and slow, which becomes average towards the middle and slowly builds toward good quality reading in the last 100 or so pages.
There's a few historical figures within the novel, yet they're used more for set dressing than pivotal story moments which I found took away from the picture it was trying to paint rather than adding to it.
Overall, it was decent but if you're not into aircraft & aviation there's better historical fiction books out there to sink your teeth into.
June 2, 2011
This book is the male equivalent of a female romance novel. I was expecting a technical recounting of air development during the 30's, consequently I struggled to get past the first 100 pages but did get into the final 100 page flow.
Realistic historical figures such as Lindbergh are used as props for the fictional characters to interact with. Real historical events are used as timeline markers, such as Lindbergh's crossing, in which the take off is about the only action involving an actual person; or the recounting of Earhart's crash in Hawaii on an overloaded takeoff.
There is too much interdependence of too few characters, and some of the sexual quirks and relationships could only occur in a real life trailer park.
The protrayal of Lindbergh's attitude toward Nazi Germany is one rarely seen in contemporary books, and the backgrounding of the Nazi buildup during the Spanish war was interesting. It is difficult to gauge how accurate the information may have been since this is not an actual historical novel, but one closely based on some events which strives to convey human interactions during those events.
For what the book accomplishes in entertainment, I though it could have been edited to a shorter length and been just as effective. Diagrams or sketches of planes discussed, if based on actual planes would have helped, otherwise referring to an actual historical volume for information would preclude any need to read this.
Realistic historical figures such as Lindbergh are used as props for the fictional characters to interact with. Real historical events are used as timeline markers, such as Lindbergh's crossing, in which the take off is about the only action involving an actual person; or the recounting of Earhart's crash in Hawaii on an overloaded takeoff.
There is too much interdependence of too few characters, and some of the sexual quirks and relationships could only occur in a real life trailer park.
The protrayal of Lindbergh's attitude toward Nazi Germany is one rarely seen in contemporary books, and the backgrounding of the Nazi buildup during the Spanish war was interesting. It is difficult to gauge how accurate the information may have been since this is not an actual historical novel, but one closely based on some events which strives to convey human interactions during those events.
For what the book accomplishes in entertainment, I though it could have been edited to a shorter length and been just as effective. Diagrams or sketches of planes discussed, if based on actual planes would have helped, otherwise referring to an actual historical volume for information would preclude any need to read this.
January 29, 2009
A story featuring numerous real-life characters from the golden age of aviation, while revolving around two fictional pilots and their women. More likely to appeal to aviation enthusiasts than to the general reader. Written by the former director of the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum.
Read
October 2, 2008A Boy
September 7, 2009
An interesting book for aviation enthusiasts, but the characters are a bit too stock and the story too soap-opera in style. Boyne's aviation and naval histories are much better.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews