The Spitfire Sisters

The Maitland Trilogy #3

by Margaret Dickinson

Family and friendship mean everything under the darkening skies of wartime Britain, by Sunday Times bestselling author Margaret Dickinson.It is the 1930s and the Maitland family have spent the years following the Great War struggling to come to terms with its catastrophic aftermath, and their hopes now lie with the next generation. Their Lincolnshire village of Doddington suffered terrible loss and it has taken great courage for the bereaved families to rebuild their lives without their loved ones.When war is declared again, it is Daisy Maitland and her peers who must now take up the fight for freedom. Feisty and a daredevil like her beloved Aunt Pips, who spent World War One on the front line serving with a flying ambulance corps, Daisy had persuaded a family friend to teach her to fly as a young woman. Now her country is at war, she is determined to put her skills to good use, enlisting in the Air Transport Auxiliary. There she forges new friendships – but she never forgets her childhood friend and cousin, Luke, who has joined the RAF as a fighter pilot.As war rages in the skies and on the ground, Daisy, her friends and her family – at home and across the Channel – will find their bravery and strength tested to the very limits in their determination to save their country. And they have learned one of the most valuable lessons of true love will find a way.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance

544 pages, Paperback

Published February 6, 2020

About the author

Born in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, Margaret Dickinson moved to the coast at the age of seven and so began her love for the sea and the Lincolnshire landscape. Her ambition to be a writer began early and she had her first novel published at the age of twenty-five. This was followed by many further titles including Plough the Furrow, Sow the Seed and Reap the Harvest, which make up her Lincolnshire Fleethaven Trilogy. She is also the author of Fairfield Hall, Jenny's War and The Clippie Girls. Margaret is a Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller.

Reviews

[Carolyn Kirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another wartime classic served up by Margaret Dickinson. Daisy and Gill are high fliers who parachute their way into WW2, where their role is crucial. High fliers in more ways than one ✈️ I’m sure their post war careers will also take off. I really invested in these 2 characters. Daisy and Gill, let’s hope “We’ll meet again 🎶. Don’t know where 🎶 and don’t know when 🎶 “ but let’s just hope that we meet again some day. 😂 😂 😂

[Naomi Adeniji · Rating 1 out of 5]

Truly a poor ending to a pretty good trilogy. I liked the involvement of more characters however hated that George died and then Pips goes off at the end to marrying Mitch?? What was that all about like?

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Praise for Margaret Dickinson

Brings the war years and it tragedies home to those whose parents experienced this awful time. I am thankful my family survived. Margaret brings a story of hope and love amidst the atrocities of war. So many died and will always be remembered.

[Janice Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

Good catching up with Pips and her family and friends during world war 2. Was a really enjoyable read and it was great to see how a local community pulled together in times of need

[Shreedevi Gurumurty · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's the 1930s and the Maitland family have spent the years following the Great War struggling to come to terms with its catastrophic aftermath, and their hopes now lie with the next generation. Their Lincolnshire village of Doddington suffered terrible loss and it has taken great courage for the bereaved families to rebuild their lives without their loved ones.When war is declared again, it is Daisy Maitland and her peers who must now take up the fight for freedom. Feisty and a daredevil like her beloved Aunt Pips, who spent World War One on the front line serving with a flying ambulance corps, Daisy had persuaded a family friend to teach her to fly as a young woman. Now her country is at war, she is determined to put her skills to good use, enlisting in the Air Transport Auxiliary. There she forges new friendships - but she never forgets her childhood friend and cousin, Luke, who has joined the RAF as a fighter pilot.
As war rages in the skies and on the ground, Daisy, her friends and her family - at home and across the Channel - will find their bravery and strength tested to the very limits in their determination to save their country. And they have learned one of the most valuable lessons of all: true love will find a way.The Belgian Resistance collectively refers to the resistance movements opposed to the German occupation of Belgium during World War II. Within Belgium, resistance was fragmented between many separate organizations, divided by region and political stances.Aside from sabotage of military infrastructure in the country and assassinations of collaborators, these groups also published large numbers of underground newspapers, gathered intelligence and maintained various escape networks that helped Allied airmen trapped behind enemy lines escape from German-occupied Europe.At Brooklands, racing stopped when WWII started.The site was turned over to war-time production of military aircraft. Enemy bombs damaged the track and a new access road to the Hawker factory was cut through from Oyster Lane. A night fighter is adapted for use at night or in other times of bad visibility.

[Shirley Dawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite by chance I realised that this was a continuation of a recent read - the saga of the Maitlands and Dawsons, this one being set in WW2, whereas the first was WW1. A lovely worthwhile read as indeed was the first one. Knowing most of the characters, I felt quite at home reading about the continuation of their lives and now their children and grandchildren.

The story focuses on both families' part during war time, flowing back and forth to those at home and those fighting for the country. It works well and Margaret Dickinson obviously spent many hours researching the historical facts of both wars.

I won't give away any of the story but I will just say the results of the war seemed a little unlikely in my opinion, considering the amount of people involved. I'm sure the reader will understand what I mean as they read. The ending was obviously going to be a 'happy ever after' and again all the relationships (and there were a lot of them) were a little too predictable and far too structured for my liking. Nevertheless the novel thoroughly deserves 4 stars.

[Layla · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't want to give up on this,,,,,, but kept reading and was getting frustrated as it felt like MD. wanted to continue the brooklands girls , rather then write this book as it kept harping on back to the story of book 2 in. this is hat put me off and stopped me reading it I only for a short way into this and couldn't stand it any longer.

this book to me was totally point less should have left it as a stand alone at book number one.
didn't go to much on book 2 either. sorry MD , normally highly rate your books but these 2 were a no no, for me.

[Gillie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed it. I think it had a bit of a slow start where the author was explaining the characters and various things that had happened in previous books. I didn't read either as a friend gave me this third book without the previous two. The story was a nice mix of love interest and gave a good insight into the period leading up to World War II. I learned a lot about the role of women as pilots and how those left at home coped with the war years. It wasn't exactly a page turner but I got to the end quite happily with a few tears along the way.

[MRS CHRISTINE SITTON · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant and fascinating

Have now read all 3 books about the Maitlands and really enjoyed them . Right from WW1 through to WW2, although it's fiction there was so much history I found them so interesting. The way the characters evolve as they get older and a new generation is born. Very sad and happy moments that I had to keep reading to find out what happened. The research must have been a long hard job to fit around the characters. 3 generations of very strong women.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a strong end to this delightful trilogy. I probably enjoyed the first and third books the best. It was nice to follow the family through the years as they moved through their lives. I also really liked how the author wrapped everything up.

[Trudie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally got to catch up with the Maitland family in this final book in the Maitland trilogy. Although this centres on Daisy, Luke and Harry this also features all of the characters in the other books. A brilliant end to this series.

[Linda Leedham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, it wasn’t one of those books that I couldn’t put down but all the same the war years stories are always intriguing and full of worry love and loss, which adds to the storyline

A god read

[Georgia Pearce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book first at off all the books that have been previously been made.
Love the story for the different experiences in the wars for both men and women.
Makes me want to get the rest of the collection to find out about the rest of the families experiences

[Samantha Neal · Rating 5 out of 5]

The whole story from start to finish was just brilliant and shocking.
The story involving the Mailtland family generation from the poppy girls with pips and the spitfire sisters with Daisy.
I wish the story never ended.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book very much.

[Betty Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maitland Trilogy

Brilliant book from beginning to end lives every chapter it is as if you are in there with them every step of the way brilliant story highly recommended

[Stacie Birch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Predictable, I knew where the storyline was headed

[Steph Carruthers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have thoroughly enjoyed this trilogy so much so I’m a little sad to have finished it.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this trilogy. 😍

[Mrs K.J.Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Trilogu

Loved all 3 books got to know the characters. Loved how the stories developed focusing on the younger character whist including the characters we already knew .

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book. All the characters intertwined.
I have read all 3 in this series.

[Novelle Novels · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really flew through this book. As always with this author she has created great characters and the storylines that were good 😊

[Lorraine Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last book in the Maitland family trilogy which was enjoyable to read.

[Lesley Puncher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliant book by Margaret Dickinson. The third in the trilogy it moves forward to WW2 and shares the lives of three generations of the Maitlands and their experiences of a second war.

[Mary Brewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful work bought a tear to my eye, perfect ending to the book trilogy

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great trilogy finisher

[Jo K Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last book in a trilogy that starts with The Poppy Girls. Such a well written book and cozy too.

[Richard McGowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved this series of books, I was so invested in the characters and am sad this is the end.

[Annette Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I seem to be going back to front with this Trilogy because The Spitfire Sisters, the last book in the series was the first one I had read. Having said that I thoroughly enjoyed it and I want to read the rest of the series. The characters were well rounded and you felt you really knew them and their pain and joy. William, Brigitta, Pascal and Waldo were the only ones who failed to grab my interest because they were portrayed too shallowly. I felt no connection to them even though they were important to the plot.

I like books where there is a fulfilling end. There is nothing worse than reading a book that has an unsatisfying, tragic, incomplete or depressing end. I also liked the clean and accurate way Margaret Dickinson handled the war, attraction and love while still keeping my interest. I found the historical content fascinating, learning more about the RAF and women pilots during WWII. The book wasn't boring and it was refreshing to read.