Daughters of the Night Sky

Honestly, I would give it a 3.5, but you know how GoodReads is about half stars.

This book is a well-crafted novel in terms of characters and story; even knowing how things went in WWII, you still felt the suspense of the sorties and the life-and-death stakes that these characters dealt with. However, the author allowed these characters - Katya particularly - a little too much freedom to say and do things that would definitely have gotten them booted from the army or shot for insubordination. Once, MAYBE twice, might have worked in the right context, but this protagonist's sharp tongue became a little unbelievable over the course of the novel.

I also felt that the story would have been just as powerful entirely without the romantic show more subplot with Vanya. While he was an interesting character, their pairing felt very rushed and unnecessary, and it would have been fine enough for Katya to spend all of her worries about her loved ones on her mother, who was a far more powerful character connection for her from the beginning.

Overall, I did enjoy this novel, and I really am glad to see someone has taken the time to write about the Night Witches, because they are a fascinating part of WWII history. show less

Aimie K. Runyan só avisa no fim do livro, mas é muito transparente ao chamar a atenção para o fato de que não é especialista em Segunda Guerra Mundial ou aviação. Em "Daughters of the Night Sky", porém, oferece um relato muito fiel da participação das mulheres na resistência do Exército Vermelho durante o avanço das tropas nazistas sobre o território da antiga União Soviética.

Neste romance, o foco é a história de Katya Ivanova, uma jovem que se apaixona pela ideia de pilotar aviões. A resistência é grande, já a partir do momento em que a menina precisa ter contato na escola com matérias como física e matemática, reservadas aos garotos. A interferência da mãe de Katya é determinante, enquadrando o relutante show more professor no discurso de Stalin, favorável a condições iguais a homens e mulheres.

A questão dos direitos das mulheres perpassa toda a trama, em constantes conflitos com soldados e oficiais homens. Há relatos de assédio e estupro, mas também espaço para romance e momentos de grande amizade. Acredito que no intuito de pôr mais alguma dose de aventura na trama, Aimie K. Runyan escorrega ao criar um episódio que não condiz com o caráter da protagonista.

Apesar da ressalva da autora, a leitura deve agradar quem gosta de relatos sobre a Segunda Guerra. E não decepciona os admiradores da aviação. Desde a descrição do Polikarpov PO2, monomotor usado nos bombardeios em que Katya atua como navegadora, até as manobras em voo e atuação das equipes de mecânicas em terra, a narrativa é bem estimulante e fiel ao universo dos aviões.

"Daughters of the Night Sky" pode ser lido como complemento à "A guerra não tem rosto de mulher", de Svetlana Aleksiévitch, ainda a obra referência sobre a participação feminina no conflito. show less

I read a lot of WWII fiction but this was a totally new look at the war for me. This historical fiction was about Russian women pilots who bombed German areas during the war. The author did extensive research for this book and her research made this book even more interesting and intriguing.

Katya wanted to be a pilot from a young age and her mother encouraged her to be whatever she wanted to be. Of course, there were very few women pilots at the time so Katya was met with resistance and scorn from men during every step. Her teacher in school felt that women should become mothers and stay at home and refused to teach her mathematics in school until her mother intervened. When she got accepted to flight school, the male pilots treated the show more women terribly and even the male instructors were unfair to the females. After all of the people trying to keep her from reaching her goal, the war started and she was accepted into an all female regiment. Though she wants to help her country win the war, she also wants to be with her new husband and keep herself safe as he requested. She is torn between helping her country and being a brave example for the other women in her group and being the person that her husband wants her to be until she realizes that the only way she'll be happy in her life is to follow her dreams.

This is a wonderful, well written novel about female pilots during the war who not only had to fight the enemy but they also had to fight the prevailing belief of the day that women should stay at home. It's a book about bravery and loyalty and following your dreams no matter where they lead.

I received an advance review copy of this book from the Great Thought's Ninja Review Team. All opinions are my own. show less

Novel based on the exploits of "The Night Witches" -- Russian women pilots whose night raids harassed the German army with their nighttime bombing runs in small, underpowered, and generally unarmed planes. It's a bit slow to start -- the heroine doesn't actually get into the air until midway through the book -- but after that point, it moves along with memorable characters and scenes.

Daughters of the Night Sky, by Aimie K. Runyan, is a fascinating novel pertaining to the women who fought valiantly during the Second World War as part of the Soviet Air Force. I usually research an author’s bio before reading a military novel or history book in order to see what I should expect when it comes to accuracy and details. In Runyan’s case, I thought sure I had read something about her not having much of a background in the history of the Second World War in general, but I must have been mistaken because first off, especially for a novel, Daughters of the Night Sky accurately portrays the characters and their lives during what was a very bleak time for the Soviet Union.

The author’s description of the aviators, the show more aircraft flight characteristics, and limitations, indicate a tremendous amount of research and time spent on the subject; an important story that needs to be told. Having tripped over her Facebook page and noticing the header for Daughters of the Night Sky, my interest was immediately peaked as I had read a fair amount on the topic of the ‘Night Witches’, the well-deserved name given to the pilots by the German ground forces who suffered at their hands.

Any concerns I may have had about accuracy were quickly dispelled. The story is captivating and Runyan’s character development is impressive. I covet her skills in that department. This book will appeal to…frankly, everybody. Military historians and aviation enthusiasts will certainly enjoy it, and although I’m sure that Aimie has heard this before; what a great movie this novel would make!

Reviewed by Daniel L Little on April 19 2018 – www.daniellittle.com show less

I enjoy reading history, and I read quite a bit of non-fiction about WWII. This book takes a fictional look at the regiment of “Night Witches,” a group of female Russian pilots. The regiment is based on historical fact. Unfortunately, the story Runyan has woven around it does not ring true. The author takes a broad-brush approach with little detail. We do not know any of the troop movements, logistics, strategy, or tactics, even when one of the main characters is in charge. The protagonist is supposedly a female Russian pilot, but she acts like a contemporary American. For example, she and her colleagues casually criticize Stalin, which would have been extremely risky behavior during Stalin’s reign of terror.

A superfluous romance show more is included. The meetings between husband and wife during the war are unlikely to have been permitted. The ending includes an unnecessary and far-fetched epilogue. I am always dismayed when writers of historical fiction do not remain true to the era, especially since many readers these days to not consult non-fiction to distinguish between fact and fiction. show less

During WWII, a few regiments of women piloted bombers and fighters in the Soviet Air Forces. The Germans called them Night Witches, because they bombed German bases during the night. This novel tells the fictionalized story of these women through the eyes of Katya. From an early age, Katya decides she wants to be a pilot. She studies hard in school and gets her military training. As women, Katya and her peers have to prove themselves better than the men to be taken seriously at all, and they accomplish this marvelously, with far more sorties than any of the male regiments, and better records in general.
As a wartime story, there is of course hardship and misery, yet this book tempers that with hope and triumph. This book is great for show more anyone who wishes to know more about a little-known piece of WWII history. Sofia Orlov, Katya’s commanding officer, was based on real-life heroine Marina Raskova. I would very much like to read her story. show less