Overview

An epic story of love, loss and friendship, set against the powerful backdrop of World War Two, from the dogfights of the Battle of Britain to the deserts of North Africa. A gripping war book from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Fortress Malta- An Island Under Siege, The Burning Blue is a must-buy for fans of Sebastian Faulks and of Rosamunde Pilcher's Coming Home. Joss Lambert has always been a loner, constrained by a secret from his past, until he finds friendship and solace firstly with Guy Liddell, a friend from school, and then with Guy's family, who welcome him into their farmhouse home. Joss increasingly comes to depend upon the Liddells and treats Alvesdon Farm as the one place where he feels not only appreciated but also truly happy. But in late 1930s England, the idyll cannot last. With war looming, Joss is forced to confront the past. He escapes through flying, becoming a fighter pilot in the RAF. But with the onset of war, even the Liddells' world is crumbling. As Joss is fighting for his life in the Battle of Britain, so he begins to fall madly in love with Stella - Guy's twin - but with tragic consequences. Leaving England and the Liddells far behind, he continues to fly amid the sand and heat of North Africa's deserts, flying above the 'Desert Rats' of the 8th Army, until his hopes and dreams are seemingly shattered for good...

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9780099436478

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Reviews

This beautifully written book is a work of exceptional authenticity. The descriptions of life in the late 1930s and the intensity of the air battles revive many recollections and make for compelling reading. -- Geoffrey Wellum, former Battle of Britain pilot and author of First Light Full of wartime atmosphere. Once again I could see the vapour trails, hear the Spitfire engines and the lofty crackle of machine guns -- Leslie Thomas, author of Waiting for the Day The ear-popping action sequences are tremendously exciting ... the pastoral scenes reveal a deep and genuine love of the countryside and its age-old traditions. Holland leaves one in no doubt what ordinary British folk were fighting for Sunday Telegraph There can seldom have been a better, nor more detailed, evocation of exactly what it was like to fly - and die - in the clear blue skies above the English Channel in those heady days in the summer and autumn of 1940 Daily Mail He has joined the few who can bring history to life Guardian

This beautifully written book is a work of exceptional authenticity. The descriptions of life in the late 1930s and the intensity of the air battles revive many recollections and make for compelling reading. -- Geoffrey Wellum, former Battle of Britain pilot and author of First Light Full of wartime atmosphere. Once again I could see the vapour trails, hear the Spitfire engines and the lofty crackle of machine guns -- Leslie Thomas, author of Waiting for the Day The ear-popping action sequences are tremendously exciting ... the pastoral scenes reveal a deep and genuine love of the countryside and its age-old traditions. Holland leaves one in no doubt what ordinary British folk were fighting for * Sunday Telegraph * There can seldom have been a better, nor more detailed, evocation of exactly what it was like to fly - and die - in the clear blue skies above the English Channel in those heady days in the summer and autumn of 1940 * Daily Mail * He has joined the few who can bring history to life * Guardian *

Gosh, that's torn it! It's 1939 and the Hun is on the march! Sporting his stiffest upper lip, fighter pilot Joss Lambert waves goodbye to love of his life Stella and the verdant pastures of Wiltshire, and climbs into his tiny cockpit to soar into the burning blue to blast damn Jerry to kingdom come. Oh the infernal heat of North Africa making a chap sweat buckets. Oh the pesky desert flies incessantly crawling over a chap's grub. Oh the awful stench of a chap's burning flesh when the engine's hit and he's engulfed in flames. And then - dash it all! - a letter from Stella. 'I'm so sorry, but I cannot go on like this worrying about you constantly, not knowing whether you are alive or dead. It's eating me away. I thought I was stronger...' Damn these women - never could understand a chap's duty to his country! James Holland's novel is a perfect yarn for readers who like characters who conform to stereotypes - in this case presumably gleaned from British war films of the fifties. Sorry, chaps, but not my cup of tea. (Kirkus UK)

This beautifully written book is a work of exceptional authenticity. The descriptions of life in the late 1930s and the intensity of the air battles revive many recollections and make for compelling reading. -- Geoffrey Wellum, Former Battle Of Britain Pilot And Author Of First Light Full of wartime atmosphere. Once again I could see the vapour trails, hear the Spitfire engines and the lofty crackle of machine guns -- Leslie Thomas, Author Of Waiting For The Day The ear-popping action sequences are tremendously exciting ... the pastoral scenes reveal a deep and genuine love of the countryside and its age-old traditions. Holland leaves one in no doubt what ordinary British folk were fighting for Sunday Telegraph There can seldom have been a better, nor more detailed, evocation of exactly what it was like to fly - and die - in the clear blue skies above the English Channel in those heady days in the summer and autumn of 1940 Daily Mail He has joined the few who can bring history to life Guardian

Author Information

James Holland is an internationally acclaimed and award-winning historian, writer, and broadcaster. The author of a number of best-selling histories including most recently Brothers In Arms and Normandy '44, he is also the author of ten works of fiction and a dozen Ladybird Experts. He is the co-founder of the annual Chalke Valley History Festival which is now in its twelfth year, and he has presented - and written - many television programmes and series for the BBC, Channel 4, National Geographic and the History and Discovery channels. With Al Murray, he has a successful Second World War podcast, We Have Ways of Making You Talk, which also has its own festival, and is a research fellow at St Andrew's University and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He can be found on Twitter as @James1940 and on Instagram as @jamesholland1940.

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