The Good Pilot Peter Woodhouse

Title:

Author:

McCall Smith, Alexander

Format:

eAudiobook

Electronic Format:

LIBBY AUDIOBOOK

MP3

Provider:

Libby

Language:

English

Publication Date:

2018

Subject:

Description:

Val Eliot is working on an English farm during the war when she meets Mike, a U.S. Air Force pilot stationed nearby. The two become close, and after Val rescues a border collie named Peter Woodhouse, who is being mistreated by his owner, she realizes the dog would actually be safer with Mike. Soon Peter Woodhouse settles into his new home on the air force base, and Val and Mike fall deeply in love. But when a disaster jeopardizes the future of them all, Peter Woodhouse brings Ubi, a German corporal, into their orbit, sparking a friendship that comes with great risk but carries with it the richest of rewards. Infused with Alexander McCall Smith's renowned charm and warmth, The Good Pilot Peter Woodhouse is an uplifting story of love and the power of friendship to bring sworn enemies together.

ISBN:

9781501991103

Summary

Val Eliot is working on an English farm during the war when she meets Mike, a U.S. Air Force pilot stationed nearby. The two become close, and after Val rescues a border collie named Peter Woodhouse, who is being mistreated by his owner, she realizes the dog would actually be safer with Mike. Soon Peter Woodhouse settles into his new home on the air force base, and Val and Mike fall deeply in love. But when a disaster jeopardizes the future of them all, Peter Woodhouse brings Ubi, a German corporal, into their orbit, sparking a friendship that comes with great risk but carries with it the richest of rewards.Infused with Alexander McCall Smith's renowned charm and warmth, The Good Pilot Peter Woodhouse is an uplifting story of love and the power of friendship to bring sworn enemies together.

Author Notes

Alexander McCall Smith was born on August 24, 1948 in Zimbabwe. He was a professor of medical law at the University of Edinburgh, but he left in 2005 to focus on his writing. He has written over 60 books, including specialist academic titles including Forensic Aspects of Sleep and The Criminal Law of Botswana, short story collections including Portuguese Irregular Verbs, and children's books including The Perfect Hamburger. He is best known for the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. He also writes the Corduroy Mansions, Isabel Dalhousie and 44 Scotland Street series.

He has received numerous awards, including The Crime Writers' Association Dagger in the Library Award and the 2004 United Kingdom's Author of the Year Award. His book, The Full Cupboard of Life, received the Saga Award for Wit in the United Kingdom. In 2007, he received a CBE for his services in literature.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (1)

Library Journal Review

In a series of vignettes, McCall Smith describes life in rural England during World War II and then contrasts life in postwar Germany and England. English girl Val, her aunt Annie, cousin Willy, and employer Archie are coping with wartime shortages. Willy brings home a mistreated dog, Peter Woodhouse, who soon is adopted by Val's American lover Mike and his comrades to be the base mascot. Near the end of the war, Mike crash-lands in Holland, and he and his crew (including Peter Woodhouse) are hidden by the Dutch and later saved from death by Ubi, a young German soldier. The focus shifts to Ubi as he seeks work, a home, and family in devastated postwar Germany. Ubi and Mike meet again during the Berlin Airlift, and Mike is able to assist Ubi in rescuing his small nephew. Peter Woodhouse connects the characters and serves as a barometer for their worthiness, but this really isn't a dog story. Instead the author offers understated, evocative glimpses of how good people-British, American, and German-handle hardship and tragedy. -David Rintoul's reading adds to the charm. He varies accents, inflection, and rhythm to bring individuality to each character. -VERDICT Recommended for fans of historical fiction. ["McCall Smith brings the trademark philosophy, solid characterization, and sense of place found in his contemporary series to this historical stand-alone. This gentle read possesses enough depth to do justice to a turbulent time period": LJ 2/15/18 review of the Pantheon hc.]-Juleigh Muirhead Clark, Williamsburg, VA © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.