[SIW]≡ [PDF] Fly Away Home Rachel Heffington 9780615948010 Books

Fly Away Home Rachel Heffington 9780615948010 Books

Download As PDF : Fly Away Home Rachel Heffington 9780615948010 Books

Fly Away Home Rachel Heffington 9780615948010 Books

In 1952, Callie Harper is living the life in New York City. Only her life isn’t what she’d thought it would be. Having grown up in the depression era, she’s like a lot of women in her generation; she wants glitz and glamour. Star studded parties, elegant gowns, and a ritzy apartment is what she dreams of. Yet as a journalist, she’s stuck on the ninth floor of St. Evan’s Post in an office with no air conditioning, writing obituaries. Until the famous journalist Wade Barnett comes to the office and offers her a job. Callie excitedly accepts the job, thinking her key to the charmed life is right round the corner. She thinks Mr. Barnett’s idea for a magazine to be a little insane in the beginning, yet she slowly starts to see the vision coming together. The two have fun as they work on Ladybird Snippets, yet once they spend time together outside of work, they butt heads. When someone from Callie’s past returns threatening her with secrets, she must make a hard decision; ruin Mr. Barnett’s reputation, or ruin her own.

This was a really fun book. It was lighthearted, but had a lot of depth. The writing was spunky and fun and the characters were full of life. Callie was a very real character; she wanted everything in her life to be perfect, but as we all know, there’s such thing as a perfect life. And I liked Wade Barnett; he was pretty nice guy.

The whole book had a unique feel to it; like a black and white movie in book form. I could practically smell the vintage perfume and see the red lipstick and beautiful dresses. I really enjoyed that aspect.

Fly Away Home was a fun Christian historical novel. I’d recommend this book to any fan of Christian fiction, as well as those that love the 1950s.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.


Tags : Fly Away Home [Rachel Heffington] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Self Preservation has never looked more tempting. 1952 New York City: Callie Harper is a woman set to make it big in the world of journalism. Liberated from all but her buried and troubled past,Rachel Heffington,Fly Away Home,Ruby Elixir Press,0615948014,Fiction - Romance,Fiction Romance Historical General,Historical romance,Romance - Historical - General

Fly Away Home Rachel Heffington 9780615948010 Books Reviews

Historical Fiction is one of my favorite genres. I love visiting the years gone by, tasting the memories I came too late to experience for myself. However, most Historical Fictions are either stuffed so full of historical facts they become dry, or they're just overly sappy romances set in a different era, and half of the (few and far between) facts are inaccurate. Also, I prefer stories set at least two hundred years ago, preferably in some exotic country like China or Germany.

So it was with great trepidation that I approached this story. I had heard great things about it from my friends, some of whom had had the privilege of beta reading it, so I was willing to give it a chance. The fifties aren't my favorite era, and this was also a romance, but I still purchased a kindle copy as soon as it came out, and then sat down to read it.

I can't say that I read it in one sitting, or even completely in order (because I did skip ahead at one point to glance at the ending), but I was soon sucked into the rise and fall of the the story. Since I skipped ahead at one point, it obviously was dragging at one point, but I honestly don't remember where it was dragging.

Callie was an interesting main character to follow, a mix of stubborn naivety, and jaded cynicism. It's clear that she has been hurt somewhere in the past, and she's trying to leave that past behind her. She wants happiness and success, goals the reader can't help but wish her the best, but she thinks she can find them in the wrong places. Paired up against her is Mr. Wade Barnett, who is the personification of her ideals. He already moves through the circles she wishes to reach, already seems to have the respect she hungers after, and most importantly, he seems content - even happy - with his place in life.

I love the format the author used for the story, first person from Callie's point of view for the most part, but at the end of many of the chapters we get a letter from Mr. Barnett to some friends of his giving his side of the story. I haven't seen very many dual POV before, and I found this quite interesting.

The story begins with Callie trying to write obituaries for the paper she works at when her boss walks in with the news that she, the dispensable employee, has been chosen to work with Wade Barnett on one of his more experimental projects. We learn from his letters that he was looking specifically for her, as she was the last of her family, and he feels the need to find closure with this family for some reason.

Contrary to what her former boss had expected, their magazine, Ladybird Snippets, flourishes. What's more, she and Mr. Barnett get along very well, despite the fact that she finds him rather old-fashioned. She finds his insistence of talking about Christianity annoying, but he does introduce her to all sorts of famous people she had always dreamed of meeting.

Her path to greatness seems set and sure, until Jules, the non-dispensable worker who didn't get to work with Mr. Barnett, becomes jealous. He doesn't realize that her move had been meant as a demotion, and thinks that he should have gotten it instead. He threatens Callie, telling her that if she doesn't dig up some dirt on Mr. Barnett, her own great secret, the past she's been running from, will be brought out into the open for all to see.

She doesn't want to do this to him, because she's come to genuinely respect him despite his oddities, but self-preservation has been the name of her game for years. However, digging up dirt proves harder than she thought, since the man's life is pretty much spotless.

This book felt like I was watching one of those old 50's movies. I had honestly been transported back to that day and age, and I loved how the fictional characters interacted so easily with the truly historic. The conversations snapped with wit, and only once did we get one that felt preachy. The plot was simple, yet complex, and though I didn't quite understand why Callie's secret was so horrible, it may be because I don't live in that era. It did serve as a way to tie a few backstories together, and for that I give it points.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I look forward to more from the author.
First off, if you've seen that "Fly Away Home" is labeled "historical romance," and to you that means something trite and mushy with a plot that's been used a hundred times—think again. While "Fly Away Home" is a romance, its love story is something that grows naturally out of a plot that encompasses plenty besides.

Callie Harper is a protagonist you can't help but take to and wish that things will turn out all right for her, in spite of the fact that her behavior through much of the book seems expressly calculated to rile or offend whoever she comes up against. She's a curious mixture of naiveté and cynicism, believing in the power of fame and glamor to bring the happiness that eludes her, and yet determined to grasp it by whatever means necessary. You can sense the hurting and the wishing for happiness behind her sharp and reckless speeches, and I think that's why you can't ever entirely dislike her. And Mr. Barnett—he's certainly no stereotypical hero of romance. Intelligent, gallant, disarmingly plain-spoken about his likes, dislike and beliefs, he's as unique as Callie (or more so). His letters were some of my favorite parts of the book—I loved the "voice" and how you could read between the lines of his relationship with the friends they were written to.

My favorite supporting characters were Maralie, whom I felt like cheering and wished I could know, and...Nickleby. It's quite a feat to create such a lovable character without a single bit of dialogue (except purring). I have to admit I choked back a shriek of laughter at his most traumatic moment in the story, in spite of the fact that it was a pretty harrowing moment for Callie as well.

And one of the best things about this book is its colorful use of the English language. It zings with quirky similes, literary references and sharp back-and-forth banter. They don't make 'em like this any more— or at least they didn't before "Fly Away Home"! Sometimes the conversations can feel a little choppy, with the rapid switching back and forth between dialogue and Callie's thoughts, and her frequent changes of mood and opinion (something she freely admits is a facet of her character). But every now and then a particularly keen observation or striking bit of imagery springs out and hits you right between the eyes. I want to read it through again now and highlight my favorite bits.
In 1952, Callie Harper is living the life in New York City. Only her life isn’t what she’d thought it would be. Having grown up in the depression era, she’s like a lot of women in her generation; she wants glitz and glamour. Star studded parties, elegant gowns, and a ritzy apartment is what she dreams of. Yet as a journalist, she’s stuck on the ninth floor of St. Evan’s Post in an office with no air conditioning, writing obituaries. Until the famous journalist Wade Barnett comes to the office and offers her a job. Callie excitedly accepts the job, thinking her key to the charmed life is right round the corner. She thinks Mr. Barnett’s idea for a magazine to be a little insane in the beginning, yet she slowly starts to see the vision coming together. The two have fun as they work on Ladybird Snippets, yet once they spend time together outside of work, they butt heads. When someone from Callie’s past returns threatening her with secrets, she must make a hard decision; ruin Mr. Barnett’s reputation, or ruin her own.

This was a really fun book. It was lighthearted, but had a lot of depth. The writing was spunky and fun and the characters were full of life. Callie was a very real character; she wanted everything in her life to be perfect, but as we all know, there’s such thing as a perfect life. And I liked Wade Barnett; he was pretty nice guy.

The whole book had a unique feel to it; like a black and white movie in book form. I could practically smell the vintage perfume and see the red lipstick and beautiful dresses. I really enjoyed that aspect.

Fly Away Home was a fun Christian historical novel. I’d recommend this book to any fan of Christian fiction, as well as those that love the 1950s.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.