This book is a gem. A story with positive things that happen with the main character. Not that Fran doesn't have her bumps along the way. It's an interesting story of the history of women pilots and pigeoneers as well. Beautifully told story of a girl who grew up in Oregon helping her father fix planes, test them and train others to be pilots. She had more experience than most entering the war in flying, with the bonus of being a mechanic. She had wanted to help in the war effort and couldn't understand why, if she had these talents, she couldn't use them because she was female. Then she saw a magazine article about a debutant who had gotten her pilot license and was ferrying planes. Fran's journey is an interesting one, with special people along the way to learn about as well. Adventures, love, loss, romance, travel, new professional lessons and highs. Excellent read.

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This historical, YA book takes the reader on a journey of belief in oneself, the ambition to reach for ones dreams. An entertaining tale, the sort that sweeps you up, that History and English teachers should urge students to read in school. Newly published on 17 April 2022, I found this an interesting and compelling read, one for fans of YA and historical fiction, for enthusiasts of aviation during WW1 and WW2, and for youngsters yearning to reach out and grab their dreams. Frances Finkel knew what she wanted, she believed and worked hard to overcome the obstacles.

It was not an overly long read but it swept me up straight away and kept me captivated throughout, perfect for teen readers. The writing ran easily, with expertly illustrated landscapes that I wished to physically be in. The descriptions of the flights and the aircrafts pulled the reader right into the scenes; these were strong aspects of the novel for me, along, of course, with the distinctive subject of female pilots flying as part of the war effort and the interesting and scarcely heard of US Army Pigeon Service, with the technical details displaying the author’s obvious knowledge.
Over the years, I have read many articles on the female ferry pilots of the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) in Great Britain during WW2, and so reading this novel from the perspective of a young American woman, who was more than capable for the job, was a refreshing and intriguing read; I am sure to enjoy reading more of ‘Project Peanut’, Nancy Love and the WASPS further. It was also an interesting insight into the passenger pigeon and the Pigeon service utilised during the war. While many bestselling or popular YA books are fantasy or romance, I would encourage any young reader to pick fiction exactly like this up; based on history, on remarkable actions, during serious times but highlighting the inspiring feats achieved by those in the past.

I normally prefer books written in the third person narrative voice, like this one is, however, I found myself thinking that it may have been more fulfilling to have this particular tale told in first person; I wanted to grab a stronger, more connective sense of the main character, Frances, especially in her thoughts and emotions with her recent experience involving her brother, her family history and relationship with them, though her courageous journey, in the face of her grief and feelings of obligation to family vs desires to reach for her dreams, was fascinating enough to keep me attached. While the readers’ imagination is open (there are certainly hints there) to what Frances’ future holds, I admit I found the ending paragraph abrupt and on the subject of an underdeveloped thread. The planes, Frances’ love of flying, her pigeon Easter, would all have been ideal, impactful aspects of the tale to close on.

Overall, an appealing tale tailored to teenage girls but one with a premise sure to also inspire aviation and historical fiction admirers. Throwing light on the contributions women pilots in America made to the war, D. M. Mahoney has a wonderful tale here that I am sure many would enjoy.

Frances Finkel and the Passenger Pigeon tells the fascinating path the United States military traveled to allow women pilots into military service. In D.M. Mahoney’s story, Frances Finkel is a teenage pilot who has lost too much. Her twin brother was snatched by a sneaker wave and drowned before her eyes. Her mother’s depression overcame her, and she left Frances, her father, and younger brother. leaving no trace for Frances to follow. And then Frances’s high school sweetheart broke up with her over the phone. The one bright spot is the passenger pigeon she rescued and trained. When she hears of the new military program that is hiring female pilots to ferry planes from factories to military bases, she leaves her home and family to make her own future, taking her pigeon with her. As she balances the pressures of flying, navigating the make-dominated world of aviation, and the new friendships she makes with other pilots, Frances learns what she really wants, but she has so many loose ends to connect if she wants to have family, career, and love.

Mahoney has given readers a close look into a little-known historic era. While we know about women’s roles in factories and workplaces, we don’t know as much about the courageous and skilled female pilots who filled the gaps and powered the war effort in the air. Because the story is told in the third-person point of view, it feels as if we are being told a story, rather than experiencing the story ourselves. Mahoney’s history is fascinating and accurate, but she often tells us what characters are feeling rather than showing us to let us feel the story for ourselves. These choices make the story feel more distanced, like a documentary, rather than a story that draws us in and surrounds us. We never grow close to the characters because we don’t feel what they feel. We merely read the author’s descriptions of their feelings. In addition to the stylistic choices, Mahoney has many subplots that dilute the real story of Frances’s growth: Frances’s interest in positive thought, the Boston reporter who sparks Frances’s interest, her aunt and uncle in New Orleans and their restaurant that Frances might run, her lingering irritation with her ex-boyfriend, and more. These threads don’t have a definite impact on the plot, so they weaken the overall storyline.

Overall, Frances Finkel is an accurate and interesting look back into history, and it is a history that readers should know. Frances is a likable character, if one we don’t grow close to due to the stylistic choices that keep us distanced. I think new adult and young adult readers interested in World War II, aviation, and women’s rights will enjoy this story of courage and perseverance.