PenguinReaders' Group
 

Previous Readers' Group Reviews

Off the Shelf

The 'Off the Shelf' Book Group in Elephant & Castle, London, review Fair Stood the Wind for France by HE Bates.

Our Elephant and Castle based book club briefly started life as ‘On the Shelf’. The implications of the name quickly became apparent however and since we were definitely a book group rather than a lonely hearts club, we decided to alter the name accordingly, and in March 2008 'Off the Shelf' was born. Our group is made up of seven girls who meet regularly for books, baking, booze and definitely our fair share of banter! We read a complete assortment of books and are open to all genres – so far we have read books on war, books on cowboys and nuns, historical novels, romances, biographies, short stories and poetry from all around the globe. Current Off the Shelf best-loved book is Thomas Edison’s St Agnes Stand. From September the Literary Love will be going international as our founder moves to Zambia to surround herself by elephants rather different to the ones she is used to in Elephant & Castle, but will continue to join the club via web link.

A night-time plane crash leaves five British airmen stranded in rural France during World War Two. Unable to locate themselves and desperate to get home, they begin to walk, able to confront each moment only as it happens. Days of hiding out ensue as the boys find themselves in unfamiliar territory, but in what we today (and from the descriptive narration from HE Bates) would consider to be idyllic French countryside. The boys urgently need to gain ground but at the same time are having to constantly scope out the local area – is it occupied or unoccupied?

Skipper Franklin, happiest when in charge, initially hinders the crew due to a crippling injury sustained during the crash. However, upon approaching a farm girl he sees tending her chickens, he puts the crew in potential danger by asking for her help. It turns out to be fortuitous, and in an astonishing act of kindness that puts the entire household at risk, all five airmen are offered food, wine and refuge in the farm’s old mill house.

Gradually the family source papers for the airmen and two by two they leave the mill house until only Franklin remains. He is torn by his need to get back to England, the guilt he feels at putting this unknown French family in tremendous danger for as long as he remains with them, the acceptance of the consequences of his injury, his growing love for the farm girl, and the fact that he is no longer the principal decision maker. A decision has to be made as the Germans approach ever closer, and the story carries on to follow the journey of Franklin once he leaves the mill.

This is a tender love story of survival against the odds and an exploration of male and female roles in times of adversity in which the female triumphs above all, perhaps unusually for a period when men were normally the protagonists and the heroes. The female protagonist is the image of calmness, strength and certainty while the central male character, despite latterly being viewed as a war hero, is vulnerable and weak. The book is compelling and well paced, and the third person narrative ensures that the romantic aspects remain just that, rather than being too gushy. There is a sensitive depiction of the desperation and loss that occurred all too often during this period, which is in total contrast to the portrayal of a tender relationship, blooming like a lone flower in a desert.

All members of 'Off the Shelf' enjoyed the book immensely, due in a large part to the sympathetic characters that were likeable almost without exception. We all agreed this is a heart-warming tale of humanity in uncertain times. It is a compelling read which rejuvenates faith in mankind and left us all feeling moved.