The English Air

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Summary: Delightful reading. Relaxing and "light."
Review: Again Stevenson has written an interesting tale that is refreshingly light but insightful, relaxing yet entertaining. Delightful reading.

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Summary: How does a strong-minded person learn tolerance?
Review: D. E. Stevenson has written a wonderful book about a young, half-German man who comes to visit his English relations and falls in love with an English girl. This is set just before WWII. He comes prepared to dislike the English, yet, in the course of his visit, makes many friends. All of us have incorrect, pre-conceived ideas about other peoples and cultures and this story helps us learn the importance of giving people who are different than us a chance. We may not only find that we like them, but we may even be able to learn something from them.

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Summary: How does a strong-minded person learn tolerance?
Review: I am enjoying other DES books, but "The English Air" deals directly with politics and the start of WWII. It is impossible to mix the pleasant "hammock book" world of DES with discussions of concentration camps, Nazi war preparations etc. DES' world is one where the characters are already nostalgic for the good old days, and her Scotland is vaguely like LLBean's "Maine"- fun but probably remote from the place ordinary people inhabit. It is not a world of politics and military action. Once these things are brought together, I found myself facing up to the hidden politics of all the rest of DES' world: i.e. her manly young British heroes go off to various parts of the Empire to fight "bandits." Some of these bandits may have been nationalist freedom fighters- but the point is, no one reads DES to get into these issues. "The English Air" makes them unavoidable.

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Summary: Keep DES separated from reality
Review: I am enjoying other DES books, but "The English Air" deals directly with politics and the start of WWII. It is impossible to mix the pleasant "hammock book" world of DES with discussions of concentration camps, Nazi war preparations etc. DES' world is one where the characters are already nostalgic for the good old days, and her Scotland is vaguely like LLBean's "Maine"- fun but probably remote from the place ordinary people inhabit. It is not a world of politics and military action. Once these things are brought together, I found myself facing up to the hidden politics of all the rest of DES' world: i.e. her manly young British heroes go off to various parts of the Empire to fight "bandits." Some of these bandits may have been nationalist freedom fighters- but the point is, no one reads DES to get into these issues. "The English Air" makes them unavoidable.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: This book was such a quick read I absolutely loved it. I would recemend this book to anyone who wants to read it.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: This book was such a quick read I absolutely loved it. I would recemend this book to anyone who wants to read it.

Rating:
Summary: A cut below D.E.Stevenson's other fantastic books!
Review: This is the only one of D.E. Stevenson's books that I would not recommend. It is very stilted in writing and contains many stereotypes. One hopes that other D.E. Stevenson books will come out on audiotape because they are wonderful, especially the Mrs. Tim diary series. Don't buy this tape, but wait for others.

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Summary: I really enjoyed this book
Review: This may not be my favorite D.E. Stevenson, but I find it a thoroughly enjoyable WWII light novel of an English family visited by a young half-German relative who comes to understand and love their culture. It may have been written with a bit of propganda in mind, but is an enjoyable, romantic story.