Anne Mateer

Dear Readers,

When I read a book on my lunch break here at the store it always takes me longer to read it.  This is true about Wings of a Dream by Anne Mateer.  Normally I would not take two months to read any book, but I don't get much time to read and I visit with the other employees I eat with.

Rebekah longs for life outside her small home town.  Arthur seems to be the ticket out, but first he needs to answer the call to the Great War.  When Rebekah's aunt sends a letter requesting help, she sees it as a chance to be closer to Arthur while he is learning to fly planes.

Things do not happen as Rebekah plans. When she arrives at her aunt's door she finds Aunt Ada deathly ill with the Spanish Flu.  Living with her aunt are 4 young children whose mother has just passed away and their father is fighting the war.  Rebekah has to grow up very quickly as everyone looks to her to take care of everything.  

I found this book interesting because of the time in history that it is written about.  Yes it is set during World War I, but it not really about the war.  It is about the Spanish Flu that hit the world at that time.  It was one of those times in history that I am sure I learned about in history class somewhere at sometime, but I never put the two things together.  According to an article that I was reading on-line, over a fifth of the world's population was affected.  More people died of the sickness, thought of as a common cold at first, than died in the whole First World War.  This information was very interesting to me as it just kind of puts all that in perspective.

I am going to say in some ways I found myself sick of Rebekah's attitude, but then again if I was put in that situation at that age, I would have been a bit whiny also.  She is someone who is thrust into a time and place not of her asking, who then rises to the occasion and does what is right.  It is a good reminder of what priorities we should have.   

This is a lighter read, yet I found it interesting.  The characters are well written and you find yourself falling in love with the children that Rebekah is asked to look after.

Happy Reading

P.S. This book is available at Baker Book House or by request at bakerbookstore.com