Name: Fair Stood the Wind for France
Rating: 3.3 (682 reviews)
Author: H.E. Bates
ISBN: 9780786272181

[PDF] Download ✓ Fair Stood the Wind for France : by H.E. Bates

Jan 20, 2021 - 05:52 AM By H.E. Bates

Treacherous mud clutched at the wheels and the Wellington up ended End of mission The great bomber had been giving the crew trouble since leaving Italy Finally over occupied France, it settles like a weary, wounded eagle on what seemed to Franklin a hard, smooth field The five members of the crew were welded by the crash into a single whole, one tiny forged weapon in tTreacherous mud clutched at the wheels and the Wellington up ended End of mission The great bomber had been giving the crew trouble since leaving Italy Finally over occupied France, it settles like a weary, wounded eagle on what seemed to Franklin a hard, smooth field The five members of the crew were welded by the crash into a single whole, one tiny forged weapon in the vast territory of the enemy weak and ineffectual yet confident as only men can be whose minds are free Francoise s family accepted them calmly In Francoise it was faith, a simple piety so humble, so complete that all the mechanized myrmidons of the Reich could not touch her spirit In her father it was stubbornness, that glorious pigheadedness of the French peasant who won t be pushed around In her grandmother it was a kinship with the infinite Having survived two wars, she remained unmoved by the swaggering vainglory of the Nazi And in Pierre it was hatred, a hatred so deep that only rarely did it flash on the surface It was natural that Francoise should be so strongly drawn to Franklin, the pilot His gentle strength, his sensitive mind, the careful restrained warmth of his emotion found a calm, sure response in the simple innocence and candor of the girl All through the delirious pain of his torn, wounded arm, Franklin felt the girl s presence like a cool, comforting hand In the end it was her courage and, above all, her faith which saved

Title: Fair Stood the Wind for France
Author: H.E. Bates
ISBN: 9780786272181
Page: 324
Format: Paperback

Comments

Jim Jan 20, 2021 - 05:52 AM

I finished Fair Stood the Wind for France this morning, which gripped me to the last paragraph I ve read endless novels about the war but this was one of the most reflective, one which really tried to take a singular human view of the cataclysmic world events While it affirmed that life goes on, and even flourishes in such circumstances, that the human spirit can triumph in adversity, it also heavily underlined the agony of all that was happening in the world It was very moving in a quite unders [...]

Click to Replay

Duane Jan 20, 2021 - 05:52 AM

This is not your typical World War II novel It doesn t focus on the brutality and the atrocities that were so much a part of the war It s a very personal story, a story of compassion, bravery, and love It s the story of British pilot John Franklin, whose plane was shot down in occupied France, and Francoise, the daughter of a French farmer who hid Franklin and his mates from the Germans It s the story of bravery and sacrifice by Francoise s family, and of the love that grows between Franklin and [...]

Click to Replay

Jess Jan 20, 2021 - 05:52 AM

This is the first English book I ve read that was published during the war And it was nothing like I was expecting it s not just a pretty title.Fair Stood the Wind for France is warmly funny and endearing, offering quite a unique perspective unlike anything I ve come across before Okay, so the title is lifted from Drayton s Agincourt but the rest feels original The writing is very different quite poetic and prosaic at the same time, if a little repetitive The banter of the squadron is incredible [...]

Click to Replay

Sandy (CA) Jan 20, 2021 - 05:52 AM

By the time that this novel was published in 1944, H.E Bates had been publishing all manner of literature for almost 20 years Writing seems to have come naturally to him His second novel the first having been discarded was published when he was a mere lad of 20 When the Second World War broke, he had another eight published novels to his credit, along with children s books, short stories, and essays Since the Air Ministry recognized that readers of the time would prefer to read stories about the [...]

Click to Replay

Sarah Jan 20, 2021 - 05:52 AM

This is one of those novels that was difficult for me to rate The writing was wonderful at times My measured view is a four, but it was an engrossing, sensitive, thoughtful portrayal of the Second World War and the lives of those caught up in desperate times.

Click to Replay

Chana Jan 20, 2021 - 05:52 AM

A romance during wartime in occupied France A British pilot crashes his plane and he and his crew set off across the countryside The pilot has suffered an injury and becomes delirious with infection A French family takes them in and helps this family includes a young woman who falls in love with the pilot and he with her It is a slow moving book but very tense Romance set against death and grief Wartime set against the natural beauty of the French countryside The tension builds to a crescendo by [...]

Click to Replay

Laura Jan 20, 2021 - 05:52 AM

From BBC radio 4 Classical Serial Dramatisation by Maddy Fredericks of HE Bates classic tale of danger, suspense and romance in Second World War France.When a British aircrew ditch over Occupied territory in the summer of 1942, injury and suspicion dog their attempts to survive and escape.

Click to Replay

martin Jan 20, 2021 - 05:52 AM

A surprisingly beautiful, bittersweet novel that was moving and enjoyableGot this in a charity second hand book sale years ago, but never read it because World War 2, romance and planes have never been my favourite fiction themes However, the imaginative title always caught my attention so I finally started it I had expected a novel written in wartime to be painfully jingoistic and motivational in that odd come through adversity to win the war over the culturally less deserving enemy style H E B [...]

Click to Replay

Judith Johnson Jan 20, 2021 - 05:52 AM

It s such a long time since I read this, I can t remember much detail I bought it as my husband was playing the role of navigator in the TV adaptation I was working for his agent at the time, and when I heard he d got the part, I bought the book for him as a present When I got home and he looked questioningly at me, I said You ve got the part Always nice to be able to tell an actor they ve got work

Click to Replay

Michelle Jan 20, 2021 - 05:52 AM

Fair Stood the Wind for France is an astonishing novel It wasn t the run of the mill war novel I was expecting at all, but a lyrical, lovely tale of unlikely love It grapples with themes of loss, pain, faith and sacrifice And the writing From Bates dreamy opening passage, I was enthralled.My full review is, as always, on my blog, Book to the Future booktothefuture p 1968

Click to Replay

Brian Baker Jan 20, 2021 - 05:52 AM

I became a fan of H.E following the TV adaptation of his Love for Lydia in the late 70 s curled up with my girlfriend on her parents sofa, the lyrical romance of it chimed with the way I felt at the time A couple of years later, ejected from the sofa, I gloomily devoured of Bates lushly melancholic rural romances, but when it came to the wartime novels I baulked, hence this novel stayed on my shelf for over thirty years Taking it down a couple of days ago I tried really hard to like it but ulti [...]

Click to Replay

Mij Woodward Jan 20, 2021 - 05:52 AM

A love story, an adventure story, the effects of WWII, a gripping thriller, a comrade s poignant sacrifice All rolled up into one.Not until the final two pages did I learn the fate of the two main characters.The author, H E Bates, was a Squadron Leader in the R.A.F England s air force So he had firsthand knowledge of things Some of his published works then bore the pseudonym Flying Officer X.Fair Stood the Wind for France was published a year before VE Day The war was still raging as Bates wrote [...]

Click to Replay

Bree (AnotherLookBook) Jan 20, 2021 - 05:52 AM

Very engaging story Review to come

Click to Replay

Margaret Jan 20, 2021 - 05:52 AM

Written in 1944, this is the account of a pilot s crash landing and subsequent escape from occupied France He is badly injured and he and his four man crew set off walking west They arrive at a farm where the people are friendly and help There is a girl and the inevitable happens, they fall in love The complications because of his arm are enormous and the French deciding to riot in the nearby town don t help It is historically interesting because the escape route eventually takes them through Vi [...]

Click to Replay

S Murdoch Jan 20, 2021 - 05:52 AM

I don t feel qualified to write a review of this book HE Bates is suvh a master, it feels wrong even to try I won t I ll just say it s wonderful.

Click to Replay

Amy Jan 20, 2021 - 05:52 AM

John Franklin is an English pilot who crashes his plane into occupied France and finds refuge for himself and four sergeants at a nearby farm Luckily for him, one cool cucumber, Francoise, resides on the farm with her father and her grandmother Francoise is a smart, young French girl who faces all kinds of adversity, including Nazis, in that awesome French insouciant way, and she isn t at all fazed when five dirty Englishmen pop out of the field while she s feeding her chickens The men must some [...]

Click to Replay

Bob Jan 20, 2021 - 05:52 AM

After my delight with the first of Bates Pop Larkin novels that I finished, I immediately wanted and reached for the only other unread title of his on my shelf not from that series at all but an earlier serious and conventional WWII story although one of his best known, so a significant piece of the puzzle Also I rather enjoy these 70s Penguin editions with stills from a BBC television adaptation on the cover they all seem to portray the same woman.A brave UK airman is shot down in occupied Fr [...]

Click to Replay

Jenny Nolan Jan 20, 2021 - 05:52 AM

This book is an absolute gem It was published in 1944 and written in, I believe, 1942 I adore novels set in WWII, and the fact that this was written while the war still was raging makes it unique It is the story of a downed English pilot and his crew They are stranded in the French countryside and not sure who might be friend or foe until they happen upon a kind French family The characters and the story are quite endearing.I just reread this book and it was like visiting with an old friend, eve [...]

Click to Replay

Katherine Holmes Jan 20, 2021 - 05:52 AM

This is a darker side of H E Bates, quite somber throughout and very telling about an English pilot s crash in France and the subsequent loss of his arm Franklin is dependent on a farming family for his survival and for his escape from the Nazis that appear unpredictably in the small French village The story of his amputation and the girl who helps him is tense, his hiding in a mill loft and the French scene of a vineyard and river Although prolonged, this is all developing into the theme of her [...]

Click to Replay

Antonomasia Jan 20, 2021 - 05:52 AM

Does anyone else remember an obscure mid nineties British indie song that shared the title of this book, and or featured it as a lyric, probably in the chorus It had a jaunty, upbeat but slightly fey sound, quite smooth production and a male singer whose voice wasn t very deep or full It s not the same as the folk song Fair Stood the Wind but that might have been a reference somewhere along the line It felt like it was a little bit of a struggle to get the lines to scan and fit the tune I only h [...]

Click to Replay

Ian Jan 20, 2021 - 05:52 AM

I picked this up looking for some wartime English sentimentality and thought this would be a good choice, given my weakness for Bates s post war England of The Darling Buds of May series.One of its strengths is the sense of place afforded by the loving description of the French landscape Unfortunately I couldn t quite buy the relationships between the characters, including the central one between the protagonist and his love interest The ending is also a low point.Nevertheless, there were intere [...]

Click to Replay

Catherine Law Jan 20, 2021 - 05:52 AM

Reading this tale of a Second World War pilot whose plane comes down in German occupied France is like walking into a world which is both exquisitely beautiful and terrifyingly dangerous Badly injured, John Franklin is hidden by a French family at their remote farmhouse, which puts them and the daughter who he falls in love with at terrible risk It is a story of fear, bravery, betrayal and the raw strength of love.HE Bates was commissioned by the RAF and, due to his first hand experience, his wa [...]

Click to Replay

Geoff Jan 20, 2021 - 05:52 AM

I first read this when I was about seventeen I was going through a period of reading lots of books about the war and FSTWFF was lent to me by my English teacher It certainly changed my perspective about war books and from then on anything that had cardboard characters and transparent storylines I found disappointing This Bates novel was deep, poignant, haunting and exciting I read it again a few years ago and though the style is a little dated now it s still a superb story I m a great fan of H.E [...]

Click to Replay

Joe Rodeck Jan 20, 2021 - 05:52 AM

Because of his tears the mountains were dazzling in the sun Nicely written ala Hemingway Downed pilot falls in love with French resistance girl who helps him.Will he get back to England alive I was irritated that the heroine has no name, no age, no description hair, eye color, anything She is only the girl The sex scenes 1944 probably torrid for the day are unintentionally amusing now Skillful prose carries makes this novel something than a basic chase escape story And the protagonist is a woun [...]

Click to Replay

Franklin Jan 20, 2021 - 05:52 AM

I bought this book because the price was right and I thought it was about sailing ships The edition I read was a hardback from the 1940 s The book is about a British aircrew that crash lands south of Paris and of their travails in trying to escape occupied France The book is suspenseful, The pilot s arm is injured and infected Crewmen and Partisans are constantly in danger from the occupation forces There is romance There is the brutality of war The book was well written

Click to Replay

Michael Jan 20, 2021 - 05:52 AM

A WW2 bomber crash lands in France and this tale is full of tension as the crew seek shelter, food and the dream of escaping back to Great Britain Their encounter with a French family reflects the tensions that existed in an occupied country For those who enjoy stories about WW2 it will provide you with a very satisfying read.

Click to Replay

Nicola Nicholson Jan 20, 2021 - 05:52 AM

My father flew in Wellington bombers in the second world war and often describes flying over the Alps ,so this really gripped me I thought it was beautifully written and enjoyed it a great deal A very different kind of war novel.

Click to Replay

Bettie☯ Jan 20, 2021 - 05:52 AM

Bettie s Books

Click to Replay

DGT Jan 20, 2021 - 05:52 AM

I first read H E, Bates Fair Stood the Wind for France 1944 twenty years after its war time publication, when I was 14 I responded, then, to its romanticism and very English not even British heroism My other favourite, at that time, was Richard Mason s The Wind Cannot Read 1946 I was interested to see whether, 50 years later, I would still enjoy Fair Stood the Wind for France and I did, though found the central relationship between the RAF pilot who crash landed in occupied France and the French [...]

Click to Replay

Raymond J. Colombo Jan 20, 2021 - 05:52 AM

I was drawn to this read as it represented an event early in WWII Also I enjoy tales involving WWII vintage aircraft and reading about their crews I was not disappointed in that regard However, I found the writer spending too much time on reflective prose Character development was enjoyable up to a point The story was somewhat plausible Since I was but a boy at the time I could never know exactly what it might have been like to be in the situation which this air crew found itself Since it was ea [...]

Click to Replay

Fair Stood the Wind for France By H.E. Bates Treacherous mud clutched at the wheels and the Wellington up ended End of mission The great bomber had been giving the crew trouble since leaving Italy Finally over occupied France, it settles like a weary, wounded eagle on what seemed to Franklin a hard, smooth field The five members of the crew were welded by the crash into a single whole, one tiny forged weapon in tTreacherous mud clutched at the wheels and the Wellington up ended End of mission The great bomber had been giving the crew trouble since leaving Italy Finally over occupied France, it settles like a weary, wounded eagle on what seemed to Franklin a hard, smooth field The five members of the crew were welded by the crash into a single whole, one tiny forged weapon in the vast territory of the enemy weak and ineffectual yet confident as only men can be whose minds are free Francoise s family accepted them calmly In Francoise it was faith, a simple piety so humble, so complete that all the mechanized myrmidons of the Reich could not touch her spirit In her father it was stubbornness, that glorious pigheadedness of the French peasant who won t be pushed around In her grandmother it was a kinship with the infinite Having survived two wars, she remained unmoved by the swaggering vainglory of the Nazi And in Pierre it was hatred, a hatred so deep that only rarely did it flash on the surface It was natural that Francoise should be so strongly drawn to Franklin, the pilot His gentle strength, his sensitive mind, the careful restrained warmth of his emotion found a calm, sure response in the simple innocence and candor of the girl All through the delirious pain of his torn, wounded arm, Franklin felt the girl s presence like a cool, comforting hand In the end it was her courage and, above all, her faith which saved

Share this article...

[PDF] Download ✓ Fair Stood the Wind for France : by H.E. Bates

H.E. Bates 324 H.E. Bates

Comments

Leave a Comment

Share this article...

New Post

Latest tweets