Reviews for The Mysterious Aviator

The average rating for The Mysterious Aviator based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2018-09-01 00:00:00 Kirsten Le Guerneuve From the preface: "And then none shall be unto them so odious and disdained as the traitours … who have solde their countrie to a straunger and forsaken their faith and obedience contrarie to nature or religion; and contrarie to that humane and general honour not onely of Christians but of heathen and irreligious nations, who have always sustained what labour soever and embraced even death itself for their countrie, prince, and commonwealth." - Sir Walter Raleigh I'm not sure what it is, but when I read one of Nevil Shute's novels I find them so engaging. Like chocolates, once started it is hard to stop until the box is empty; until the novel ends. This was his second published novel and was written in 1928. In a sense, it is a Good Samaritan story and the narrator, Peter Moran, comes upon a pilot who crash-landed, is ill with malaria, and so he takes him in. Peter Moran is the agent for a Lord's estate in Sussex and his home is a small house on the estate. He isn't even sure himself why he feels compelled to help Maurice Lenden aside from the fact that they were both pilots during WWI. It is fascinating to me that this novel predicts a "break with Russia" that didn't come to fruition until decades later. It is prescient in depicting political and social incidents and attitudes that end up being all too real in future decades. This book has a couple of fascinating flying sequences. It also has a tough and scenic description of a hike through mountainous terrain in Italy. I also enjoyed the characterization of Sheila, and of Molly (Mary), who is Maurice Lenden's wife. Considering the story is placed early in the 20th Century, these women are strong, capable, and independent. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story and once again look forward to reading more of Nevil Shute's gripping novels in the months ahead.

Review # 2 was written on 2020-06-04 00:00:00 Daksha Patel This post Great war epsionage thriller set in the world of private aviation falls short of the very high standard set by other Shute works I've read. 4 out of 12