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Stephen Cannon, a Trans Arctic Airlines pilot, never knew his parents. His father, Alex Cannon, also a civilian pilot, was killed in a DC-3 crash during World War II. His mother, Anna, a beautiful Russian émigré, was a public relations employee of the Chinese National Airline Corporation in Shanghai. Although his parents escaped the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong and returned to Steve's home in Maryland, his father left before his birth for training, and his mother went back to China soon after Stephen was born. Stephen has always felt abandoned, not knowing why his mother left her newborn son to go back into a dangerous situation. Stephen's only knowledge of his parents is what his grandparents, who raised him, have told him and what he has read in his mother's diaries and his father's journals. When he receives a phone call from a NYU student from Hong Kong with information about additional journals of his mother's, Stephen travels to China to obtain the journals and uncover the mystery of his mother's past.
Stephen is hindered by a group that wants to suppress the truth about Japanese atrocities during the war, but in the end, he finds evidence in his mother's journals. He also finds proof of his mother's love, grace, and courage.
The setting alternates between the late 1990s and the 1940s, but chapter headings help orient the reader to time and place. The story blends mystery, adventure, and romance in appealing proportions. Excerpts from Anna's journals and Stephen's flight logs supply the reader with their thoughts and emotions, revealing their character, feelings, and motives.
Although a few errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation were disconcerting, the author's use of tension and suspense kept me in the story. Stannard's characterization of Anna was especially convincing. I admired Anna's spunk as a young woman seeking employment, and her courage in helping others during wartime. This book is filled with little-known history and revelation of life in pre-war China. I look forward to reading more from this author.
Reviewed by Marie DisBrow
for The Road to Romance
August 16, 2005
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