USA California 1930/40s 2 boys in neighbouring properties, 1 Japanese background start flying stunts together, family feud, Pearl Harbour splits community and reveals realities of Gov incarceration camps chilling. A good read

5 stars for Suzanne Rindell's Eagle and Crane. Truly a beautiful story.
It was: Riveting, Moving, a page turner, did not see the mystery ending coming at all, amazing characters and locale. Enjoyed this book greatly. ( )

This didn’t hang together as much or hit as hard as I’d expected, which was disappointing. I’d wanted something solid, where the themes and plot threads and everything connected up into a single thought-provoking whole, and instead, I got a pleasant enough dip into the American past, that ultimately didn’t challenge on any level.

There’s definitely strong stuff in this book, though. I liked Ava, the female POV character, quite a bit, and the rest of the central cast are well-written, believably historical without fitting molds. Rindell does a good job bringing the biplane circus to life, and I could feel the poverty and desperation of the Depression and the farmers. She’s done her research in general, by the feel of it, up to and including the Japanese internment camps, and the story was interesting enough that I read faster than I expected too and never considered putting the book aside completely.

Unfortunately, Ava doesn’t seem to do all that much within the story and no one in the story ever felt quite real. Whatever it is that turns a good character into a vibrant one wasn’t there, and that goes for the rest of the story too. She tackles abuse, poverty, racism, depression, love, revenge, hope, all sorts of big emotions and topics, but the story was never forceful enough to make me confront them. (Does it need to? I don’t know. It certainly isn’t her place to portray all the horrors of the camps, and delving into the abuse more would’ve changed a lot of things and possibly made this feel more off-kilter.)

And yes, it felt off-kilter to me. Plot threads tie into each other nicely, without really supporting the themes. Her message kind of ghosts along the top of the story, and occasionally seems to disappear. The frame story often felt forced and one element of it was just weird. Basically, although this isn’t Rindell’s first novel, it felt like one. At the very least, it felt like it was trying for too much without enough time to really hit the targets.

But as hard on this book as I’m being, it wasn’t a bad book. It was enjoyable and interesting and pretty breezy for all that it has some hard topics. If I’d gone in with a different set of expectations, I’d have liked it more, I’m sure, and it has historical issues and settings I haven’t seen elsewhere, and serves as a good intro to them. It’s a very book-club sort of book, in my mind, the sort that opens up topics of conversation without pushing anyone’s buttons. But it could have been more.
5/10

Contains: Familial abuse, period anti-Japanese racism, depression and suicide ( )

Set in the early 1940s, Eagle & Crane tells the story of a flying circus, but it is also a story of our nation—its past and present. Our enemy may not look the same as it did in 1941, but our harsh words and inhumane actions repeat themselves like clockwork.

Surprisingly, the word that rises to the surface of my mind when I think of Eagle & Crane is “fun.” Although the topic is heavy at times, the story is dazzling, much like I imagine a ride on the wings of a biplane might be. I had hoped for more weight, but it made for a good, light summer read.

The insight Eagle & Crane gave me into the life of Japanese Americans of that era was the book’s redeeming quality. Although I knew the basic facts, I had never explored the topic deeply. This story gifted me with greater understanding. I am grateful to the author for making the decisions she did in her storywriting. ( )

Fascinating background that led Rindell to write this book. A wonderful description of a horrible time in our history and she has captured it in such an unusual way with this particular barnstorming story. Loved the book!! I agree with an earlier reviewer----I have now loved all three of Rindell's books. ( )