Reviewed for Review the Book
Published by Bast Press

I am so excited by this book and very pleased to recommend it. It is well-written, intense, and true to itself. Jean Sheldon really knows how to tell a story. Taking place after the attack on Pearl Harbor, it is a work of fiction in a very realistic presentation. Based on the work of women in the United States during wartime, it centers around the work of the "Rosie the Riveters" as they came to be known, and the women pilots in the WASP. Jean Sheldon has given us an insight into the personal and work lives of these women, reflecting the attitudes of the time, and giving us a good dose of sabotage and espionage as well.

"The Woman in the Wing" grabbed my attention and held it until even after I finished the book. I think this is the longest I ever sat with one book trying to read it all at once.  If it weren't for requiring nourishment and sleep, I'm sure I would have done just that. This is not something I say often. 

There are not many works of fiction that feature the women, although the author gives some references on-line for non-fiction resources at the back of the book. I even found myself looking up some of the planes mentioned after reading the descriptions!  The story primarily follows the paths of two very good friends and neighbours who want to fly and manage to get the training for it. But Char, our chief protagonist, has run into the male-domination theme so prevalent in the this era, and she is told she will not get her wings because of something distasteful to her which she flat out refuses. I, being a child of the 1940s, applaud Ms. Sheldon for incorporating this imbalance of humanity that was very current at that time and still persists in some ways today.

Enter the FBI searching for Nazi spies in the warehouses and hangars. There appear to be a number of them sabotaging the planes being built and those in use. Since Char is being "punished" for her refusal of the Major's proposal, she has been sent to be a riveter, along with her friend Max.  They are soon required to watch out for suspicious behaviour and report it to the FBI. They know there are FBI agents working in the facility too, but they don't know who they are.

Accidents have increased in the facility over the past 3 months and are becoming more personal than just slowing production. It soon escalates to planes crashing, equipment falling, and murder, with deaths and injuries piling up, building from fear to terror for the women. Character-driven, the plot accelerates through the whole book until the reader may find he/she is out of breath. I highly recommend this book for its research, subject matter, characterizations, and its exciting, suspenseful finish.

Reviewed on 08/29/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Betty Gelean

 Set in Chicago during WWII and focusing on the female contribution to the war effort, ‘The Woman in the Wing’ is a finely crafted suspense thriller that had me turning the pages at a furious pace.

It’s the summer of 1944 and Char is getting ready to graduate from Woman Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) training when she gets reassigned because she won’t sleep with the Major. She finds out she will be working undercover at a defense plant with FBI agent Eleanor Frazier in an effort to locate some German spies that may be working at the plant. There has been an increase in “accidents” at the plant and the FBI believes the Germans may be trying to sabotage the war planes being built there. Char and Ellie become riveters at the plant alongside many other women, one of whom may be the ringleader of the German spies. Will they uncover the identities of the spies before it is too late and, if they do, will Char finally get her wings?

Author Jean Sheldon has written a well-researched story set in a period of US history that many people probably know very little about. The participation of women in the war effort during World War II wasn’t often acknowledged but their support made it possible for the US to intervene in Germany and Japan and ultimately put an end to the war. I love that Ms. Sheldon uses this information as the framework for her novel and, in doing so not only entertains, but teaches us a bit of history. The story is fast paced and the characters are interesting and well-developed. I truly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to anyone who likes historical suspense.

Reviewed on 05/13/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member April Hanson

History, mystery and a little romance combine in Jean Sheldon's "The Woman in the Wing." It's 1940 and young Charlotte Mercer and her best friend Maxine enroll in a civilian flight training program at Northwestern University in Chicago. The two complete their training and in 1942 are invited to apply to the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) to fly military airplanes. As accomplished pilots, Char and Maxi are welcomed into the WASP training program where they soon become two of the WASP's best pilots. Char finishes her testing first in her class, but is denied her wings by the base commander when she refuses his advances. The commander instead orders her to work as a riveter at the Douglas Aircraft plant to assist the FBI in investigating possible spies at the airfield and plant.

Dave Frazier is the FBI agent Char works with on the investigation. Dave's sister, Ellie, also an agent, is assigned as Char's partner in the assembly plant. WASP pilots are going down in sabotaged planes and deadly accidents and murders are occurring at the plant. To uncover the saboteurs, Char and Ellie snoop into the lives of their fellow riveters.

"The Woman in the Wing," though fiction, contains much history of the WASP program and World War II. Author Sheldon keeps readers guessing as to the identity of the saboteurs. Her characters are engaging and Sheldon's story gives readers an inside look into the daily life of Americans at home during World War II. There are a few instances where sentences are repeated and a few scene transitions that come abruptly, but overall this is a great read for anyone who loves a mystery and is interested in the World War II era.

Reviewed on 03/06/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Darcy Odden

 As a young girl I was fascinated with stories about pilot Amelia Earhart and read every book om my elementary school library about her. I then found out about the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) and read about their role in World War II. When I heard that Jane Sheldon’s book The Woman in the Wing centered around some WASP I had to read it.

Reviewed on 02/11/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Janice Hidey

I found that this book started out slow, but then picked up speed.  It tells the story about a lady who is part of WASP during World War 2.  Her male boss becomes irate when she turns down his advances and sends her to work in a defense plant as punishment.   What he doesn't realize is that the reason they have asked for help locating German spies that have infiltrated the plant..  The spies injure and kill several people, attempt to start the plant on fire and bomb it.  They also attempt to sabotage some of the planes both during production and as they are getting ready to be delivered.  Char(the WASP pilot) helps to solve the mystery and helps to find the spies.  She is shot at, degraded, and eventually finishes her training to become a pilot.

I think Jean Sheldon did an excellent job of explaining how things happened to the female pilots in this time period.  She explains how they were not treated equally, which continues to be a problem in many fields to this day.  She also explains how things worked in the ferrying field during this time period and how the women lived and worked.  There was a wonderful explanation of how women helped in the defense industry and flying fields while the men were serving overseas, helping us to win the war.  I haven't read many books about this subject and found it very englightening.

I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in WWII history.  It tells a side of the story that is often not told. 

Reviewed on 07/16/2009 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Shannon Baas