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There are currently 23 member reviews
for The Last Flight of Poxl West
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Amy M. (Southlake, TX)
The Last Flight of Poxl West
Once I started, I couldn't put it down. There are so many things to learn when reading a story about the men who serve in the armed forces. What they go through is informative, but we don't always think about their emotions, their lives-past and present, and how they are touched other than physical harm. Uncle Poxl and his nephew, Eli, take us on a journey that will not soon be forgotten. Their lives and the lives of their families and loved ones and their losses, both physical and emotional, will stay with the reader forever. I hope everyone reads this book. It is a great book club selection.
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Leslie G. (Peabody, MA)
A Novel of Many Themes
Although the novel is, on a surface level, about the challenges of warfare, at heart it is about all aspects of the human condition. The consequences of abandonment, the confusion between love and passion and the spiraling effects of one's actions are just some of the issues dealt with in Torday's book. At points, I found the chapters narrated by Poxl's "grandson" Eli more interesting than Poxl's narrative. Eli's search for what constitutes a hero is perhaps more compelling than Poxl's ultimately somewhat flawed insights into his own behavior. Also, on a lighter note, I enjoyed the novel's references to events and places in Greater Boston that are familiar to me.
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Bea C. (Liberty Lake, WA)
Love, Guilt, and WWII
This book is full of emotion, mostly love, remorse and guilt. It's not so much about WWII as it is about people living during the war. As I got further into the book, I couldn't put it down, wondering if the pilot was going to find his lover again, if Eli would see Poxl again, if it was true what the papers said about Poxl. The book has what the author calls "Interludes", where the present day boy reminds us that we are reading a book written by his "uncle". The interludes are very important to read, even though it feels like they are taking us away from the story. An interesting book.
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Betty T. (Warner Robins, GA)
Not a Hero to me
Torday tells the story of a young boy's admiration for Poxl West, a former RAF bomber pilot, and Poxl West himself. The story is told the now almost mandatory alternating views. For a while the story held my interest. But then I found it became a struggle to continue reading. I found myself either skimming or just skipping large portions of the book.
The portion of the story from Poxl's perspective was written as a book within a book. Poxl has written a book of memoirs of some of his sorties. This was the portion of the book I struggled with. The writing style did not work for me. I felt no emotions toward the characters in this "book within a book". I was too far removed from the action. Beginning with the discovery of his mother's infidelities, Poxl becomes quite good at running from unpleasant things in life. Eventually he does join the military as a bomber pilot and becomes a "Jewish war hero".
The young boy, Eli Goldstein, focuses on the release of Poxl's book. Eli sees Poxl as his hero. However, Poxl's human frailties soon dampen Eli's hero-worship. He finds it harder and harder to defend Poxl's actions. Family loyalties come in question as Poxl again runs from unpleasantness.
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Gloria Ganderbilt
A good story but not a particularly good read
After having read through some of other reader's comments I'm left wondering, "what's wrong with me?".
I had a hard time sticking with this book. Parts of it seemed 'disjointed' if that can be a description. I sometimes felt the writer kept a dictionary at hand so he could throw in an obscure word every once in a while to keep us on our toes. There were parts of both Eli's and Poxl's stories that were logical and well told, but too often they were unbelievable. That said, there was a lot about the book that I did like. I was particularly drawn by the description of the lives of the Jews living in the cave. One could almost feel the darkness and desperation.
All in all, I would say this was a good story, but perhaps could have used some more work before publication.
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Dorothy L. (Boca Raton, FL)
Disappointing Read
I didn't enjoy reading this book. I kept hoping it would get better. I found it slow in parts and disjointed. I really couldn't relate to any of the characters did not find it exceptional at all. I wouldn't recommend it.
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Lynn H. (TUCSON, AZ)
Poxl West
I did not find this book as wonderful as some reviewers did.
It seemed to lack depth to me and I really couldn't warm up to the characters at all. It is a story about loss, quilt and forgiveness, but seemed a little disjointed to me.
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