Of Windmills and War - Book 1 (The War Series)

I am going to have to agree with 72% of the reviewers and give this book a well-deserved five-star rating. It is well written, well-researched and is the work of a talented writer. It also sheds light on a little-known humanitarian effort to give emergency help to the starving Dutch people at the end of World War II, “Operation Chowhound.” The plot has been summarized many times by other reviewers, so I will not duplicate their efforts. What I Liked: The problem here is that I liked so much, so I am going to have to hit a few high points. This is an ambitious novel in that it has to set a credible background in three different places: 1930’s Chicago, Holland during the Nazi occupation, and the life of a B-17 crew in the U.S. 8th Air Force. Mrs. Moody handles all these challenges with aplomb. She captures a sense of place and makes it look easy. It is not. I like her dialogue and plotting. Her characters are believable, and the story kept me interested throughout. I really did not notice that the book is a bit longer than average, since there seemed to be no wasted words. The editing is superb. I also liked the spiritual aspects of the novel. I was impressed that Mrs. Moody correctly gave the title of an enlisted bomb-aimer as a “toggler.” This is a fine point, but it clearly shows careful research. What I Did Not Like: Honestly, there is not much that I can say here. One small problem is that I could never get a clear image of what Anya Versteeg looked like. Perhaps I missed her description. I also thought the plot wandered a bit when the action was centered in Holland. Finally, there is one (and only one) scene that did not ring true. “Anya was on him in a flash, shoving a scarf in his mouth at the same instant she kneed him hard in the groin. His eyes bugged briefly before rolling back as he passed out. She helped him fall to the ground to avoid a loud thud, then grabbed his head and swiftly snapped his neck.” I am afraid Mrs. Moody took her cues on hand-to-hand combat from the movies. That is a dangerous thing to do. In the first place, a knee to the groin is quite unlikely to cause instant unconsciousness, unconsciousness so immediate that he is literally out on his feet. Secondly, despite what we have all seen in films, breaking a man’s neck is not at all easy to do. If Anya had extensive training, had unusual upper body strength and the victim was unusually small framed and small-boned, it might be conceivable. But highly unlikely. Why not have her stab him in the back of his neck while he writhed in agony (but fully conscious)? Another problem is that there was no preparation for Anya’s action. If she is so skilled at hand-to-hand combat, there really should have been a bit of prefiguring, otherwise it seems totally out of character. Conclusion: My quibbles are minor, and the qualities of this novel are outstanding. It is a worthy read, and I enjoyed it very much.

Fiction within reality could best describe this book. The fiction is the nice, but a bit drippy part. The horror of WWII is the real part. Also real, was that many soldiers who found and married the love of their life while fighting this war. it's a touching novel worth reading if you like history blended with an incredible story of determination and love. the drippy part might bring a tear to your eye and a smile on your face!

Of Windmills and War by Diane Moody is a heartfelt World War II historical novel that blends romance, faith, and wartime drama. The story follows Danny McClain, from his youth to his career as an American pilot in World War II. Danny and Hans Versteeg became pen pals through an assignment in school. Danny was from Chicago and Hans lived in Utrecht, Netherlands. When Hans died trying to save a young child, Anya, his sister, took over writing to Danny. Once Germany invaded the Netherlands, Anya, as young woman, joined the Dutch Resistance, saving Jewish children and downed airmen. Just like their lives intertwined on opposite sides of the ocean as youths, they now unfolded on opposite sides of the war before ultimately intersecting. The novel captures both the battlefield experience—especially B-17 missions—and the emotional toll of occupation in Holland. This book has strong character development and emotional depth, particularly Anya’s resilience and the evolving relationship between the two leads. The inclusion of real historical elements like Operation Chowhound adds authenticity and impact. The story leans heavily into faith-based themes and God, as both Anya and Danny discover what that means in their lives. That point of view enhanced the emotional connection I had with the book.

I am a big fan of historical fiction (from Colleen McCullough and James Michener to Jeffrey Archer, Bernard Cornwell and Ken Follett) and wasn't expecting "Of Windmills and War" to measure up to the works of these writers. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of writing in this book and the way the author brought the characters and story to life. It has been a while since I read a book compelling enough to keep me reading past 2:00 am, but this book did. I particularly liked that the story centered around one of the lesser known (or at least written about) aspects of WWII. We have all read and heard about the atrocities suffered by the Jews, but I thought telling a WWII story about the Dutch resistance from the perspective of a young U.S. teenager who ends up enlisting and becoming a co-pilot as well as from the perspective of a young female in the Netherlands who suffers untold tragedy due to Germain invasion and occupation very interesting. I thought the use of "pen pal" letters and journals early in the book was creative and added to my understanding of the characters in addition to helping set the stage for subsequent chapters. I understand that there may have been some inaccuracies related to dates and details surrounding events during the occupation of the Netherlands, but they did not detract from the story, in my opinion. More importantly, I would be surprised if almost everyone who reads this book does not find something in the relationships between various characters in the book that they can relate to, whether it is father/mother/son/daughter, brother/sister, schoolmates and/or the camaraderie that existed between pilots and flight crews or the Dutch resistance fighters. I found some of the interchange/conversations between characters to be fascinating, but believable, given the circumstances (e.g. banter between flight crew members to lessen tension and fear associated with flying dangerous missions). The book deserves between a 4 and 5 star rating, and I gave it 5 stars because I enjoyed the writing style and story and was surprised at how it held my interest and attention throughout. I have no problem recommending this book to any fan of historical fiction or anyone who thinks they may have an interest in a unique WWII story. It was a joy to read.

“Of Windmills and War” by Diane Moody is the story of the men of the 390th Bomb Group, Third division of the Eighth Air Force, a part of the Greatest Generation and a rescue mission called Operation Chowhound. The story begins 1938 in Chicago, Illinois with Danny McClain instructed by his teacher to acquire a pen pal from a different country, write to him and report on any response received. Danny draws the name Hans Versteeg from the Netherlands. The two boys keep up a correspondence over quite a few years until Danny learns from Hans’ sister, Anya that he had drowned in a skating accident. Danny and Anya keep writing and learning about each other until the Germans overrun Holland and the Netherlands. Danny’s family is very dysfunctional in that his father is a very violent opinionated man who tolerated no discussion or dissention. Mostly everyone stayed out of his way. He had made a decision that his sons would follow in his footsteps and take over his business. Of course, both Joey and Danny have other plans. Joey joins the Navy and Danny eventually joins the Air Force. Anya, family is quite different. Her father is a minister and her mother, devastated by the death of her son, is no longer a strong woman. After the Germans invade and their Jewish friends are systematically taken away, the family hides Jewish refugees and Anya joins the Resistance movement. The story of Danny as a co-pilot of the bog bombers and the missions they fly are as harrowing to read about as I’m sure they actually were. Anya’s life in the Resistance makes her a very strong individual with pent up emotions that she is afraid to show. When Danny is shot down over the Netherlands close to the German border, he makes contact with Anya through the Underground. The clandestine operations of the Resistance are extremely dangerous and deadly. Reading about this chapter in history is both enlightening and frightening. The story is well conceived and well written. It is one of my favorite books. I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from NetGalley.com

For the first third of this book I was so annoyed by the heroine. Perhaps this was the author’s point given her young age, but sometimes it just got so frustrating reading her tantrums and stubbornness with people. I can’t say she entirely outgrew this over time but perhaps it was more understandable later. Overall, I liked the characters but I also felt the creation of and removal of some characters was cliche and predictable. You could see where all of this was headed pretty early on, in not from the description of the story. If you can put reality aside and dice fully into a fictitious world then this is a wonderful story. I am into historical fiction but this did require a suspension of all disbelief. Otherwise it was true to genre. I really did not like then ending but by the time I realized it was book 1 of a series I expected something left undone. I am glad I read this book, but I have not decided whether I am going to read the next book. I may write the ending of this story on my own. My concern is that I am not sure I can enjoy the emotional roller coaster that I anticipate in part 2.

This is a story that takes the reader from the protagonist's (Danny's) adolescence to his World War II flying experiences and unlikely romance with a Dutch resistance fighter to a happy ending. The whole story is rather sweet and a pleasant read, the characters likeable, and the war experiences described in authentic manner. The reader appreciates the genuineness that can only have come from the input of people who actually took part in such events. The author points out that she has included reminiscences of her father, which explains the realism. My main criticisms are that the novel is too long. A leaner, tighter story would have been more compelling. Also the character of Danny and his friends is too perfect. Some backsliding and doubting would have made them more human, but they never wavered. By contrast, some of the Dutch partisans were more believable, including Anya. Another quibble is that the author keeps referring to the "U.S. Army Air Force." If I'm not mistaken it should have been the Army Air Corps. The Air Force was formed as a separate service only after the war. I was going to give this 3 stars, but ended with 4 on the basis of the first paragraph above. If you aren't in a hurry it's nice to read.

I could not put this book down. One of the best historical novels I have read. You feel as if you are right there

Le vicende narrate nel romanzo mi hanno insegnato molto sulla guerra nei Paesi Bassi, la storia è perciò interessante, ma chi l'ha scritta (o tradotta?) sembra semplicemente trascrivere ciò che le è stato raccontato dal protagonista.

4.5 stars Excellent, well written story. I found it compelling and informative. I hadn't heard of Operation Chowhound and was blessed reading about it.Thank you Diane for writing this special story and giving us a true picture of what it was really like for both the Jewish people and those who helped them.

good

Loved this book. The characters were well developed and real. The places they lived in, America, Holland and England were well described, they too felt real. I learned several things about the second world war that I'd never heard of before. Ms Moody deals with the horrors of war with great delicacy. She tells it as it was, but doesn't wallow and dwell on them, to the exclusion of all else, and Operation Chowhound is such a wonderful display of all that is good in the human spirit. I liked too the way she dealt with the faith of the characters, she doesn't push Christianity, but shows how it can be part of a person's life, and how they grapple and deal with the hard questions. This is a well-written, life-affirming, compassionate book, and I can't remember any typos. I don't normally give a written review to anything that already has 20+ reviews, as that's about as many as I usually read, and there's seldom anything new to say, but this was so good I felt compelled to add my comments to everyone else's. With non-stop on-line coverage of everything that happens around the world, and so much fighting going on across the globe, it's easy to forget the high price people are willing to pay for their freedom, this book reminds us, perhaps more eloquently than constant video coverage the cost and destructiveness of war.

Bem legal, adorei! Se você for daquelas pessoas que choram vendo propaganda, pode se preparar para dar uma choradinha básica. Adorei os personagens e quando o livro termina você fica com aquela sensação de quero mais...