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Kathy G. (Alamo, CA)
The Last Flight of Poxl West
I very much enjoyed reading the novel. The author presented a very thoughtful insight into the minds of Eli and his Uncle, Poxi West while alternating the narratives between the two. The consequences of abandonment was a constant thread that tied the two stores together. The Last Flight of Poxl West would be an excellent book for book clubs. Topics of love, loss and growing up would be areas that would embrace a wonderful discussion.
Christopher R. (Brooklyn, NY)
A novel about a memoir to remember
I would like to thank BookBrowse for this beautiful book. The focus of the story is a novel written by the protagonist's uncle, Poxl West. The fact that Poxl West is not his real uncle is revealed in the very first paragraph. It is in some ways a foreshadowing of things to come in Daniel Torday's brilliant examination of the memoir. The novel alternates between chapters narrating what is happening with the characters in the story, and chapters of Poxl's memoir. This approach really worked for me as it allows us to examine a story from multiple perspectives. The novel encourages the reader to determine what the
…more real story of Poxl West's life is, what is important and what is not. One can see this as a love story. Another individual might see this as a war story. For me, it was an engrossing, funny, sad, well told story. And I recommend it to anyone who loves to read good stories. (less)I was intrigued by the premise of a WWII story about a Jewish RAF pilot, but concerned about WWII fatigue. This book is really two coming of age stories, each written in distinct styles. I admit bias toward the 1980s portion due to the Boston metro setting. I found reading the WWII era sections challenging due to constant need to refer to the dictionary. Also, later sections contained Shakespearean analogies, interesting but challenging.
I think this book is a stellar literary effort by a debut novelist and parts of it reminded me of Paul Auster's, Brooklyn Follies, while the book as a whole reminded me of Dara
…more Horn's Guide to the Perplexed, and City of Thieves by David Benioff.
I would recommend this book for those who like male coming of age stories and for book clubs. The title of the book is open to interpretation and therefore discussion. (less)I had some real struggles with the author's writing - specifically the "voice" of the narrator Poxl is the same "voice" as the narrator Eli, the allegories were often so strange they called up no useful visualization but merely felt like a device the author felt compelled to use, foreshadowing was needed but was weak - and I really thought that one fact was foreshadowed and never borne out. I thought there were some historical errors - that were simply errors, not poetic license. In the end, I found I liked the novel more than I did about halfway through, but it certainly did not rise to the level of a rating of 5
Susan R. (Julian, NC)
Skylock
This novel was made up of two stories - the first story was the coming of age story of Elijah, the nephew of Poxl West who hero worshiped him in the beginning of the book. It is also the story of Poxl - a Czechoslovakian who fled to Amsterdam and then to London during World War II. He left people that he loved behind every time he left one place and fled to another city. As the novel begins, he has written a book about his exploits as an RAF bomber pilot during WWII. The novel is told from both perspectives but for both the old man and the young boy it is the story of learning how to love and accept other people.
…more I thought that the novel was very well written and that it gave a very different side of world war II than other books that I have read about this time period. I would recommend it for book clubs. (less)This book is actually two stories in one: a coming of age story and a story of a Czech man who lives through World War II in an interesting and unusual way. Poxl West's story is presented as a book within a book, interrupted at intervals by the young man who idolizes him. I found both of these characters to be interesting, and if I tell you more, it will ruin the story for you. Read it for yourself. It's worth it.
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.
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
…more and places in Greater Boston that are familiar to me. (less)
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