Wild Lily by K M Peyton

Wild Lily by K M Peyton
Buy Wild Lily by K M Peyton at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: Teens
Reviewer: Sue Magee
Summary: An engaging story set in the early days of flight which explored the relationship between two young people.
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 346	Date: February 2017
Publisher: Stour Publishing
ISBN: 978-1910989289
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Lily did love Antony. She was just 14 years old and he was 17, but Antony was the son of the big house and Lily was the daughter of one of the estate workers. They laughed and played together with all the other teens and children on the estate and Antony accepted Lily's adoration and was fond of her. He was an odd mixture of a spoiled brat and a neglected child. His mother was long dead and his father mainly absent on business and parenting was something which was bought in. In the early 1920s cars and aeroplanes were in their infancy and for his 17th birthday (his father thought it was his 12th...) Antony asked for an aeroplane. His father agreed and Antony went to Brooklands and bought a Sopwith.

Antony had never had to be responsible, had never really planned anything that wasn't for his own benefit and he took advantage of Lily's adoration - not in the way that you might be expecting, but she supported his flying activities and he even persuaded her to take a parachute jump without having much ( well, any) regard for her safety. Needless to say it was without her father's knowledge. To Antony, Lily was simply there. He didn't even know her surname: he always called her father Gabriel, but was that his first name or his surname? To Lily, Antony was everything and Wild Lily is the story of their relationship.

I first encountered Kathleen Peyton when I read Flambards and realised that when it came to historical fiction for teens she was going to be very hard to beat. She understands relationships, particularly where there are different classes involved and she's particularly good on that period between the war, when all seemed well in the world, but wasn't. The story covers the period from the 1920s through to the eighties and it's wonderful to see the way the way that the world and the characters change.

Despite the fact that the title of the books suggests that it's about Lily I did worry early on that it was going to be about Antony and his adventures and misadventures, but Lily comes to the forefront of the story when Antony's luck runs out. No - I'm not going to tell you: you'll have to read the book for yourself! There is an advantage in this as it means that the book is going to appeal to both boys and girls and I like that.

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy of the book to the Bookbag.

If you haven't read Flambards and its sequel do have a look. The Edge of the Cloud covers the early days of flight, which also features in Wild Lily.

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You can read more book reviews or buy Wild Lily by K M Peyton at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Wild Lily by K M Peyton at Amazon.com.

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