The Good Pilot Peter Woodhouse Book Review

I love Alexander McCall Smith and all of his books and got a chance to see him at the local college when he came to visit.  Thanks Ann for sending them from oversees when the first two books came out.  This book isn't part of either of those series but I was excited to see what it was about.  The Good Pilot Peter Woodhouse: A Novel by Alexander McCall Smith is a great stand alone novel.

From the beloved and best-selling author of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series comes a heartwarming tale of hope and friendship set amid the turmoil of World War II.

Val Eliot, a young woman working on an English farm during the war, meets Mike, a U.S. Air Force pilot stationed nearby. When Val rescues a Border Collie named Peter Woodhouse, who is being mistreated by his owner, she realizes the dog would actually be safer with Mike. And so Peter Woodhouse finds a new home on the air force base, and Val finds herself falling in love. Peter Woodhouse becomes Dog First Class, a canine mascot on the base who boldly accompanies the officers on their missions, and Val becomes Mike’s fiancée. But then a disaster jeopardizes the future of them all, and Peter Woodhouse brings Ubi, a German corporal, into their orbit, sparking a friendship that comes with great risk but carries with it the richest of rewards.

Infused with Alexander McCall Smith’s renowned charm and warmth, The Good Pilot Peter Woodhouse is an uplifting story of love and the power of friendship to bring sworn enemies together.

I thought it was a great book and it was a hard book to put down.  There were so many things going on with the war and different characters.  The book went back and forth between the different characters.  I was particularly taken with Val Eliot who was a local woman who started working at a farm.   She is living with her aunt over the post office and another distant relative, Willy.  Willy saves Peter Woodhouse the dog from the man that he is working for because he beat the dog.  The dog is moved all over the place to make sure that he doesn't end up with the farmer.  There are tons of crazy things going on because of the war.  I hope that you check out this book and all the other books by this great author.  They are all a little different and