Paladin

Charles Bowen's historical epic deftly weaves the complexities of Southern society in Augusta, Georgia, with that of wartime Suffolk, England. He paints a compelling picture of two quite different worlds brought together by war. Bowen's tale centers on the lives of American fighter pilot Matt Tower and British WVS volunteer Vivian Davis. After a chance meeting at an RAF station near Ipswich, the two embark on an intense relationship that brings comfort from the tragedies of war but which ultimately neither of them can control. This is an impressive work of imagination set against the backdrop of the 353rd Fighter Group as part of the famed U.S. Mighty 8th Air Force during World War II. The finely drawn characters and picture of a world long gone in this romance will stay with the reader for a long time.