Product Description

At the school where Edward Enderby taught for over forty years, there were few who knew he'd once been a successful fighter pilot during the war. It was not something he ever talked about - not even to his family. And for over half a century he had, for the most part, managed to put the memories of those years out of his mind. But fifty years on, he is alone - a widower - with a strained relationship with his only son, and a career behind him that has brought him respect but little affection. In 1995, Britain is celebrating the anniversary of the end of the war, and Edward finds himself forced to confront the tragedy he suffered during those years. Embarking on a journey of self-discovery and personal redemption, Edward travels from England to Malta and then to Italy, and in doing so comes face-to-face with the idealistic young man he once was, and the devastated and traumatised 23-year-old he was to become. Following his experiences over the skies of England in 1941, through the dark days of the Siege of Malta, to the partisan struggle in Italy, "A Pair of Silver Wings" is a story of friendship, love and the terrible legacy of war, exploring universal themes of grief and redemption, and one man's quest to heal the scars of the past.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #22400 in Books
• Published on: 2007-08-02
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

From the Publisher
From the Sunday Times Bestselling author comes a story of friendship, love and loss in a time of war...

From the Inside Flap
At the school where Edward Enderby taught for over forty years, there were few who knew he’d once been a successful fighter pilot during the war.It was not something he ever talked about – not even to his family. And for over half a century he had, for the most part, managed to put the memories of those years out of his mind. But fifty years on, he is alone – a widower – with a strained relationship with his only son, and a career behind him that has brought him respect but little affection.

In 1995, Britain is celebrating the anniversary of the end of the war, and Edward finds himself forced to confront the tragedy he suffered during those years. Embarking on a journey of self-discovery and personal redemption, Edward travels from England to Malta and then to Italy, and in doing so comes face-to-face with the idealistic young man he once was, and the devastated and traumatised 23-year-old he was to become.

Following his experiences over the skies of England in 1941, through the dark days of the Siege of Malta, to the partisan struggle in Italy, A Pair of Silver Wings is a story of friendship, love and the terrible legacy of war, exploring universal themes of grief and redemption, and one man’s quest to heal the scars of the past.

From the Back Cover
At the school where Edward Enderby taught for over forty years, there were few who knew he'd once been a successful fighter pilot during the war. For over half a century he has, for the most part, put the memories of those years out of his mind. But fifty years on, he is alone, with a strained relationship with his only son, and a career behind him that has brought him respect but little affection.

In 1995, Britain is celebrating the anniversary of the end of the war, and Edward finds himself forced to confront the tragedy he suffered during those years. Embarking on a journey of self-discovery and personal redemption, Edward travels from England to Malta and then to Italy, and in doing so comes face-to-face with the idealistic young man he once was, and the devastated and traumatised 23-year-old he was to become...

Praise for James Holland

'Exciting and poignant, and ultimately hopeful' Literary Review

'Holland skilfully turns the screw of tension as the last months of peace slip away ... He has joined the few who can bring history to life' Guardian

'Well-written and exciting' Daily Telegraph

'There can seldom have been a better, nor more detailed, evocation of exactly what it was like to fly - and die - in the clear blue skies above the English Channel in those heady days in the summer and autumn of 1940' Daily Mail