Wilhelmina Brewster has been a college music professor for 41 years, devoting her life to her career and never marrying. Now, after her forced retirement at age 65, she is mourning her loss and searching for something to fill the empty hours. Widower Mike Dolan is a pilot and World War II veteran who has always lived life to the fullest. When medical tests confirm that his cancer has returned, he makes plans to take a final flight in his airplane rather than become a burden to his family. Wilhelmina accidentally learns of Mike’s final plans, and when she discovers that he isn’t a believer, she knows it’s her Christian duty to talk with him about her faith. But although she has been a lifelong Christian, she feels totally inadequate for the task of witnessing to an unbeliever.
Mike and Wilhelmina are two very different people—one figuring out how to live, the other how to die. Yet they will find themselves journeying together as they search for answers to life, loss and faith in God.
What I Loved: This isn’t your typical Austin novel chocked full of historical facts and a before-this-time setting. However, Fly Away contained the same heart-felt story that we’d come to expect from Austin. It wasn’t a fast paced tale, but something deep and enriching.
When two unlikely friends meet up, it opens the door for a lot of self-exploring. What is the purpose of your life? What are you REALLY treasuring? How do you witness to the lost? Are you even supposed to witness at all?
Austin meets the readers where the general audience will be able to relate and she tackles each question beautifully. The characters are well developed and help to enhance the message behind the plot.
Rating and Recommendation: I’m giving Fly Away 5 stars and recommending it to those who enjoy Christian Fiction.
~I received a copy from the author. I was not compensated for this review. All thoughts are my own.
Christian Author: A.M. Heath 