Piece of Cake (R.A.F. Quartet)

Basically, the approach the author takes is neither good nor bad. Just a dark portrayal of the early air war over Fance and Britain. Turgid and too dark for me. I found the book very hard going. I made it to the end...just. I wouldn't buy another book by the author.

Great Book. This book was a gift and now my husband wants the series.

Piece of Cake ranks right up there with Winds of War, and Catch 22. Wait a sec! Those two novels aren't anything alike. That's what makes Piece of Cake so different and wonderful. There's all the drama and hilarity of the other two, but tied into an incredible story that not only puts you in the cockpit, but in the midst of battle. Some would say P of C is a drama about the Battle of Britain. More than that. Much more. A fighter squadron is made up of people who think quite differently, about the world, about the war, and about staying alive. What are they fighting for? Themselves. Their buddies. Booze. Women. Pretty much in that order. King and country? Well, yeah, sort of. Piece of Cake also has a history to tell and in the telling, lays low myths like a well sharpened scythe in a field of lilies. Gives you a new perspective on the war, but more than that, like any great novel, it works its way into your brain and into your guts enough to make you wonder what you know and what you think you know. The characters stand out from the page, as if you'd just had one beer and they'd asked you to buy another round. Or, more likely, they'd held you upside down until all your money fell out and you had no choice but to buy another round. These are men who live in the same small room as darkness and danger. You'll meet quite a few of them and you'll be happy you did. I don't give one care if you don't like novels about flying and war and historical events. Doesn't matter a whit. You'll still love this book.

I remember a few moons ago (about 20 years ago really) seeing something about the mini-series Piece of Cake and not being able to watch it (sorry, to poor to afford it then) and being a little interested in aviation warfare I decided I'd have to read it at some point. After spending sometime looking about and finally deciding to deal in the second hand market I picked up a copy of Piece of Cake. Piece of Cake describes a British squadron (Hornet Squadron, flying Hurricanes for those that are interested) in the early days of WWII (September 1939 thru September 1940). Mr. Robinson uses the cloak of early WWII (historical setting and British tactics) to tell the story and interactions of the men of Hornet Squadron. All of the characters are larger than life, at times making them a little hard to believe, but having known many fighter pilots in my day I can say that the only possibly making it difficult to believe is having all of these "characters" in one unit. Each character is nicely done, with personal details that are amazing, whether its Moggy and his egocentric/homicidal ways, CH3 and his this is the way it was done in Spain, "Lord" Rex is proper British, to "Fanny" Barton and his caring ways. The exploits are fascinating, there's some interesting romance situations, especially given the Phony War and the lead up to the Battle for France. The historical perspective is nicely done with Mr. Robinson showing good awareness of RAF tactics and battle situations. If there's a weakness in the book it's that Mr. Robinson's dark humor sometimes overshadows thing to much and he overemphasis the inflated claims of the RAF during the Battle of Britain and their losses. Rating wise this ones a very solid 4 star book. The first half is a little slow and drawn out as Mr. Robinson explains Hornet Squadron's makeup and things begin to gel. As you pass from the Phony War to the Battle for France there's a nice step up in the story that pushes the book toward 4.5 stars. This is eventually reached during the Battle of Britain with a momentary 5 star piece with the interactions between Moggy and Steel-Stebbing (you need to read it, great for a laugh). Given everything, a solid 4 star performance.