Flightsend is Charlie’s new home, whether she likes it or not. Her mother sees it as an end to all that’s gone so tragically wrong. They had been a proper family. Mum; her boyfriend, Sean; and Charlie, with a new baby sister on the way. But the baby died before she was born and everything changed. Gradually, Charlie’s mother pushed Sean away, before resigning from her job and selling the house. Charlie is certain that the move to a ramshackle cottage, miles from anywhere, can only make things worse. She couldn’t be more wrong. For Charlie’s mum there’s a new business and the fresh start that she knew she needed. And for Charlie there’s a new job, new friends, a newly discovered talent for art, and new feelings for two very different men. It’s a summer of beginnings, not ends; a summer that Charlie will never forget.
- ISBN: 9780385752039
- Published: 2010 , Random House Children's Books
- Themes: art, Death, Journey, overcome, talent, Tragedy
- Descriptors: Awards, England (UK), Fiction, Intermediate (ages 9-14), Realistic Fiction, Young Adult (ages 14-18)
- No. of pages: 256
Flightsend by Linda Newbery is an English book about a young girl facing a few issues in her life. After the sudden death of her unborn baby sister, Charlie sees her mother break up with her boyfriend and decide to quit her job as a teacher and move to a more rural village. Charlie is at first quite upset by the move. She is leaving her friends and her life as she knows it for the unknown. Starting over becomes a main theme of the story as Charlie, her mother Kathy and Kathy’s boyfriend Sean all begin anew. Charlie finds that these new beginnings come to bring rewards as well as challenges.
I liked the book a lot and would recommend it. There are several interesting supporting characters such as Charlie’s friend Rowan and Fay, the woman Charlie works for. Charlie’s relationships with her mother, her friends and Sean are all challenged and come to develop beyond what she expected. One aspect of the story that was interesting to me was the fact that Charlie seems to face many of the same issues and feelings that any girl her age would experience. The universality of the story makes it intriguing. At the same time, I enjoyed all of the nuances and details that identify the story as British. While the characters are relatable to most people, one can clearly tell that the story takes place in England by reading it. I loved the descriptions of the bucolic life that Charlie finds in Lower Radbourne and specifically Flightsend, her new home. The juxtaposition of Charlie’s old life (and the current life of her friends) with her new life in the country is interesting. It shows differences between various geographical lifestyles from the point of view of a teenage girl. The very end of the story, including the language on the last page, is very touching and beautiful. I would recommend the book to anyone.