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Wish Me Luck
Fleur Bosley didn't believe in love at first sight, at least not until she bumped into Robbie Rodwell on a railway station in the blackout of wartime Britain. Posted to a newly-built Lincolnshire airfield, Robbie as a wireless operator on bombers and Fleur as a R/T operator in the watch office, their only escape is to the little cottage in the nearby village where Fleur is billeted with another WAAF, Ruth. The two girls become good friends, but Ruth, already hurt by the loss of one of the pilots, does not approve of wartime romances.
And Ruth is not the only one to disapprove. When Fleur's mother hears Robbie's name she becomes hysterical and bans him from her home. The young couple are determined to grab their happiness where they can, but is it a kind Fate or a cruel one that has brought them together when secrets from the past threaten their future?
Away from their families, there is fun and laughter, the aircrews determined to make the most of every day, every minute, but whenever they fly off into the night on a bombing raid, Fleur must keep watch until the early hours praying that Robbie's plane comes back . . .
And Ruth is not the only one to disapprove. When Fleur's mother hears Robbie's name she becomes hysterical and bans him from her home. The young couple are determined to grab their happiness where they can, but is it a kind Fate or a cruel one that has brought them together when secrets from the past threaten their future?
Away from their families, there is fun and laughter, the aircrews determined to make the most of every day, every minute, but whenever they fly off into the night on a bombing raid, Fleur must keep watch until the early hours praying that Robbie's plane comes back . . .
Paperback
First published April 6, 2007
25 people are currently reading
120 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Dickinson
95 books179 followersBorn in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, Margaret Dickinson moved to the coast at the age of seven and so began her love for the sea and the Lincolnshire landscape. Her ambition to be a writer began early and she had her first novel published at the age of twenty-five. This was followed by many further titles including Plough the Furrow, Sow the Seed and Reap the Harvest, which make up her Lincolnshire Fleethaven Trilogy. She is also the author of Fairfield Hall, Jenny's War and The Clippie Girls. Margaret is a Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
November 26, 2014
When I picked up this book, I thought I would love it. The background sounded very interesting. However, I was very disappointed, after a while it had me rolling my eyes as I was reading... Here are the reasons why:
- I noticed quite a few cliché sentences, like "back with a vengeance". It annoys me when it happens.
- There was a lot of repetition of structures and vocabulary that should have been dealt with at the editing stage. For example, "his/her face sobered". After a while, it became really annoying!
- The characters are always laughing, giggling, grinning. I know people laugh, but not so often, especially given the circumstances. That, too, grated on my nerves.
- The historical background is not very present. You do read a little bit about bombing and Anderson shelters, with a few air raids, but I didn't learn anything from the book. It's more about romance than history, and even then, the characters have nothing special to them.
- Most of what happens was very predictable. It gets boring after a while.
- All the characters are good, nice and friendly, except Fleur (the main character)'s mother. It is unrealistic.
I managed to finish the book and it reads fairly well once you get over the eye-rolling issues, so I'm rating it 2/5. I would not read it again and my copy is going to the charity shop, though.
- I noticed quite a few cliché sentences, like "back with a vengeance". It annoys me when it happens.
- There was a lot of repetition of structures and vocabulary that should have been dealt with at the editing stage. For example, "his/her face sobered". After a while, it became really annoying!
- The characters are always laughing, giggling, grinning. I know people laugh, but not so often, especially given the circumstances. That, too, grated on my nerves.
- The historical background is not very present. You do read a little bit about bombing and Anderson shelters, with a few air raids, but I didn't learn anything from the book. It's more about romance than history, and even then, the characters have nothing special to them.
- Most of what happens was very predictable. It gets boring after a while.
- All the characters are good, nice and friendly, except Fleur (the main character)'s mother. It is unrealistic.
I managed to finish the book and it reads fairly well once you get over the eye-rolling issues, so I'm rating it 2/5. I would not read it again and my copy is going to the charity shop, though.
June 15, 2010
A brilliant book. I'd definately recommend it.
May 26, 2017
A little boring and predictable, un-interesting characters (basically, they're all perfect). I love WW2 romance but this was a let-down. Recommended to no one.
Was supposed to be a light holiday read, but couldn't finish it so far.
I had to revisit this review after finishing the book. Sadly it didn't get any better. The WW2 love story remained bland, the characters were all perfect and terminally boring. The "conflict/mystery" gets resolved in the last few pages and it's a confusing conglomerate of names that we never read before in the story. (It might have made for a much better story than the main plot though....)
I also didn't like the plot device where
I bought this book on vacation as beach reading and I can only hope it was a charity shop buy because I'd hate the thought of having paid more than one pound for it. It's horribly bad.
Was supposed to be a light holiday read, but couldn't finish it so far.
I had to revisit this review after finishing the book. Sadly it didn't get any better. The WW2 love story remained bland, the characters were all perfect and terminally boring. The "conflict/mystery" gets resolved in the last few pages and it's a confusing conglomerate of names that we never read before in the story. (It might have made for a much better story than the main plot though....)
I also didn't like the plot device where
I bought this book on vacation as beach reading and I can only hope it was a charity shop buy because I'd hate the thought of having paid more than one pound for it. It's horribly bad.
September 11, 2015
I was looking for a little light reading set during World War 2, nothing too heavy, and so ‘Wish me luck’ seemed to fit the bill.
There was some good research into how an RAF base was run, and this was interesting. However, we were often told this instead of being shown through the story, which is a shame as it sometimes slowed the pace.
I found much of this book very clichéd with rather weak characters. There was only one character who showed any real negative qualities, obviously written to create conflict. The way this was resolved was very contrived which, for me, meant that the ending of the book was a little flat.
I know this book is romantic fiction but I found the plot weak and the characters far too ‘nice’ to be realistic.
If you are looking for a historical romance which is easy to read, and are not too bothered about the historical background, then you will probably enjoy this book.
There was some good research into how an RAF base was run, and this was interesting. However, we were often told this instead of being shown through the story, which is a shame as it sometimes slowed the pace.
I found much of this book very clichéd with rather weak characters. There was only one character who showed any real negative qualities, obviously written to create conflict. The way this was resolved was very contrived which, for me, meant that the ending of the book was a little flat.
I know this book is romantic fiction but I found the plot weak and the characters far too ‘nice’ to be realistic.
If you are looking for a historical romance which is easy to read, and are not too bothered about the historical background, then you will probably enjoy this book.
June 5, 2018
Very good war time story but felt it could of done with a few more chapters like what happened to Mrs Jackson and Harry. Also when Robbie see his father did they get on, there's lots of loose ends
July 2, 2019
A nice cosy read, but I felt alittle let down by the ending, needing to know what happened to the other characters in the story.....maybe a follow up please????
March 5, 2019
If you want an easy-to-read, pulpy, happy schlopp of an historical novel, then this is one for you. Emphasis on schlopp and less emphasis on 'historical'.
It has every trope you could ask for within a World War II romance novel: a stout no-nonsense young woman who feels an instant connection to the romance-interest serviceman upon first meeting... literally on the first page. A best-friend with a traumatic backstory who disapproves of the romance, because, well, you can read between the lines there. A parental figure who similarly disapproves because of "Oh, the community's opinion! Oh, the past history! You two are forbidden to so much as sniff one another's heavily rationed perfume and or cologne!". Naturally, all these warnings are ignored by the couple, dramatic things happen, everything looks awful, suddenly oh no! But oh look! Everything is alright and now it's a good ending with a bit of sad but mostly good ending, yay! Everything is well again, let's start a baby-boom!
It starts a touch interesting, tries to stay interesting, then gets slow, then slower and boring, then even slower and even more boring, then fast and boring, then slow and boring again for a moment, and then it ends.
None of the characters had much depth or real personality at all, and what 'personality' there was only existed to fill the space the character needed to inhabit for the plot's sake. I cared for none of them and often had to remind myself who, exactly, someone was if they disappeared for more than a few pages -- and I read this novel within two afternoons, so it wasn't putting the text down for too long that was making things unmemorable. All the characters behaved within the boundaries set by the author of being nice all the time, not having human failings, and not expressing anything too controversial about anything unless they were The Worst Person that is present in this book. Because there is only one bad person in this book, by the way, and surprisingly, it's not Hitler, because the author appears to pick and choose when the historical setting is relevant to the goings-on of the novel.
The plot was average and formulaic, and relied too much on tension that never really existed in the plot to feel as though any thing of value was at risk. I appreciated the research that went into how RAF bases operated during war-time, though it was told to the reader in little paragraphs written like a school project rather than shown through the characters experiences. Oh, and all the food was always lovely because it was rationed, I noticed that too, yawn. It's clear the drive of the novel is the romance more than the history. And both are a waste of time.
The writing itself is so-so, definitely poorer in some places than others, as formulaic as the plot, and often becoming disjointed when the third-person limited prose wants to jump-ship to another character's point-of-view. The author was very adverse to just writing the characters simply 'said' something within in a scene, instead they had either: smile, laugh, grin, chortle, look at someone else, glance somewhere else, or nod. Naïve is one way of describing the writing and it isn't because Fleur herself is naïve: I think using that sort of vehicle of expression would have been much too complex an idea for the author to handle with their skillset.
The names of the characters were also something that felt out of place within the novel: Fleur's name being chief among them. It was certainly chosen because Fleur is a pretty name, but this is meant to be the name of a young woman from the South of England born in in the teens of the early Twentieth century, whose parents were farmers for crying out loud! Fleur wasn't even in the top 200 most popular names of girls in England in 1910. I almost felt cheated when she didn't turn out to be a spy, that would have made a better story!
Also, the fact the name of the romance interest was legitimately Robbie Rodwell, which had me cackling repeatedly because... seriously? I could almost taste the intention of what Dickinson was going for: Robbie Rodwell, a charming, handsome fellow who radios away and stays handsome whilst doing it! Except... it didn't fly. At all. It didn't even get off the ground. We only know that Robert's meant to be handsome because Fleur just... tells us so, repeatedly, and he's a mindless drone that is always understanding and always loving and... not realistic at all.
'Fleur and Robbie' sounds like something cheeky you get up to in a hidden corridor somewhere, which if I'm honest, sounds a grander time than reading 437 pages of this. Back to the charity shop, this book goes.
It has every trope you could ask for within a World War II romance novel: a stout no-nonsense young woman who feels an instant connection to the romance-interest serviceman upon first meeting... literally on the first page. A best-friend with a traumatic backstory who disapproves of the romance, because, well, you can read between the lines there. A parental figure who similarly disapproves because of "Oh, the community's opinion! Oh, the past history! You two are forbidden to so much as sniff one another's heavily rationed perfume and or cologne!". Naturally, all these warnings are ignored by the couple, dramatic things happen, everything looks awful, suddenly oh no! But oh look! Everything is alright and now it's a good ending with a bit of sad but mostly good ending, yay! Everything is well again, let's start a baby-boom!
It starts a touch interesting, tries to stay interesting, then gets slow, then slower and boring, then even slower and even more boring, then fast and boring, then slow and boring again for a moment, and then it ends.
None of the characters had much depth or real personality at all, and what 'personality' there was only existed to fill the space the character needed to inhabit for the plot's sake. I cared for none of them and often had to remind myself who, exactly, someone was if they disappeared for more than a few pages -- and I read this novel within two afternoons, so it wasn't putting the text down for too long that was making things unmemorable. All the characters behaved within the boundaries set by the author of being nice all the time, not having human failings, and not expressing anything too controversial about anything unless they were The Worst Person that is present in this book. Because there is only one bad person in this book, by the way, and surprisingly, it's not Hitler, because the author appears to pick and choose when the historical setting is relevant to the goings-on of the novel.
The plot was average and formulaic, and relied too much on tension that never really existed in the plot to feel as though any thing of value was at risk. I appreciated the research that went into how RAF bases operated during war-time, though it was told to the reader in little paragraphs written like a school project rather than shown through the characters experiences. Oh, and all the food was always lovely because it was rationed, I noticed that too, yawn. It's clear the drive of the novel is the romance more than the history. And both are a waste of time.
The writing itself is so-so, definitely poorer in some places than others, as formulaic as the plot, and often becoming disjointed when the third-person limited prose wants to jump-ship to another character's point-of-view. The author was very adverse to just writing the characters simply 'said' something within in a scene, instead they had either: smile, laugh, grin, chortle, look at someone else, glance somewhere else, or nod. Naïve is one way of describing the writing and it isn't because Fleur herself is naïve: I think using that sort of vehicle of expression would have been much too complex an idea for the author to handle with their skillset.
The names of the characters were also something that felt out of place within the novel: Fleur's name being chief among them. It was certainly chosen because Fleur is a pretty name, but this is meant to be the name of a young woman from the South of England born in in the teens of the early Twentieth century, whose parents were farmers for crying out loud! Fleur wasn't even in the top 200 most popular names of girls in England in 1910. I almost felt cheated when she didn't turn out to be a spy, that would have made a better story!
Also, the fact the name of the romance interest was legitimately Robbie Rodwell, which had me cackling repeatedly because... seriously? I could almost taste the intention of what Dickinson was going for: Robbie Rodwell, a charming, handsome fellow who radios away and stays handsome whilst doing it! Except... it didn't fly. At all. It didn't even get off the ground. We only know that Robert's meant to be handsome because Fleur just... tells us so, repeatedly, and he's a mindless drone that is always understanding and always loving and... not realistic at all.
'Fleur and Robbie' sounds like something cheeky you get up to in a hidden corridor somewhere, which if I'm honest, sounds a grander time than reading 437 pages of this. Back to the charity shop, this book goes.
March 8, 2020
another good book set in WW2 Fleur shares a billet in the village with soon to be friend Ruth. soon Fleur falls for Robbie but Ruth already hurt by a wartime romance is against the relationship. worse is to come when Fleurs mother hears of her relationship. Robbie and Fleur just have to hope that they will be lucky and Robbie will come back safely.
its a great story with twists and turns that you dont expect to happen. i had never read anything by this author before but i shall keep an eye open for her books from her.
its a great story with twists and turns that you dont expect to happen. i had never read anything by this author before but i shall keep an eye open for her books from her.
July 15, 2020
One thing I will say is that this book was very easy to read. But it was just incredibly generic. I didn’t really care about any of the characters, they were very simple and generic.
There was only one properly flawed character and she was killed off at a suitable moment without any real care.
The plot took a major 180 with 100 pages to go like the author had decided “Oo here’s another juicy plot point that I have no time to flesh out enough”.
It was a pleasant enough read with every ww2 familial drama trope you’d expect, but it was just very ... meh!
There was only one properly flawed character and she was killed off at a suitable moment without any real care.
The plot took a major 180 with 100 pages to go like the author had decided “Oo here’s another juicy plot point that I have no time to flesh out enough”.
It was a pleasant enough read with every ww2 familial drama trope you’d expect, but it was just very ... meh!
May 16, 2020
This was one of those books that I could just leave at any time , it didn't interest me all the way through, although some of the chapters did hold my attention longer especially towards the end. I felt heartache for the main character Fleur and her Father and it did portray the feelings and anxiety people had during those war years. Not one of her best books . But will continue to read more of Margaret Dickinson books
July 8, 2018
Fast read. It tells of the hardships and experiences of wartime, it captures imagination from the start. The hidden past that hurt so many and tragic endings.
A frustrating ending to what should have been a great book. Nevertheless, Margaret Dickinson is a great author and I would recommend reading her books.
A frustrating ending to what should have been a great book. Nevertheless, Margaret Dickinson is a great author and I would recommend reading her books.
January 27, 2024
I first picked this book up on a stall many years ago, at a Military show. Having never heard of the author . I love WW2 fictions I have read a lot from many other authors since getting this book. It started a obsession really with ww2 fictions Do read this book it’s very good
Margaret has many books out I have read most of her work a very dedicated writer
Margaret has many books out I have read most of her work a very dedicated writer
April 14, 2021
This is my second novel by M Dickinson (the first was The Clippie Girls) and I felt the same about this one so I will just repeat the review. I enjoyed the social history aspect, it was entertaining & as the story unfolded we saw the past unfolding to explain the mystery. Easy to read.
October 24, 2023
This was such a wonderful story.
I loved the mystery of what was between the two characters and how their lives went.
At the beginning I thought it was going to be predicable.
Thankful I kept reading and I loved the story.
I loved the mystery of what was between the two characters and how their lives went.
At the beginning I thought it was going to be predicable.
Thankful I kept reading and I loved the story.
June 2, 2017
A nice easy read. Enjoyed it a lot. Felt I knew the main characters really well. First time I.ve read Margaret Dickinson. A good old war story.
January 22, 2018
A good second world war story, the bravery of the fliers, and there families, as well as a complicated twist in the tale, would recommend.
June 17, 2018
quite an interesting read i thought you feel you are living the story with the characters in the book
October 16, 2019
I really enjoyed this book with the main character Fleur going through so much turmoil in her young life.
March 1, 2020
Fantastic read
August 28, 2021
Enjoyed this book,really like her books
March 28, 2022
Enjoyed this, was a nice easy read. For some reason it took me longer to read than it normally would for this type of book. Not the books fault at all though it flowed very nicely
June 1, 2022
I really enjoyed this story, although sad at times, this is a story of people working together in war time. This book is well worth reading.
July 12, 2024
I read this book when I was about 15 which is like 6 years ago and to this day I still love this book!
March 26, 2014
First book I've read by Margaret Dickinson.
The style is easy to read and a bit Enid Blyton like. There was a naivety to it which was a bit annoying. Having said that, it was a real page turner and I couldn't put it down.
The story is about a young couple, Fleur and Robbie, meeting one night in the blackout in WW2 and falling in love. They find they are both going to be working at the same airfield. The problems they encounter during the course of their romance come from those around them however, and the wartime setting - they are both at risk - he an RAF radio operator and she a WAAF. But their coincidence meeting stirs up a hornets nest among those close to them, because of buried secrets and Robbie's mothers affairs in the past.
The dénouement is not really a surprise, although it is very complex, and there are loads of new details introduced that the reader could never have guessed at. This doesn't really spoil it, and some of the backstory when revealed right at the end is in fact very interesting. It makes the whole story structure a bit clunky though.
Characters were very likeable and I loved the village setting where Fleur was billleted.
The style is easy to read and a bit Enid Blyton like. There was a naivety to it which was a bit annoying. Having said that, it was a real page turner and I couldn't put it down.
The story is about a young couple, Fleur and Robbie, meeting one night in the blackout in WW2 and falling in love. They find they are both going to be working at the same airfield. The problems they encounter during the course of their romance come from those around them however, and the wartime setting - they are both at risk - he an RAF radio operator and she a WAAF. But their coincidence meeting stirs up a hornets nest among those close to them, because of buried secrets and Robbie's mothers affairs in the past.
The dénouement is not really a surprise, although it is very complex, and there are loads of new details introduced that the reader could never have guessed at. This doesn't really spoil it, and some of the backstory when revealed right at the end is in fact very interesting. It makes the whole story structure a bit clunky though.
Characters were very likeable and I loved the village setting where Fleur was billleted.
January 22, 2013
"Wish Me Luck" is set during World War and tells the story of a young woman who has enlisted for the British cause and is enroute to her first posting which is an airfield in middle UK.
Enroute she meets Robbie, a wireless operator who forms part of an aircrew and who it turns out is based at the same station she is. Love blossoms as does a complicated love story.
This was light reading and I enjoyed being transferred to the period of the War, with the writer trying to add credibility with situations and describing life during those difficult years. I also enjoyed reading the characters accents and way of speaking - that came across very nicely.
As mentioned it is a sweet read and harmless but maybe somewhat forgettable.
Enroute she meets Robbie, a wireless operator who forms part of an aircrew and who it turns out is based at the same station she is. Love blossoms as does a complicated love story.
This was light reading and I enjoyed being transferred to the period of the War, with the writer trying to add credibility with situations and describing life during those difficult years. I also enjoyed reading the characters accents and way of speaking - that came across very nicely.
As mentioned it is a sweet read and harmless but maybe somewhat forgettable.
August 21, 2016
What a good read! This has to be one of my favourite Margaret Dickinson stories, but then I'm sure I've said that before!
Fleur and Robbie fall for each other totally at their first meeting, they weren't to know then that their relationship would drag up secrets from the past. They realise that their families are connected in some way and that there's a lot of bad feeling but no-one wants to tell them what really happened. As Robbie is in the RAF and Fleur is a WAAF, the story involves lots of wartime action, heartwrenching emotion and also wonderful unlikely friendships. I have to confess that my favourite character is Harry. This is one of those stories that when it ends you wish there was a sequel so you could find out how all the characters are perhaps a few years later.
Fleur and Robbie fall for each other totally at their first meeting, they weren't to know then that their relationship would drag up secrets from the past. They realise that their families are connected in some way and that there's a lot of bad feeling but no-one wants to tell them what really happened. As Robbie is in the RAF and Fleur is a WAAF, the story involves lots of wartime action, heartwrenching emotion and also wonderful unlikely friendships. I have to confess that my favourite character is Harry. This is one of those stories that when it ends you wish there was a sequel so you could find out how all the characters are perhaps a few years later.
April 19, 2025
This was not particularly my cup of tea. It was so generic and basic I almost fell asleep a few times while reading it. Now I usually do not go for the wartime history romance stories, but I got this for free and thought I would give it a try. I think what bothered me the most was that every character besides one was so goodie goodie and perfect and wonderful and could do no wrong. It was almost as though there was a film or a barrier covering what the book should’ve been. None of the characters had any substance or personality, which caused the book to have a sort of dryness to it.
June 12, 2010
A predictable romance taking place during WWII in England. It was a quick read when I didn't want anything heavy to read or think about.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews