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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'A love bigger than a war. A beautiful woman lost. A mystery unsolved ... until now.
'2000: The wreckage of a downed WWII fighter plane is discovered in the forests near Russia's Ukrainian border. The aircraft belonged to Natalya Azarova, ace pilot and pin-up girl for Soviet propaganda, but the question of her fate remains unanswered.
'Was she a German spy who faked her own death, as the Kremlin claims? Her lover, Valentin Orlov, now a highly decorated general, refuses to believe it. Lily, a young Australian woman, has moved to Moscow to escape from tragedy. She becomes fascinated by the story of Natalya, and when she meets an elderly woman who claims to know the truth behind the rumours, Lily is drawn deeper into the mystery.
'From the pomp and purges of Stalin's Russia through the horrors of war and beyond - secrets and lies, enduring love and terrible betrayal, sacrifice and redemption all combine in this sweeping saga from Belinda Alexandra.'
Source: Publisher's blurb.
Notes
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Based loosely on the life and (particularly) mysterious death of Lydia Vladimirovna Litvyak (Лидия Владимировна Литвяк), a Russian aviatrix shot down in 1943, who was later presumed to be have been buried in a small nearby town.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Sound recording.
- Large print.
- Braille.
Works about this Work
-
Female Flying Ace
2014
single work
column
— Appears in: Good Reading , April 2014; (p. 22-24) 'Historical novelist Belinda Alexanra wants to give everyday people who are caught up in huge historical events the attention that is rarely accorded to them. Rob Kennedy talks with Belinda about Russia’s first female fighter pilot, the horror of war and her new book, Sapphire Skies.' (22) -
Skies Have No Limits
2014
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 9 August 2014; (p. 19)
— Review of Sapphire Skies 2014 single work novel'After receiving critical acclaim and winning fans worldwide with her first five novels, Sydney author Belinda Alexandra has unveiled another literary gem...'
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Inspired by History
Return to Tainted Russia and 'Night Witch' Mystery
2014
single work
review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 11 May 2014; (p. 26) The Sunday Age , 11 May 2014; (p. 16)
— Review of Sapphire Skies 2014 single work novel -
Pick of Books With Success Written All Over Them
2013
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 28 December 2013; (p. 64-65)
-
Inspired by History
Return to Tainted Russia and 'Night Witch' Mystery
2014
single work
review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 11 May 2014; (p. 26) The Sunday Age , 11 May 2014; (p. 16)
— Review of Sapphire Skies 2014 single work novel -
Skies Have No Limits
2014
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 9 August 2014; (p. 19)
— Review of Sapphire Skies 2014 single work novel'After receiving critical acclaim and winning fans worldwide with her first five novels, Sydney author Belinda Alexandra has unveiled another literary gem...'
-
Pick of Books With Success Written All Over Them
2013
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 28 December 2013; (p. 64-65) -
Female Flying Ace
2014
single work
column
— Appears in: Good Reading , April 2014; (p. 22-24) 'Historical novelist Belinda Alexanra wants to give everyday people who are caught up in huge historical events the attention that is rarely accorded to them. Rob Kennedy talks with Belinda about Russia’s first female fighter pilot, the horror of war and her new book, Sapphire Skies.' (22)
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cRussia,ccFormer Soviet Union,cEastern Europe, Europe,
- 1942
- 2000