The Flying Girls

In 1930s New Zealand, Alma Simpson dreams of taking flight. Defying family expectations, she earns her pilot's licence and fights for a place in the sky.

Across the world, privileged socialite Sissy searches for purpose beyond the glittering world she once knew, as war transforms British skies into a dangerous frontier.

When Sissy and Alma join the Air Transport Auxiliary, flying everything from Tiger Moths to Spitfires through storms, fog and fire, an unlikely friendship is born. Bound by ambition, daring, fear and love, they endure a relentless existence where every flight may be their last.

As the war extracts its cost, Alma battles to prove herself in a profession that doubts her, while Sissy is forced to reckon with unimaginable heartbreak.

A soaring story of bravery, love and the power of women who refuse to be grounded.

"Olivia Spooner shines a light on the stories of women in wartime, which are less often told or even forgotten" Nicky Pellegrino