Rose Jolliffe is like any normal young woman living in Western Canada during the late 1930s.
But when the Second World War breaks out in 1939, Jolliffe joins the air force and becomes an aerial photographic interpreter.
Eventually, Jolliffe finds herself in the United Kingdom at the Royal Air Force base Medmenham, spying on the Axis powers.
Yet, despite all the excitement, Jolliffe finds herself lonely, missing the prairies and heartsick.
That’s the basis behind former newspaper reporter turned author Elinor Florence’s debut novel, Bird’s Eye View.
On Saturday (July 25) Florence will be signing copies of her book at Chapters, 6670 Mary Ellen Dr.
“It is the only novel written about a Canadian woman in uniform during World War Two,” she said.
Bird’s Eye View was released late last year by Dundurn Press.
Florence began her writing career as the agriculture reporter for the Western Producer in Saskatoon.
She would go on to work for the Winnipeg Sun, Vancouver Province, Red Deer Advocate and was a regular contributor for Reader’s Digest.
Florence began writing Bird’s Eye View in 2010. She says it was a photo of a female aerial photographer that inspired her research the role of women in the war.
“The more I researched that, the more I realized how little had been written about them,” Florence said. “There were more than 50,000 women in uniform and we really don’t hear a darn thing about them.”
Florence speaks and signs books at Chapters on July 25 at 11 a.m. Copies of the book are available for purchase in store or online at www.amazon.ca.
For more information on Florence, please visit www.elinorflorence.com.
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