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That Summer (Andrew Greig)
Encyclopedia
That Summer was the fourth novel by Scottish
writer Andrew Greig
. It was retitled The Clouds Above: A Novel of Love and War for the U.S. market. The storyline partly inspired the song Oxford Street in the Blackout :The Automatic Eye 2006) by Scottish songwriter David Heavenor.
Len Westbourne, an inexperienced fighter pilot, falls in love with Stella Gardam, a more worldly radar
operator. Stella's friend Maddy is killed in a bombing raid and Len's squadron colleague, Polish pilot Tad, dies in a flying accident.
Told in alternate chapters from the perspectives of Len and Stella, That Summer is a love story told against the background of the Battle of Britain
. Len is injured when his Hawker Hurricane
crashes and goes off to recuperate with Stella in the countryside.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
writer Andrew Greig
Andrew Greig
Andrew Greig is a Scottish writer. He grew up in Anstruther, Fife. He studied philosophy at the University of Edinburgh and is a former Glasgow University Writing Fellow and Scottish Arts Council Scottish/Canadian Exchange Fellow...
. It was retitled The Clouds Above: A Novel of Love and War for the U.S. market. The storyline partly inspired the song Oxford Street in the Blackout :The Automatic Eye 2006) by Scottish songwriter David Heavenor.
Plot summary
It is June 1940. Working classWorking class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
Len Westbourne, an inexperienced fighter pilot, falls in love with Stella Gardam, a more worldly radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
operator. Stella's friend Maddy is killed in a bombing raid and Len's squadron colleague, Polish pilot Tad, dies in a flying accident.
Told in alternate chapters from the perspectives of Len and Stella, That Summer is a love story told against the background of the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
. Len is injured when his Hawker Hurricane
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
crashes and goes off to recuperate with Stella in the countryside.