Thunder and Lightnings

If I'm not mistaken, this was Jan Mark's first novel; she went on to write many more. I picked this up in a used book store, not knowing anything about book or author. When I finally got around to reading it, I was mainly delighted. Mark has a gift for creating likeable characters--- and in this case, these characters are about all there is to the story; there is really no plot at all. In the 1970s, a somewhat bohemian, laid-back family moves to the British coast, near an air base. In school, the new kid meets a weird-looking kid who seems mildly retarded and whose family is almost insanely strict. The two boys become friends as the weird kid, who turns out to be a genuine expert in any topic that interests him, shares his enthusiasm for British military aircraft with the new kid. That's really about all there is to the novel. Essentially nothing happens, we just share a few outings with the two new friends. However, the realism and depth of the characters, even those we see only for a page or two, is very impressive. I look forward to seeking out this prolific writer's later books for "young adults" and adults.

This story was about two characters, Andrew and Victor (I just read this last week - I can't remember if the name is correct or not...). Andrew and Victor have just made friends, Andrew moving into "town"... they spend most of their summer together... Victor, tho' he seems daft, is crazy about planes, and loves the Lightnings. Andrew is worried about how Victor will take it once the Lightnings are scrapped and replaced by Jaguars... There were a lot of emotional parts... and I loved reading about the descriptions of everything... I hope this makes sense! Victor and Andrew's mum are comical - I don't know how to do this! I hope it's posted up anyway, and that you all can read it...