2 out of 4 stars
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Hawk’s Flight by Ronald E. Holtman tells the story of George and Hawk, two unlikely friends brought together by tragic circumstances. George, a Vietnam veteran recently returned form the war, hopes to reconnect with a close comrade, Horse, whom he saw injured in the line of duty. Unfortunately, George learns Horse has succumbed to the psychological traumas of war. In his quest to find Horse, George meets Hawk, Horse’s teenage brother. Hawk is a young Cherokee with a less than ideal home life who turns to George for help coming to terms with his brother’s fate.
Overall, Hawk’s Flight has many elements of a potentially great novel. There are many opportunities for plot development related to conflicting cultural beliefs, abusive parentage, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While all of these topics are touched upon, few are fully developed or useful in advancing the plot. For example, George suffers from signs of PTSD in the form of nightmares about his experiences in Vietnam. George tells his friends about these dreams; however, the dreams never effect the character’s demeanor, actions, or any part of the overall narrative.
The aspect of Hawk’s Flight I liked least was that all conflicts are easily resolved. For example, George, a recently returned vet with no job, seeks to obtain legal guardianship over Hawk. After obtaining a lawyer, George is easily granted guardianship with no objection from Hawk’s alcoholic father or any other members of the tribe. I found it hard to believe that both the father and the tribe would have no objection to Hawk leaving the reservation and separating from his culture to live with a white man. This type of tranquil resolution happens all too often throughout the book making the story predictable and banal.
Hawk’s Flight is well written with few errors, however, the writing lacks personality and authenticity. The first half of the book focuses mostly on George’s perspective while the second half is primarily that of Hawk’s. Unfortunately, the writing lacked any distinctive qualities making both characters one dimensional and difficult to relate to. Although Hawk is a young teenager, and George an adult, their thoughts and speech were indistinguishable from one another. There are a plethora of secondary characters in the novel that seem to have more personality than either of the two main characters. Additionally, the writing lacks creativity and intrigue as it is straightforward with spoon-fed details; the reader has no satisfaction in drawing their own conclusions. These factors make it seem as though the book is written at a juvenile level, however, the content tends towards a more mature audience.
I give this book 2 out of 4 stars. If the main characters had been more authentic and the conflict throughout the novel had been substantive, I would have rated this book 3 stars. Although I disliked aspects of Hawk’s Flight, I enjoyed the overall plot and think a young adult audience may be more inclined toward this book.
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Hawk's Flight
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