Really enjoyed this audiobook (beautifully read by Kathleen Gati). This is historical fiction, the characters are based on accounts of the real "Night Witches" but the author does not attempt to actually describe real people, as she notes in her afterword. She also notes she is not an expert on either Russia or airplane piloting, so this is not intended to be an accurate portrayal of the political details or technical flight mechanics.

What it is, however, is a fascinating fictionalization of the story of the Night Witches, the all-female Russian bomber squadron who flew the most rickety, underpowered crop-duster type planes without radios or even parachutes in order to bomb the invading German army. They did so despite discrimination, chronic shortages, and far higher expectations and lower acknowledgement of their accomplishments than those of their male counterparts (of course). While the characters are fiction, many of the events and anecdotes that happen in the book are taken from the actual accounts of the original Night Witches.

The characters are complex and interesting, and the story is one that hasn't been told much (or at least, not to English-speaking audiences outside Russia - perhaps it's better known there). I enjoyed it a lot and now would be interested to learn more about the actual real women who made up the Night Witches.