Flight Path

I found this book a little tricky at times. Being a teacher myself in a very similar style of school, I couldn't help but feel it was a little disconnected from reality and the lead character Miles, irritated me on that basis. Not being a member of a union seemed a bit dumb and it was like he represented the archaic private school "master" that is exactly the kind of thing that annoys me. Partially because there are still people like that kicking around in dusty corners of such institutions and partially because it is such a stereotype. I don't know which annoys me more.

Some of the writing was good and you sort of felt for his wife a bit, but I struggled to get past Miles...

Flight Path is an intriguing and fascinating book. The synopsis sets out the story very well; Sophie and Miles married and had their twin girls later in life and so find themselves in their early sixties with their girls only just starting university. Their world is turned upside down when Miles is accused of sexually assaulting a pupil at the school where he has taught for many years. They are in danger of losing everything they know. Could the young boy be telling the truth? Is it possible that Miles could be the man the boy describes? Could everything Sophie has ever thought about Miles be a lie?
Flight Path is made such a good book by the characters involved, which is a testament to the skill of author’s writing. Neither Sophie and Miles are flawless and as the book develops we learn more about each of them.
Throughout the book I kept changing my opinion of Miles; I will not say how I thought of him in the end as I will leave you to make your own decision.
A very interesting read.
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This novel touches on the after-effects of an extremely painful subject, sexual misconduct. The repercussions for the accused and his family, as well as the hardships the accusing party has to go through, are what makes the story so realistic.

An intriguing story about a teacher at a privileged oxford school accused of sexual misconduct....the book centres around the family and court case. I did enjoy it but found the ending frustrating! I would have wanted to hear more!!! A good book though and one I enjoyed

This book just didn't do the trick for me. I'm all for disturbing material but the writing style threw me off. And then the ending seemed like it was going to make this a higher rating but unfortunately I don't think it sufficed.
Thank you netgalley the author and the publisher for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

To say this book had me gripped from the begining, is an understatement! The biggest subject in this book is 'did he or didn't he'? Sophie is confused with him not be honest with her from the begining. There life has been turned upside down & the fall out is so difficult.
Loved the writing, loved the story line & the ending was so good. Recommended read.

It is rare that I get so hooked in to reading a novel with such subtlety. However, it is the nuance with which Pepper details the effects of Miles’ sexual assault allegation that is one of the things that makes this story so compelling. I loved that much of the story was told from Miles’ point of view, as we come to question whether his version of the truth can be believed, just as Sophie does as the novel progresses. Whilst the ending frustrated me - I hate not knowing what happens - I liked that there wasn’t a forced, neat ending because life does not have a simple fix to complicated problems and this is something that is clear throughout the book.

FLIGHT PATH is an interesting read. Those of us with long marriages believe that we know, really know, our spouses. So if they were accused of a heinous crime, we like to think we would know if they were capable of being the perpetrator. But would we? And what would become of our lives in light of such accusation? FLGITH PATH examines the choices one woman makes when her husband is accused of sexually abusing one of his students. Pepper gives us a very realistic portrayal of how things could play out. Well-written and engaging.

This was an unexpected read as I didn’t read the description of the novel in advance and the book title didn’t give much away.

Sophie and Miles are an older married couple in their 50s/60s with twin grown up daughters that have just started university. They have spent their lives living onsite at a lodge at Fordingbury private school for boys where Miles teaches and Sophie is the school matron. Their lives are turned upside down when Miles is accused of sexually assaulting one of the students. This unravels the foundation in Sophie and Miles’ relationship and the reader, as well as Sophie, questions if Miles is capable of such a criminal offence.

The writing is understated, articulate and detailed. It matches the British setting of the book as it is set in Oxford and London, and it provides an intriguing slow burn to the narrative, which creeps up on the reader and is really enjoyable to read. The book weaves between the past and present so that we get a deep insight into Miles and Sophie’s lives, which brings the characters to life.

The subject matter is disturbing to read but is relevant (there is even a reference to Jimmy Savile in the novel). E J Pepper tackles this topic in a very sensitive manner and it feels quite realistic despite this being a fictional story.

Only downside is that I felt it ended a little abruptly but maybe it was intentional to leave the reader continue to ponder about how things turned out. I’m still thinking about it a week after reading it! Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with this read. I wanted to keep reading each page. Really enjoyable and engaging.

Thank you to Netgalley and Matador at Troubador Publishing Ltd for giving me the chance to read and review this book.

Excellent fast moving novel. The subject was intriguing and one which is all too real and crops up from time to time in life. The two main characters were both as I would imagine a crusty classics school teacher and his matron wife to be who have lived many years in a sheltered environment.
Shocking circumstances caused them to leave their security and live in a part of London which particularly Miles could not settle. Sophie tried to make the best of it and settled more easily.
Looking at our own lives where we think we know those we live with…..do we or would we should a crime they might be accused of come to our lives. An intriguing thought!
The end was abrupt and left too many loose ends. I wanted to know more about what was ahead for their lives.

While this type of story has been done before, it is usually told from the victim's perspective and not the accused. It was interesting to read about how a teacher and his family had their lives upended over the assault charges. I liked how we experienced not only how it affected the life of the accused but also his wife and daughters. Much like the wife, the reader is left questioning whose story to believe and at the end we don't really get an definite answer. The trial and the dismissal of charges all happened rather abruptly, and I thought we would be in court for much longer. i also wish we had more of a conclusion with what became of Miles and Sophie's marriage.

This gave me a lot to think about. Do you ever really know a person...are they capable of unspeakable crimes and you hadn't a clue? This story takes you on a journey of a long married couple and the rifts caused by accusations and half truths told. I was invested fully on the truth coming out...

Thank you Netgalley for this arc

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley!

The cover of this book is simple overall.
The characters are well-developed. I found my opinion of main character Miles changing often. I won't say how I ended the book feeling about him.
The storyline was intriguing and something most of us have heard about from news stories and the such.
The writing style was mostly good, but at times, frustrating honestly.


I'd likely purchase a copy and check out other books by the author.

3.5 star rating. Miles is a long-standing teacher in a minor public school in Oxford and content with his life until the day he is summoned to the headmasters office. He and his wife Sophie then find themselves living in a dingy part of London whilst he attempts to clear his name. I liked how it was written, in a very engaging way, making the reader interested in Miles’s fate. The main characters were doormats, wimpish and self serving with no redeeming traits at all. Miles and Sophie were always procrastinating and never actually said what they really thought to anyone which started to be repetitive. And all through the book, did he do it or not? The way it just ended was a bit of a cop out for me, a sort of “what was all that about” feeling, which some people might like.

Bit of a letdown, although premise was good. Ending left to interpretation, and this one needed closer.

Thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free, it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.