Stateless

It’s the summer of 1937 and seventeen year old Stella North is the sole female contestant in a youth flying race across Europe. She is representing Britain, although she doesn’t actually have a British passport, having emigrated from Russia as a small child. On the first day of the race Stella witnesses something going wrong for one of the other contestants. Was it an accident -- or was it sabotage?

Stella and some of her fellow contestants are acutely -- and believably -- aware of the current politics, tensions and anxieties in Europe, so even though they don’t know what the future holds, it makes it impossible for the reader to forget. And there’s something incredibly bittersweet in becoming invested in a group of young pilots and their friendships with each other, knowing that they’re all shortly going to be plunged into war. (In that respect, this reminded me of K.M. Peyton’s The Edge of the Cloud, which is set just before WWI, and is also the book which got me hooked on stories about flying aeroplanes.)

This novel gave me increasingly more and more FEELINGS. At times it made me laugh out loud. It also made me desperately worried about Stella and her new friends. Which was stressful, but at the same time, I enjoyed feeling worried for them.

(I was reminded of reading Mary Stewart’s suspense novels -- the first-person narration from a practical and level-headed young woman, the vivid sense of place, the mystery and the danger. Possibly a subjective reaction but anyway, it was a reminder of just how much I like this sort of genre. One of the cities the characters stop over in is a place I visited at seventeen, and moreover, one of the few places in Europe I’ve been to, so that was an added source of interest.)

I really like the way Wein tells stories and I really liked this one.

I’d suspected this would be the sort of thing I enjoy even more as an audiobook and I was right, so I’m glad I waited until I finally found the audiobook, but it meant I couldn’t bookmark any of my favourite passages.

This is a 2024 Lone Star novel.

Stella North competes in a race with other European fliers as a peaceful example that countries can get along in 1937. Most of the fliers are male, but 19-year-old Stella holds her own. Each flier is given a handicap based on the type of plane so that everyone is evenly matched. It comes down to how well each pilot navigates to the next destination. The press avidly follows all of the fliers but, particularly, Stella. She jumps into one plane to avoid the press where the pilot representing France plans on acrobatic movements. Not the best meeting. They find themselves drawn to each other's stories. He's a bit of a mystery, for her represents France but has an American accident. They also both have the same passport, which you'll have to read the book to learn about.

The flights become life and death, as one flier dies on the first leg of the competition. Planes are also sabotaged. Why would anyone want to harm someone on this peaceful competition? The pilots learn who to trust and the novel is cat and mouse as they struggle to win the competition but to also stay alive.

I really enjoyed listening to this novel--I love the time period and the lessons about early airplanes.

I don't think Elizabeth Wein has been able to write a novel as powerful as "Code Name Verity". However, I would now say that "Stateless" is my second favourite novel by this author. It was filled with action, suspense, secrets, mystery and danger (both in the air and on land) that kept me engaged.

The young pilots racing in the Circuit of Nations Olympics of the Air were a very likeable bunch, especially Stella, Tony and Sebastian. An enjoyable read.

In August 1937, young pilots representing various European nations participate in an air race meant to foster international peace and cooperation.  The novel is told from the point of view of 17-year-old Stella North, a Russian émigré flying for her adopted nation of Great Britain.  On the first leg of the competition, Stella witnesses a plane force another plane to crash into the English Channel.  Further acts of sabotage make it clear to Stella that another competitor or one of the experienced pilots serving as chaperones is trying to kill off the competition.  But who can Stella trust? Strange alliances form as the young pilots work together for protection from the flying menace.


This is an exciting mystery/thriller/adventure that takes place against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War, the rise of Nazi Germany, and the calm before the storm of World War II.

This is the story of a young girl pilot (Stella) who embarks on a aviation race "for peace" against other young pilots across continental Europe in 1937 just prior to World War Two. She is the only girl in the competition which includes representatives from a dozen European countries. When the Italian pilot comes up missing due to foul play the search is on to find out what happened.. The novel is called "Stateless" as many of the racers have ties to multiple countries. A good book for teens.

While the mystery unveils well before the end, the tension as this group of teen and early twenties fliers realize what’s happening keeps you reading. Stella North represents England in a flight competition around pre-World War Two, ostensibly to promote peace while the Germans and Italians are destroying Spain and Ethiopia. Her parents were killed by the communists when she was a toddler and she survived by hiding in a dark cellar for days. The other pilots have similar scars, some psychic, some physical that are revealed as the story progresses. When Stella witnesses an attack on the Italian pilot resulting in a crash in the English Channel and his death, it sets in motion numerous attacks on other competitors. What makes this a great read is how events in Europe are portrayed and what their emotional impact is on everyone in the story. The young pilots come together in ways that shame the adults time after time. This is a great historical mystery, carefully researched with a fine cast of players.

Didn't keep my interest so I didn't finish it. Considering that I normally like Elizabeth Wein, it was a disappointment.

Murder mystery isn’t a genre I gravitate towards often but this mystery was wrapped up in just the right mix of unique elements, taking place during an airplane race through Europe in 1937, and with the lone female pilot in that race, Stella North, as the lead character, I’m so glad that premise prompted me to give this a try because I ended up loving it.

A female pilot was definitely something that attracted me to this book. I love to read about women in roles you don’t often see them in, but I appreciated that the story never fixated on her gender, there isn’t a barrage of men hitting on her or telling her she’s incapable, being a girl comes up in the narrative when it makes sense for it to come up, it’s addressed when it needs to be addressed and in realistic ways like the reporters’ fascination with her which you could totally see happening, but it felt just as realistic and rewarding, too, when what sets her apart is almost forgotten by those around her, when she’s seen simply as a fellow pilot and camaraderie develops.

There’s a little something more than camaraderie percolating between Stella and one of the boys, I liked the dynamic between them, sometimes suspicious, sometimes friendly, and I also liked that at no point did flirting or anything like that take over the story or take away from Stella, their connection is mostly on the subtle side, so if romance is not your thing it shouldn’t be a problem.

This is a different sort of take on a war story as it doesn’t technically involve scenes of war yet you feel the impact of war on these characters throughout, whether it’s how they’re treated due to their nationality or the toll physically and emotionally of combat, the affect on their temperaments, traces of PTSD, the way it’s obliterated families and war even very much fuels the mystery and intrigue in Stateless.

There may be some readers who would argue that the first signs of death or sabotage would have brought such a high profile race to an immediate halt, but to me, the “show” going on, covering things up to save face, even if that means putting people in more danger doesn’t feel all that far-fetched, it’s in fact something that does happen in sports and in politics and this race is a combination of the two, if you think about it, those in charge choosing to hide the problem and clean it up later when there may be less of a spotlight on it, unfortunately rings pretty true to life.

With the war angle, with lives in danger, there is some serious stuff here, but it’s also entertaining at the same time, a page-turner.


I received this book through a giveaway.

I was drawn to Elizabeth Wein's new novel - Stateless - by the premise.

1937. Stella North is the only female pilot to participate in an international plane race called the "Circuit of Nations Olympics of the Air".

A fairly large number of characters are introduced in the first few chapters of the book. The ten pilots, and the supporting crew. They're all from different countries, so for me it was a bit of a struggle to remember who was who. Stella is the voice behind the book. There wasn't much of a background provided to the main character, instead we get a sense of her through her flying and her thoughts. But I have to say, that I really never connected with Stella.

The airplane bits were quite knowledgeable and detailed. For this reader, probably too much, as I found myself skimming those bits. I was happy to see the mystery introduced.

The time frame and the European setting of course addresses the political alliances of the time, the jockeying of countries and the possible of another world war.

So, Stateless has all the pieces that would normally have me stuck in a book for hours. But by about page 150, I felt my attention wandering and my interest flagging. And, yes I made the decision to skip to the final pages to see how things turned out.

Let's go with the wrong reader for a good book. And split it up the middle, with a solid three.

Elizabeth Wein is back with another epic story of a young woman taking to the skies! I absolutely loved Stateless and Stella is a magnificent addition to her pantheon of amazing young women protagonists!

Elizabeth Wein is back with another epic story of a young woman taking to the skies! I absolutely loved Stateless and Stella is a magnificent addition to her pantheon of amazing young women protagonists!