Customer Reviews

Goodbye, Mickey Mouse

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Fifteen years after reading this splendid, poignant story I still choke up thinking about it. Len Deighton is unknown to many readers of even truly good literature -- partly because he took his time to do a craftsmanlike job and therefore didn't turn out a stream of quickies to keep himself constantly on the shelves.

I'm a pilot with 11,000 hours of flight time, some in fighters. I finished Goodbye Mickey Mouse convinced that Len Deighton was a WWII fighter pilot. Only a pilot, I thought, could describe to the satisfaction of another pilot the feel of the stick when a plane is approaching a high-speed stall, the feedback a pilot gets when his plane is damaged or a system has failed -- how he goes about trying to nurse the crippled bird home, sometimes successful and sometimes not . . . Then I read his explanation in the back of the book wherein he describes that he read 200 odd books on the subject of flying fighter airplanes in order to be able to write about it with credibility that satisfied himself.

Goodbye Mickey Mouse begins with a scene that dislocates your perception of how this story will conclude. At the very end he clears up your misperception in the most moving and satisfying way.

This is a story of real airmen, their distinctive personalities laid bare, buddies all, men who must accept the loss of buddy after buddy, but who manage to have some fun in the air and on the ground. There is real romance here, the kind Deighton is noted for -- sensitive for the most part but hilarious at times.

A fine read for discriminating readers, exciting, suspenseful, sad and haunting . . .

The book starts and ends in the same place - an abandoned and overgrown WWII fighter base in England in 1982. A group of American ex-servicemen are visiting their former base where 40 years ago they flew their Mustangs, fought the enemy, made friends, found themselves, and for our two central characters, fell in love.

The story centers on two Mustang pilots, Jamie Farebrother and Mickey Morse - nicknamed Mickey Mouse as in the quote "Goodbye Mickey Mouse", said by whom and in what context provides the poignant and emotionally powerful conclusion to the book. There are also two British women - the somewhat sheltered but nevertheless self assured Victoria Cooper who falls in love with Jamie and the married Vera Hardcastle who goes for Mickey. They are not in the book simply as the loves of the pilots, they are well developed characters and central to the plot of the story.

Besides developing the romance between these couples, other relationships Deighton explores are those between father and son, parent and child, military professionalism and discipline and human compassion and caring. It's all subtle though and does not in any way make this a weighty book. It's a good, fun, easy, straightforward read with the best examples of Deightons writing prowess in the detailed descriptions of the aerial battles. The visual pictures created by his words are so strong you'll be convinced he is writing from personal experience (you'll be wrong). Make that your only mistake and do not pass on this Deighton classic.

Len Deighton is one of the great writers of aviation fiction and nonfiction. He spends a great deal of time researching his stories and it shows in the final product. His novel 'Goodbye Mickey Mouse' is not a great book, but it is a good book. Deighton, in writing the book, seems to have been as interested in portraying the love lives of American aviators in England as he was in depicting the air war over Europe from the point of view of P-51 Mustang pilots. The result is a somewhat trite love story--brash American fighter pilot tamed by straightlaced English lass. The other love story in the book is a bit more interesting because it is more original. The title character, Mickey Morse, falls for an older married English woman, and this threatens his dream of becoming a celebrated fighter ace. There are some good plot twists in the book, and most of the characters are interesting, but the best segments of the book are when Deighton focuses on the flying and the military politics. This is where he shines as an author. The romance element is no better-or worse-than what you find in any book on a newstand rack and read to pass time on a plane or on a trip. The most intriguing character is the main character, Mickey Morse (known as Mickey Mouse), who grew up at a gas station in Arizona and is trying to improve his chances in life by becoming a famous fighter ace. He hopes to get a job working in the air industry after the war. However, he is blinded by love for the older married woman, with serious repurcussions. His friend, Jamie Farebrother, is the privileged son of a business tycoon who has become a general to help run the war effort. His father, who is estranged from the son but trying desperately to develop a relationship, is also an interesting character. The British characters are less well-drawn, which is rather surprising because Deighton is British. They tend towards cardboard cutouts and stereotypes. Even Jamie Farebrother's love interest Victoria is lacking in depth. That having been said, "Goodbye Mickey Mouse" is one of the best books I've read for getting a feeling for what life was like on a fighter base during the war. As a historian researching the American air war over Europe, specifically the 8th Air Force, the book provided me with some valuable insights. To be fair, I am not a big fan of romances and that element of the book didn't appeal to me; however, I think most people might enjoy the way Deighton develops the romances in the novel, and the way he weaves them together. Some of the plot twists are a bit improbable, but hey, this is fiction, where the author, especially if he is established, can get away with that kind of thing. Overall, an entertaining book, well researched, but lacking in depth of characterization as well as probability.

This is a terrific book about life in England during World War II, and some of the men who fought it. We meet the American officers at an Army Air Force fighter base, and learn what life was like for these flying warriors and the women they loved. From the high tension of flying combat missions to the rowdy parties where the men try to forget their fears, we get a glimpse of how the war affected these men and how they tried to cope. The characters are vividly portrayed, and we find much to like and dislike about all of them. In the end, they all show themselves to be falible humans. The ending provided a bit of a surprise, further illustrating the unpredictability of war.

Based on the recommendation of a friend I bought a copy of this book - rather than tell you the plot (and spoil it for you) - the book deals with the tactics (and perils) of the fighter pilots of the 8th AAF - and the book starts out like 12 O'clock High with a nostalgic visit to an abandoned airfield in East Anglia.

One is reminded of the horrible causality rate of fliers in that war - the author did a lot of interviews with veterans.

In short one gets a good glimpse into the life of a serviceman - in combat and back at base - during those times in WW2.

It was a page-turner for me - hard to put down.

In reading the of Deighton's other works, I learned that he wrote a fiction called SS-GB - also recommended. I read that years ago about a fictionalized account of the Nazis beating Britain and the accounts of the SS in the UK 20 years later - a good mystery.

Good novel about American p-51 pilots stationed in England during the winter of 1943 and the spring of 1944 before the D-Day invasion. Much like Derek Robinson's Piece of Cake but nowhere near as good. (Frankly I liked Deighton's novel Bomber better than this book.) Their job: escort the Big Friends (B-17 Flying Forts) to and from distant German targets since with drop wing tanks they now had the range to go the distance with the big boys. Not as much character development and the fantastic conversations between the pilots off duty are just not there. Much of the book is spent on the romances between American fighter jocks and the local English girls who are shocked by all that the Americans have and take for granted. Some good air combat scenes and what went on behind the headlines. Read Piece of Cake (RAF Spitfire pilots in the Battle of Britain) before you read this one.

In Goodbye Mickey Mouse, Len Deighton has written his best novel yet: a brilliant, multidimensional picture of what it is to be at war ... and what it was to be in love in the England of 1944. One of Deightons earlier and one of his best.

This is a very good book,about flying and flyers in WW2. The previous 5 star reviews say it all. I would just like to comment on Deightons writing in this book.. there are many small, almost unnoticeable twists that really add to the story...Mr. Deighton really wrote this book with care and it is apparent....one small example: Col Dan and General lighting cigars: "Col Dan wondered if the General expected him to chew the end off and spit it on the floor; he was eying him with wary interest" There are many of these small insertions that make the characters seem real. As previously reviewed.. the pilot reviewers attest to the flying...nuff said... really good book.

I rate this as one of the best books I have ever read. It brought back memories of flying the skies of the Vietnam war in the back seat of F-4Ds and F-4Es. It brought to life what aircrews go through fighting a war away from home, family, friends and loved ones. The sequences in the air were the best part; I could just picture myself once again inbound to North Vietname to face the enemy, on a misssion chasing the enemy or getting shot at, but it was NEVER anything close to what the air forces dealt with against the Germans. The romance part was fine and typical of what you would expect people to do faced with death every day---to get the most out of life, like so many of that era did, it was kill the enemy or lose your way of life. I liked all the characters but was sad how it ended with the casualties. It also reminded me of the movie 12 O'Clock High and the stress and everything the aircrews had to face, only this was about the fighter pilots. I liked the part about the strafing runs after the escort mission was over--you always see gun camera film of those exploits but never hear about what they faced from ground fire, especially when attacking or doing repeated rollins on aircraft on the ground at airfields. After I finished reading it I wished there were more to read, I liked it so much and wanted to keep reading. This is one book I was always wanting to go back reading again to see what was going to happen next, but did not want to put it down or it to end.
Happy reading. You will most certainly enjoy this book if you like reading about WWII.

I am a pilot and when I read this book many years ago I was very taken with it, one of the few books I have read more than once. Read it and you will swear you lived during the time a P-51 was king of the air! Fantastic book, a classic and a must read for. Pilot or someone that has an interest in being one. Well done mate!