Reviews

Crooked Heart by Lissa Evans

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rosehock93's review against another edition

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adventurous funny informative inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

4.0

rlshnhn's review against another edition

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4.0

I enjoyed this story. The characters were written really well and they came off the page. It was nice to read a slightly lighter story set during the war.

carolynkwolff's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

readingwithhippos's review against another edition

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3.0

I’m surprised that Crooked Heart isn’t being marketed as YA, because, for me at least, it has a distinctly young-reader feel to it. The central character, Noel Bostock, is a bright but slightly odd ten-year-old boy who finds himself in the dubious care of Vera Sedge, a conniving young widow who decides to take in an evacuee from London in hopes of making a bit of money during the Blitz. When Noel catches on to some of her shady moneymaking schemes, instead of turning her in, he asks to help.

I suppose what puts it in the adult section is the focus on the relationship between Vera and her charge, as this is a character-driven novel, and not as plot-heavy as the publisher’s blurb would lead you to believe. Complications crop up, including a few caused by Vera’s cloddish son, but they’re more madcap and amusing than truly suspenseful. Crooked Heart has to be the frothiest WWII novel I’ve read. Maybe that’s what makes it feel “young” to me—how charming it manages to be, despite its war-torn setting.

An aside: My audio book obsession continues—I nabbed this one from the library, quite a coup, I thought, with such a new release—and the female narrator’s pronounced British accent (she sounded like Daphne Moon from Frazier) and skilled voice acting really added to my enjoyment.

A light and often very funny story about war, orphans, and thievery? Sure, why not.

More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com

ipb1's review against another edition

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3.0

Pleasant enough, but hardly memorable. I'll confess to being engaged enough so that I'll probably read the sequel at some point, but then I do watch Call the Midwife so am obviously easily manipulable, and susceptible to blatant sentimentality which I try to pass off as a taste for the kitsch.

coops456's review against another edition

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5.0

I loved this book. Noel and Vera are great characters and their unlikely alliance is at the heart of the story. You can't help rooting for them and their enterprising criminality!