jenbsbooks's review against another edition
3.25
Included in KindleUnlimited, audio&text - my subscription is coming to an end, so KU books have been pushed up on my TBR list. This was fine, WW2 historical fiction/romance. I didn't really feel like I learned anything noteworthy or new.
3rd person/Past tense ... we have three main POVs ... (1) Ella - a journalist from the US (2) Danni - a photographer from the US (3) Chloe- a model from the UK. The timeline stays pretty much chronological, starting in July 1943 for all three women.
While technically this dealt with some difficult situations (death and injury of war) it all still felt a little light. Maybe that was partially because these women were on the outside looking in, literally. They were "covering" the war, as a journalist, as a photographer, not actually IN the trenches themselves, even though they were in dangerous situations. The way things came together and wrapped up also had a bit of an "after school special/Hallmark" feel, even when everything wasn't absolutely happily ever after. There were some character deaths to mourn, but still a little unrealistically positive and perfect.
Title tie in and cover ... no "ahhh" moment or feeling, just felt a little thrown on. Ella is the "correspondent" ... is that supposed to be her on the cover? Why does she get top billing when it's more a story of all three women. I'm never sure what a better title would be, or cover image, but this came off generic to me.
Personal Pet Peeve ... I wish the Table of Contents included the POV/Headings. It's such a help in audio to be able to glance at the chapter and see the POV listed as well (with constant stop/starts in can be all to easy to forget which POV is happening, and often having to wait a little before it is again revealed within the chapter text). Also, I often want to review a portion here and there, and maybe knowing it was in a Chloe section, I know which chapters to turn to if the header is included in the TOC, instead of having to flip through them all to find what I'm looking for.
No proFanity - a little sex, although nothing explicit, mostly closed door. Violence/gore was fairly mild for a book about war as well. Pretty PG.
3rd person/Past tense ... we have three main POVs ... (1) Ella - a journalist from the US (2) Danni - a photographer from the US (3) Chloe- a model from the UK. The timeline stays pretty much chronological, starting in July 1943 for all three women.
While technically this dealt with some difficult situations (death and injury of war) it all still felt a little light. Maybe that was partially because these women were on the outside looking in, literally. They were "covering" the war, as a journalist, as a photographer, not actually IN the trenches themselves, even though they were in dangerous situations. The way things came together and wrapped up also had a bit of an "after school special/Hallmark" feel, even when everything wasn't absolutely happily ever after. There were some character deaths to mourn, but still a little unrealistically positive and perfect.
Title tie in and cover ... no "ahhh" moment or feeling, just felt a little thrown on. Ella is the "correspondent" ... is that supposed to be her on the cover? Why does she get top billing when it's more a story of all three women. I'm never sure what a better title would be, or cover image, but this came off generic to me.
Personal Pet Peeve ... I wish the Table of Contents included the POV/Headings. It's such a help in audio to be able to glance at the chapter and see the POV listed as well (with constant stop/starts in can be all to easy to forget which POV is happening, and often having to wait a little before it is again revealed within the chapter text). Also, I often want to review a portion here and there, and maybe knowing it was in a Chloe section, I know which chapters to turn to if the header is included in the TOC, instead of having to flip through them all to find what I'm looking for.
No proFanity - a little sex, although nothing explicit, mostly closed door. Violence/gore was fairly mild for a book about war as well. Pretty PG.
bargainsleuth's review
4.0
For this and other reviews, visit www.bargain-sleuth.com
If you follow the blog, then you know I enjoy historical fiction quite a bit. But it can’t be just any historical fiction book, there has to be a hook for me. The Last Correspondent by Soraya M. Lane has that hook: as a former journalist, I often read books about fictional journalists to see how accurate or way off base the stories are. This story is set during World War II, when female journalists were few, and certainly even fewer were war correspondents. That’s the hook that got me. That and the book was an Amazon First Reads book, meaning FREE. Even now, the ebook and audio versions are only $1.99 each, and I have to say well worth the money.
In 1943’s London, Chloe is a model for Vogue. Previously, she had a photo shoot in France and met a photographer named Gabriel and they had a fling. At least Gabriel thinks it’s a fling, but the two continue to write to each other in their absence. Despite the fact that the Germans are occupying France, Chloe decides to visit Gabriel and cleverly disguises herself as a can can girl from the Moulin Rouge to pass by the Germans unnoticed. I thought Chloe’s story was the weakest, as it didn’t show a strong woman at all. Once she meets up with Gabriel, he refuses to let her leave the house and is frequently gone for hours on end and is very secretive. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out he’s working with The Resistance in France.
Across the world in Illinois, Ella Franks has been writing articles using her initials, essentially disguising herself as a man. Soon she’s caught and fired. What she really wants to do is go overseas and be a war correspondent. Through a chance meeting, she gets her wish and is offer a new job in England. When she gets to London, she discovers women journalists are not allowed to be anywhere near the front line and is supposed to cover stories of how women are coping with the war.
In Italy, photojournalist Danni Bradford is working with her best friend Andy, a journalist, and taking photos of the war. The two soon find themselves in England under the care of Major Robert Cameron, who can’t stand the idea of a woman on the front lines and forbids it. But as can be expected in novels like this, there’s a sexual tension going on between Cameron and Danni. Now it’s simply a matter of will they or won’t they.
Both Ella and Danni are barred from going along with the press corps at Normandy, but both women are plucky and resourceful and find a way to get there. Then, they break from camp, steal a jeep and try to find Andy’s sister Chloe, who, it turns out, is pregnant and helping the resistance.
The thing I appreciated the most about The Last Correspondent is that Lane makes the story realistic in the sense that both minor and major people in the story get injured or killed. Too often when there’s a war story, all the principal players are untouched by the ravages of war. I won’t tell you who or when, but several key figures suffer. I thought that was important to the narrative the author chose to tell. However, I did not like the stereotypical Alpha male love interests for the women. You could take those parts out of the book and still have an interesting story about women breaking gender barriers during World War II. Still, all in all I recommend this book to anyone who like World War II historical fiction with a touch of romance.
If you follow the blog, then you know I enjoy historical fiction quite a bit. But it can’t be just any historical fiction book, there has to be a hook for me. The Last Correspondent by Soraya M. Lane has that hook: as a former journalist, I often read books about fictional journalists to see how accurate or way off base the stories are. This story is set during World War II, when female journalists were few, and certainly even fewer were war correspondents. That’s the hook that got me. That and the book was an Amazon First Reads book, meaning FREE. Even now, the ebook and audio versions are only $1.99 each, and I have to say well worth the money.
In 1943’s London, Chloe is a model for Vogue. Previously, she had a photo shoot in France and met a photographer named Gabriel and they had a fling. At least Gabriel thinks it’s a fling, but the two continue to write to each other in their absence. Despite the fact that the Germans are occupying France, Chloe decides to visit Gabriel and cleverly disguises herself as a can can girl from the Moulin Rouge to pass by the Germans unnoticed. I thought Chloe’s story was the weakest, as it didn’t show a strong woman at all. Once she meets up with Gabriel, he refuses to let her leave the house and is frequently gone for hours on end and is very secretive. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out he’s working with The Resistance in France.
Across the world in Illinois, Ella Franks has been writing articles using her initials, essentially disguising herself as a man. Soon she’s caught and fired. What she really wants to do is go overseas and be a war correspondent. Through a chance meeting, she gets her wish and is offer a new job in England. When she gets to London, she discovers women journalists are not allowed to be anywhere near the front line and is supposed to cover stories of how women are coping with the war.
In Italy, photojournalist Danni Bradford is working with her best friend Andy, a journalist, and taking photos of the war. The two soon find themselves in England under the care of Major Robert Cameron, who can’t stand the idea of a woman on the front lines and forbids it. But as can be expected in novels like this, there’s a sexual tension going on between Cameron and Danni. Now it’s simply a matter of will they or won’t they.
Both Ella and Danni are barred from going along with the press corps at Normandy, but both women are plucky and resourceful and find a way to get there. Then, they break from camp, steal a jeep and try to find Andy’s sister Chloe, who, it turns out, is pregnant and helping the resistance.
The thing I appreciated the most about The Last Correspondent is that Lane makes the story realistic in the sense that both minor and major people in the story get injured or killed. Too often when there’s a war story, all the principal players are untouched by the ravages of war. I won’t tell you who or when, but several key figures suffer. I thought that was important to the narrative the author chose to tell. However, I did not like the stereotypical Alpha male love interests for the women. You could take those parts out of the book and still have an interesting story about women breaking gender barriers during World War II. Still, all in all I recommend this book to anyone who like World War II historical fiction with a touch of romance.
caslater83's review against another edition
3.0
Good book.
This book was okay. I think it needed a "Cast of characters" page to help us remember everyone better. The interaction between characters is well done is good. I hated that Andy didn't make it, but his death drove the story further, so it turned out well. I felt sorry for Chloe. She loved her man so much, but he loved his work more than her. Danni and Ella start off with a tumultuous relationship, but Andy's death forges their bond. War is hell and you must either come to terms with it or be consumed. All in all, a good story.
This book was okay. I think it needed a "Cast of characters" page to help us remember everyone better. The interaction between characters is well done is good. I hated that Andy didn't make it, but his death drove the story further, so it turned out well. I felt sorry for Chloe. She loved her man so much, but he loved his work more than her. Danni and Ella start off with a tumultuous relationship, but Andy's death forges their bond. War is hell and you must either come to terms with it or be consumed. All in all, a good story.
michaelah_c's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
ckoosman's review
4.0
I loved learning about how hard journalists fought to get to the front lines of war to get a story out while getting to enjoy Lane's amazing writing. A great book!
alexandrea's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
bookitmik's review
2.0
Valley High Girls WWII Edition.
The dialogue is so ditzy and stilted. The characters are vapid and cringe-inducing caricatures.
"Hey, let's go land on Normandy with the invasion! Yay!"
"Oh my god, did you see all those body parts? This crimson red blood does not pair well with my stockings."
"I'm a strong, fearless, independent woman devoted only to my career. Ooh, look, a strong handsome man to trap into marriage and make babies with!"
I added a star because of the page at the end that mentions the names of the real women.
The dialogue is so ditzy and stilted. The characters are vapid and cringe-inducing caricatures.
"Hey, let's go land on Normandy with the invasion! Yay!"
"Oh my god, did you see all those body parts? This crimson red blood does not pair well with my stockings."
"I'm a strong, fearless, independent woman devoted only to my career. Ooh, look, a strong handsome man to trap into marriage and make babies with!"
I added a star because of the page at the end that mentions the names of the real women.
jessbuck015's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
danireads1225's review against another edition
5.0
In The Last Correspondent by Soraya Lane we find 3 women, each with their own story of breaking down barriers and proving women should have the same place as men in the world. Ella (a writer), Dani (a photographer) meet Chloe (a Vogue model). Each woman has different desires, but when the 3 unite forces you will be held at attention to the very last word.