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superflydi's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
mfinch76's review against another edition
3.0
It felt mostly tedious. I kept waiting for something to happen.
deschatjes's review against another edition
4.0
Needed a light read for the weekend and this fit the bill perfectly. Good story, makes one question the upper classes of British society and interesting twist in the tale.
khulud_khamis's review against another edition
challenging
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
5.0
ashleytayytayy's review against another edition
3.0
A little slow moving at first, but I sped through the last 60% or so. A very different take on a WWII novel, though most of the characters were very hard to care about.
merrynhughes's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
kelly_inthe419's review against another edition
3.0
I was a bit disappointed after wanting to read this for so long. I loved Atkinson's Life After Life and have had trouble connecting with her stories ever since. But I keep trying.
In 1940, 18-year-old Juliet Armstrong is reluctantly recruited into the world of espionage. Sent to an obscure department of MI5 tasked with monitoring the comings and goings of British Fascist sympathizers, she discovers the work to be by turns both tedious and terrifying. Soon, she is given more duties, including spying on some of the women in the Fascist group. After the war has ended, Juliet assumes these events have been consigned to the past forever. Ten years later, however, and now a radio producer at the BBC, Juliet appears to have moved on with her life - until those from her past come back, reminding her that one can never get away. The dual timeline plot shifts around but is focused mainly on the 1040s and 1950s.
The book was good, but certainly not great for me. I appreciated having a female protagonist work as a spy in this book. I struggled to connect with Juliet, however. She started off as naive and developed a little maturity and oomph as the book progressed, but never really seemed to understand her circumstances or what the people around her were doing.
Atkinson clearly researched her work and the time period and her writing, a hallmark of Atkinson's work, is excellent. But the convoluted plot(s) and the characters fell a little flat for me. There are plenty of secrets and surprises along the way, and the ending is well executed and a bit surprising.
Atkinson fans, WWII historical fiction readers, and fans of spy/espionage novels will surely enjoy this book. But it was only an okay read for me.
In 1940, 18-year-old Juliet Armstrong is reluctantly recruited into the world of espionage. Sent to an obscure department of MI5 tasked with monitoring the comings and goings of British Fascist sympathizers, she discovers the work to be by turns both tedious and terrifying. Soon, she is given more duties, including spying on some of the women in the Fascist group. After the war has ended, Juliet assumes these events have been consigned to the past forever. Ten years later, however, and now a radio producer at the BBC, Juliet appears to have moved on with her life - until those from her past come back, reminding her that one can never get away. The dual timeline plot shifts around but is focused mainly on the 1040s and 1950s.
The book was good, but certainly not great for me. I appreciated having a female protagonist work as a spy in this book. I struggled to connect with Juliet, however. She started off as naive and developed a little maturity and oomph as the book progressed, but never really seemed to understand her circumstances or what the people around her were doing.
Atkinson clearly researched her work and the time period and her writing, a hallmark of Atkinson's work, is excellent. But the convoluted plot(s) and the characters fell a little flat for me. There are plenty of secrets and surprises along the way, and the ending is well executed and a bit surprising.
Atkinson fans, WWII historical fiction readers, and fans of spy/espionage novels will surely enjoy this book. But it was only an okay read for me.
cotahobbs's review against another edition
4.0
Loved this story, narrator does a fantastic job. The ending bothered me though, the author cheated.
kbarenthaler's review against another edition
3.0
Well-written. Intriguing. The “twist” ending is easily seen coming from the beginning. Overall, a good story with interesting characters.
bsmith27's review against another edition
3.0
Good story of a woman who is a spy during ww2 in England. She transcribes audio tapes of informants. She also is an undercover agent. The book starts very slow and the ending is boring but a fairly good story.