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oboejess's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book! It kept me engaged from start to finish.
kimeeg's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent read. Good character development and storyline.
laylarouse's review against another edition
5.0
Exciting story about a former female British spy from WWI (Eve/Marguerite) and a young America girl (Charlotte) searching for her cousin missing after WWII. Chapters alternate between Eve’s past and present day.
kathyperry's review against another edition
4.0
Two time lines converge when Charlotte seeks out Evelyn to help her find her missing cousin, Rose.
Eve was a young spy in France in WWI where she worked with Lili and Violette, fellow spies, and worked for Rene, a restaurant owner and war profiteer who took Eve, unwillingly, as his mistress. Eve used her language skills to eavesdrop on dining German officials and also managed to gather loads of intel from Rene's pillow talk. Eventually suspicious of Eve, Rene tortured and drugged her to try to get the names of fellow spies in order to give the info to the Germans. He turned her over and she spent the rest of the war in prison with her fellow female spies, being released and returning to England after the end of the War. She continued her service during WWII, working at a bureau helping to locate refugees in 1945-46. But was a barely functioning alcoholic believing for decades that she had betrayed her fellow spies.
Charlie was a pregnant American teen being taken by her mother after WWII to Europe to get rid of her 'little problem'. But Charlie had other plans. She fled to London in search of Eve who she hoped could help her locate Rose, her French cousin who hadn't been heard from since 1943. They set out with Finn, Eve's Scottish assistant and driver, and headed to France, stopping first at Rose's childhood home. There they learned from her mother, that Rose had become pregnant, mixing with a member of the French Resistance, so was sent away from home. She ended up in a small town working at a restaurant - with the same name and owner as the restaurant where Eve worked in WWI.
As the two time lines play out, we learn more about both women and why hunting the same man, Rene, is so important to them both. And the lines converge when their questions are answered and their revenge is achieved. This allows them both to attain their happily ever after - Eve travelling the world free of guilt; Charlie with Finn, raising her child together, running their garage/café in a small French town.
Eve was a young spy in France in WWI where she worked with Lili and Violette, fellow spies, and worked for Rene, a restaurant owner and war profiteer who took Eve, unwillingly, as his mistress. Eve used her language skills to eavesdrop on dining German officials and also managed to gather loads of intel from Rene's pillow talk. Eventually suspicious of Eve, Rene tortured and drugged her to try to get the names of fellow spies in order to give the info to the Germans. He turned her over and she spent the rest of the war in prison with her fellow female spies, being released and returning to England after the end of the War. She continued her service during WWII, working at a bureau helping to locate refugees in 1945-46. But was a barely functioning alcoholic believing for decades that she had betrayed her fellow spies.
Charlie was a pregnant American teen being taken by her mother after WWII to Europe to get rid of her 'little problem'. But Charlie had other plans. She fled to London in search of Eve who she hoped could help her locate Rose, her French cousin who hadn't been heard from since 1943. They set out with Finn, Eve's Scottish assistant and driver, and headed to France, stopping first at Rose's childhood home. There they learned from her mother, that Rose had become pregnant, mixing with a member of the French Resistance, so was sent away from home. She ended up in a small town working at a restaurant - with the same name and owner as the restaurant where Eve worked in WWI.
As the two time lines play out, we learn more about both women and why hunting the same man, Rene, is so important to them both. And the lines converge when their questions are answered and their revenge is achieved. This allows them both to attain their happily ever after - Eve travelling the world free of guilt; Charlie with Finn, raising her child together, running their garage/café in a small French town.
hannahbeereads's review against another edition
4.0
3.5/5.
A compelling story filled with well-thought out connections. I felt like it dragged a little at times but appreciated the complexity of all the characters.
A compelling story filled with well-thought out connections. I felt like it dragged a little at times but appreciated the complexity of all the characters.
michele_la's review against another edition
3.0
Actually 3.5 stars. Took awhile to get into it but the writing's good so I kept at it. Much better than The Orphan Train.
joyfulreadswithjoy's review against another edition
4.0
Such a powerful historical fiction account of strong women finding their way through pain and trials. Some parts were tough to read, but the payoff was worth it. Fine demonstration of historical fiction at its best.
readbyian's review against another edition
2.0
This book was billed as a fast-paced espionage thriller spanning both World Wars and featuring two dynamic heroines.
Did it deliver on these things?
Kinda ... sorta ... not really.
Whilst the overall narrative was enticing, the book fell flat on a few fronts. I enjoyed the "Eve" sections far more than the "Charlie" sections. Eve had a cohesive plot structure. She had intriguing characters to interact with and develop alongside. Eve begins as a naïve but eager recruit who gradually develops her physical and emotional strength through methodical practice and self-discipline. She logically comes out the other side a matured woman no longer blind to the realities of war.
The "Charlie" sections seemed half-baked. From the start of the book she was a flat, one-sided character. She's an archetype harlequin who doesn't really develop. Sure, she does lots of progressive, independent things throughout the book. But does she really change from the beginning of the book to its end? Not really, her growth is superficial. She jumps from her mother to the first man she meets on her journey. Speaking of which, the supporting cast of her section add nothing of value to the story. Finn is a glorified chauffeur with a Scottish accent. The reincarnation of Eve bares no resemblance to her younger self. She's lost all that made her interesting, and some of the actions of her older self just seem illogical and stand in contradiction to how she's originally described (i.e., her later encounter with Violette made no sense to me, why would she be so rude to her, where'd all her guilt go?) The ending of the "Charlie" section was woefully anti-climatic, it seemed like an afterthought to meet the word count requirement.
Finally, what let me down the most about this book was the writing. Ripe with clichés and monotonous repetition, it was hard to bare near the end. Charlie's motivational internal pep-talks were just cringy. Some lines felt like they were ripped from an angsty 16-year-old's tumblr page.
Should you read it?
Yeah, why not? It's an easy, mindless read. Great to fall asleep with on the beach.
It could've been far more enjoyable in the hands of a better writer.
Did it deliver on these things?
Kinda ... sorta ... not really.
Whilst the overall narrative was enticing, the book fell flat on a few fronts. I enjoyed the "Eve" sections far more than the "Charlie" sections. Eve had a cohesive plot structure. She had intriguing characters to interact with and develop alongside. Eve begins as a naïve but eager recruit who gradually develops her physical and emotional strength through methodical practice and self-discipline. She logically comes out the other side a matured woman no longer blind to the realities of war.
The "Charlie" sections seemed half-baked. From the start of the book she was a flat, one-sided character. She's an archetype harlequin who doesn't really develop. Sure, she does lots of progressive, independent things throughout the book. But does she really change from the beginning of the book to its end? Not really, her growth is superficial. She jumps from her mother to the first man she meets on her journey. Speaking of which, the supporting cast of her section add nothing of value to the story. Finn is a glorified chauffeur with a Scottish accent. The reincarnation of Eve bares no resemblance to her younger self. She's lost all that made her interesting, and some of the actions of her older self just seem illogical and stand in contradiction to how she's originally described (i.e., her later encounter with Violette made no sense to me, why would she be so rude to her, where'd all her guilt go?) The ending of the "Charlie" section was woefully anti-climatic, it seemed like an afterthought to meet the word count requirement.
Finally, what let me down the most about this book was the writing. Ripe with clichés and monotonous repetition, it was hard to bare near the end. Charlie's motivational internal pep-talks were just cringy. Some lines felt like they were ripped from an angsty 16-year-old's tumblr page.
Should you read it?
Yeah, why not? It's an easy, mindless read. Great to fall asleep with on the beach.
It could've been far more enjoyable in the hands of a better writer.