A review by laurakate
The Sixteen Trees of the Somme by Lars Mytting

adventurous mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I was so ready for this book to be great and it very nearly was. It is a phenomenally plotted historical mystery of great depth and clearly impeccably researched. The historical accuracy was also excellent. However, it was let down from being a five star novel by its descriptions of women, who were primarily there to chase after and seduce the main character. There were more descriptions of their breasts and bottoms than any other feature, and the main character did not respect or love either of the two women he toyed with throughout the book. We as readers are expected to root for one of the women, the 'wild' one, but she came across as a privileged brat who was attempting to be edgy. All in all, the book was incredible - except for the fact it was ragingly misogynistic.