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A review by jove64
The Last Correspondent by Soraya M. Lane
4.0
Women war correspondents in WWII is a great topic. There's a lot to work with in terms of historical material. Lots of good stories to tell. In this novel, Lane weaves together the stories of 3 women. Danni is an ambitious photographer willing to push the boundaries to advance her career and tell the stories that need to be told about the war in Europe. Ella is a journalist who has written under a male pseudonym to get published back at home but is somewhat cautious about taking on the established ways of working. She takes an opportunity that is beyond her dreams, and then slowly allows herself to be more bold. Chloe is a fashion model who is relatively insulated from the war in England and just wishes it would end. Annoyingly naive and privileged, she defies her brother's advice to risk going into occupied France to be with her lover. It's a toss up whether this was brave or foolish.
The stories of these 3 women start off separate but slowly interweave in interesting ways. Each of the women grows in interesting ways. Danni, fiercely independent, learns to trust others. Ella grows more confident and independent. And Chloe gets a clue and some judgement and ambition of her own. There are romance story lines for all 3 women but these are less well developed. The male characters are not as well developed. The story lines for Danni and Ella are the most nuanced and interesting. Chloe's story line jumps from naïveté to confident career woman a bit too easily. And the romantic story lines hit the main notes but with little development. This is partly a constraint of trying to do all of this in one book.
That said, the strength of this book is really in the developing relationship between the women. If you're here for the romance, it is definitely a sub-plot. The main story is about these women growing and developing in difficult circumstances, supporting each other to discover and achieve their dreams. In that Lane does a great job.
I enjoyed this book but I had also recently written another based on the same historical premise which means I can't help but compare them. [b:The French Photographer|42086847|The French Photographer|Natasha Lester|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1538114380l/42086847._SY75_.jpg|65639001] focused on one woman correspondent (a photographer) and made the romance a stronger element of the book. With fewer story lines to weave together, [a:Natasha Lester|4078079|Natasha Lester|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1573386177p2/4078079.jpg] was able to develop the male protagonist more and give more nuance to the romantic story line.
The stories of these 3 women start off separate but slowly interweave in interesting ways. Each of the women grows in interesting ways. Danni, fiercely independent, learns to trust others. Ella grows more confident and independent. And Chloe gets a clue and some judgement and ambition of her own. There are romance story lines for all 3 women but these are less well developed. The male characters are not as well developed. The story lines for Danni and Ella are the most nuanced and interesting. Chloe's story line jumps from naïveté to confident career woman a bit too easily. And the romantic story lines hit the main notes but with little development. This is partly a constraint of trying to do all of this in one book.
That said, the strength of this book is really in the developing relationship between the women. If you're here for the romance, it is definitely a sub-plot. The main story is about these women growing and developing in difficult circumstances, supporting each other to discover and achieve their dreams. In that Lane does a great job.
I enjoyed this book but I had also recently written another based on the same historical premise which means I can't help but compare them. [b:The French Photographer|42086847|The French Photographer|Natasha Lester|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1538114380l/42086847._SY75_.jpg|65639001] focused on one woman correspondent (a photographer) and made the romance a stronger element of the book. With fewer story lines to weave together, [a:Natasha Lester|4078079|Natasha Lester|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1573386177p2/4078079.jpg] was able to develop the male protagonist more and give more nuance to the romantic story line.