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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
informative
reflective
tense
fast-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
I did enjoy this as it was very thought provoking but I found the style a little hard at times? I also wanted to know more about some things
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I don't know why, but a lot of the elements of storytelling that I would hate (without spoilers, one was the writing the letter to her sons and the flashback), I think worked really well.
This book was devastating in the best possible way. The mystery unraveled at the right pace, the narrative structure grew so meaningful over time, and the audiobook narrator was so strong.
I knew nothing about Burkina Faso history before reading this (and still can’t say I know much.) And I’d never considered the fact that Black people have been drawn to intelligence work for its own merits and not just coerced into. This book really made me question a lot of assumptions. And besides being a great thriller/mystery, it was such a beautiful story about a person who knows their own limitations and the limits of the people they love, and who is motivated by a strong desire to give her children what she wanted and never found.
The ending was really the only option but it still absolutely gutted me.
Anyways, read this. You’ll feel moved and informed and pretty outraged, I’d guess.
I knew nothing about Burkina Faso history before reading this (and still can’t say I know much.) And I’d never considered the fact that Black people have been drawn to intelligence work for its own merits and not just coerced into. This book really made me question a lot of assumptions. And besides being a great thriller/mystery, it was such a beautiful story about a person who knows their own limitations and the limits of the people they love, and who is motivated by a strong desire to give her children what she wanted and never found.
The ending was really the only option but it still absolutely gutted me.
Anyways, read this. You’ll feel moved and informed and pretty outraged, I’d guess.
So I listened to this on Audible and then returned it haha. I may check out the Kindle version eventually.
This was an okay read. I realized early on that it was not a spy/espionage thriller; it's a piece of literary fiction that has spy themes. The main theme of the book is the personal challenges the main character faces as a black woman working for the CIA/FBI. The story is framed as a letter to her sons, which adds to the intimacy of the story.
It was pretty strong up until the end, when the story turned into a giant exposition dump. I go back and forth as to whether this hurt the book, since most of that exposition doesn't affect those main themes.
It was a bit weird at times to realize I was reading what is basically an African history fanfic, but I did appreciate the history I learned. Thomas Sankara sounds like an interesting historical figure: a man with true desires to help the poor as well as some despotic leanings. The protagonist's relationship with Sankara could have been a bit more fleshed out; at times it felt a bit like a one-sided crush. (I'm not actually sure it wasn't, tbh.)
This was an okay read. I realized early on that it was not a spy/espionage thriller; it's a piece of literary fiction that has spy themes. The main theme of the book is the personal challenges the main character faces as a black woman working for the CIA/FBI. The story is framed as a letter to her sons, which adds to the intimacy of the story.
It was pretty strong up until the end, when the story turned into a giant exposition dump. I go back and forth as to whether this hurt the book, since most of that exposition doesn't affect those main themes.
It was a bit weird at times to realize I was reading what is basically an African history fanfic, but I did appreciate the history I learned. Thomas Sankara sounds like an interesting historical figure: a man with true desires to help the poor as well as some despotic leanings. The protagonist's relationship with Sankara could have been a bit more fleshed out; at times it felt a bit like a one-sided crush. (I'm not actually sure it wasn't, tbh.)
It took me a while to get into this. I'd blame the past tense nature of the letter/journal format, but I think it just took a while to get exciting.
challenging
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Beautiful story about the cost and value of being a true revolutionary agent of change.