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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
This book was hard for me to get through - I am not sure if maybe spy books are just not my genre, but I didn't like the narrative style (journal letters to her sons) and the story was not engaging for me. I appreciated the political context of the story, but it didn't really drive the plot. The high-pace espionage piece of it seemed to abruptly happen at the end and maybe that was the point of the story, but it just didn't do it for me.
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
This is a great introductory book for Lauren Wilkinson. I honestly think a movie could be based off this book.
It’s a effortless read and it is a page turner. However, it is not a thriller. It reads like a memoir. But the writing is really good because I could follow as she flipped back and forth through the years in not in chronological order. It’s the best fiction book I’ve read in a while.
The book walks through the normal life of a black FBI agent in the 80’s. She faced sexism, covered racism and she was overlooked for opportunities because she was a women and she was black. She was practically reduced only to a desk agent getting informants. But the one mission she did get, she believed it was because of her appearance and not her ability. The book also speaks about loss, sisterhood, growing into womenhood and creating an image for your personal brand.
Do you all think it will be a part 2?
It’s a effortless read and it is a page turner. However, it is not a thriller. It reads like a memoir. But the writing is really good because I could follow as she flipped back and forth through the years in not in chronological order. It’s the best fiction book I’ve read in a while.
The book walks through the normal life of a black FBI agent in the 80’s. She faced sexism, covered racism and she was overlooked for opportunities because she was a women and she was black. She was practically reduced only to a desk agent getting informants. But the one mission she did get, she believed it was because of her appearance and not her ability. The book also speaks about loss, sisterhood, growing into womenhood and creating an image for your personal brand.
Do you all think it will be a part 2?
Wilkinson offers an intelligent, enjoyable read with full characters and enough historical facts to add depth to the novel. Her event descriptions also reinforce the notion of why we need a diversity of authors writing. There are enough details left open, however, to suggest a follow-up novel.
I listened to this on Audible, and the narrator was fantastic. I loved reading about places and events with which I was unfamiliar. I knew nothing of Martinique and Burkina Faso, or of the involvement of the United States in the politics of Western Africa. This historical fiction novel is a journal that the protagonist Marie writes for her twin sons as she is preparing to leave to take care of a threat to their safety. She tells of her childhood and eventual employment, first with the FBI, and then as a spy for the CIA, and of her brief love affair with the father of her children. There are parts that aren’t quite believable to me; I kept feeling like I had missed something, and often the characters act in ways that I completely didn’t understand. But I love a good spy story, and I enjoyed this one.
I liked this book for several reasons:
-introduced me into new settings (Martinique, Burkina Faso)
-combatted racist and sexist federal agent stereotypes
-gave me a narrator to like who I couldn't relate to
However, it's not a 5 star because of the lack of a true conclusion (it doesn't feel like it would have a sequel either) and the unbelievable nature of the love for her children's father.
I'd recommend this to anyone who likes a strong, smart, and interesting female lead who gets into political/federal drama.
-introduced me into new settings (Martinique, Burkina Faso)
-combatted racist and sexist federal agent stereotypes
-gave me a narrator to like who I couldn't relate to
However, it's not a 5 star because of the lack of a true conclusion (it doesn't feel like it would have a sequel either) and the unbelievable nature of the love for her children's father.
I'd recommend this to anyone who likes a strong, smart, and interesting female lead who gets into political/federal drama.
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I think this is the first book I’ve ever read that was written in the second person? It was odd and discombobulating at times. I guessed a lot of the twists. And while this book should have been mysterious and filled with adventure - it was written so dryly that I didn’t care about any of the characters. So like, I didn’t dislike it. But it definitely wasn’t my favorite.
Would love to see more to this story. It seems set up for a sequel.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes