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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
Audio.
I ignored the ratings because the premise just sounded so interesting. I wish I hadn’t. Oddly, this book was largely bland and forgettable. Perhaps the most compelling part was the last couple pages where she tells her sons what kind of men she hopes they become, what kind of legacy she wants to leave them.
I ignored the ratings because the premise just sounded so interesting. I wish I hadn’t. Oddly, this book was largely bland and forgettable. Perhaps the most compelling part was the last couple pages where she tells her sons what kind of men she hopes they become, what kind of legacy she wants to leave them.
3.5 but mostly 4 stars
I liked this book a lot. I liked the main protagonist, Marie, and her story of growing up in NY and being hired by the CIA to spy on Thomas Sankara, then president of Burkina Fasso. I loved that it was a love letter to her twin boys. The relationships she had with her family members were interesting and genuine. And I really enjoyed listening to it on audio.
Buuuut... I was expecting less of her personal history before the FBI / CIA and more of the influence of the CIA in foreign affairs. Her encounters with Sankara were so brief and, though she details the history of this time in Burkina in details, I wanted more -ah yes, I love international relations! I think even the story of her sister could have been a bit deeper. Maybe in a second book? (please please!)
So... Really well written and interesting -I researched the history of BF after that and Thomas Sankara in particular - but not quite what I expected!
I liked this book a lot. I liked the main protagonist, Marie, and her story of growing up in NY and being hired by the CIA to spy on Thomas Sankara, then president of Burkina Fasso. I loved that it was a love letter to her twin boys. The relationships she had with her family members were interesting and genuine. And I really enjoyed listening to it on audio.
Buuuut... I was expecting less of her personal history before the FBI / CIA and more of the influence of the CIA in foreign affairs. Her encounters with Sankara were so brief and, though she details the history of this time in Burkina in details, I wanted more -ah yes, I love international relations! I think even the story of her sister could have been a bit deeper. Maybe in a second book? (please please!)
So... Really well written and interesting -I researched the history of BF after that and Thomas Sankara in particular - but not quite what I expected!
A two-timeline novel that brings together quite a few different social commentaries and plot threads, but most of the book is pretty slow until it really picks up late.
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
i DNFd about a third of the way. after a fantastic opening it went downhill quickly. boring and confusing flashbacks. i just wanted a badass female spy action thriller like it was marketed.
The most interesting parts are when she’s in Africa, and yet that’s barely 1/3 of the book. The book is largely spent on her life until she goes to Africa, a few short chapters in Africa, and then the end. I wish there was more time in Africa. I wish the relationship was more of a slow burn. I wish there was more build in general.
honestly, for a book that i had to read for school, it was pretty interesting. i enjoyed the story but it just wasn't my vibe!
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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:
Yes
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Someone wrote in a review that this book is both overwritten and underwritten. I found this to be extremely true. Book also suffers from being marketed as a spy novel, when it's more accurately described as a book about a kind of spy.
DNF'd at 90% because, truly, I can't be bothered to care anymore, and the idea of suffering another hour of this 10.5hr audiobook seems interminably bad to me.
The historical details are very interesting, and provide a unique perspective and are the most fascinating part of the book. But Marie, her thoughts, the somewhat unreliability of the construction of her narrative, are all presented in this tedious, overly wrought and passionless way that I think would be bearable if I had read the book, but in audio format was intensely soporific.
DNF'd at 90% because, truly, I can't be bothered to care anymore, and the idea of suffering another hour of this 10.5hr audiobook seems interminably bad to me.
The historical details are very interesting, and provide a unique perspective and are the most fascinating part of the book. But Marie, her thoughts, the somewhat unreliability of the construction of her narrative, are all presented in this tedious, overly wrought and passionless way that I think would be bearable if I had read the book, but in audio format was intensely soporific.