You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.38 AVERAGE
4.38 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I loved The Frozen River so I thought I would like this book too but I did not. I’m not usually one to complain about nonlinear storytelling, but the dual timelines in this book just didn’t work for me and I didn't feel like they added anything to the story besides making it seem like the story was progressing when not much was really happening. There were times when I enjoyed reading this book but for the most part it was a slog
holy fucking cow. i love nancy wake and i love the novel that brought her to life. the characters are so well created and the dual timelines—which at first i did not like—craft the perfect suspense. despite it only being april, this might go down as the best book i read in 2025. highly, highly recommend. and don’t worry, picon survives and goes on to live a long and happy life after the war. history confirms
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
inspiring
tense
medium-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
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I thoroughly enjoyed this book - however - the ending lacked something for me. It was a bit abrupt and anticlimactic for a story with so much action.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Torture, Murder
Moderate: Antisemitism, War
Minor: Animal death
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced
adventurous
emotional
I loved this. OK, it's well established that novels about lady spies in history are my literary catnip, but once I start reading, not all are created equal. There are the stars, like all of the WWI lady spies in [b:The Alice Network|32051912|The Alice Network|Kate Quinn|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1492238040l/32051912._SX50_.jpg|50492909]; the ones whose quirky competence works for me, like Juliet in [b:Transcription|37946414|Transcription|Kate Atkinson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1521173471l/37946414._SY75_.jpg|64175388]; and then the "so incompetent I want to scream" (ahem, [b:The Lost Girls of Paris|39816076|The Lost Girls of Paris|Pam Jenoff|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1527997527l/39816076._SX50_.jpg|61573651].
Nancy Wake, code name Helene, is absolutely in the first category. And arguably, she outdoes them all because it turns out, Nancy Wake was a real woman who was both spy and military commander in the Resistance and generally all-around ball-busting bad ass. Highly recommend.
Nancy Wake, code name Helene, is absolutely in the first category. And arguably, she outdoes them all because it turns out, Nancy Wake was a real woman who was both spy and military commander in the Resistance and generally all-around ball-busting bad ass. Highly recommend.