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4.38 AVERAGE
4.38 AVERAGE
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
The Frozen River drew me to Ariel Lawhon's writing, and I hoped Code Name Hélène would do Nancy Wake justice.
While the story explores her critical roles in undermining the Gestapo, it focuses mainly on her romantic relationship with her husband. I enjoyed the sweet relationship aspect, but it overshadowed her incredible wartime accomplishments. I craved more details about her daring infiltrations and bravery.
Despite this, it's not a bad book - I teared up over her heartbreak and turmoil. I also fell in love with her adorable pup, Picon. If you're looking for historical accuracy, be prepared for more fiction than fact.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was so excited for this book. It had been on my Holds list for a while, and I had to put it off a few times, but when I finally got it, I was excited to read it and learn what earned a 4.41 rating on Goodreads. As usual, when I’m expecting something to be great, it ends up letting me down. Don’t get me wrong, the story of Nancy Wake is pretty extraordinary, but I found the delivery to be somewhat lackluster.
Even though the story itself was interesting and should have been exciting to read, I found myself bored a lot of the time and just wanting to be finished with the book. Normally I like dual timelines, but these were too close together (and obviously would end up converging), so I would put the book down and come back and forget where I was and in which timeline something had occurred. I was also equally annoyed when the author would change chapters and timelines when something important was happening. Other authors do this quite skillfully, but there was something about the delivery here that just left me distracted and frustrated, especially if the next chapter was 30-40 minutes long.
I also wasn’t crazy about how they described Nancy when she was Helene. I felt that someone so strong and courageous should have had a better visual in my mind. I noticed other reviewers voiced the same opinion, so it wasn’t just me.
All of that said, I really enjoyed all of the characters and the overall storyline. I kept hoping for Nancy and Henri to be reunited in the end. Not following a true story, maybe they would have. As it was, it left me sad at the end of the book. Picon still being there provided for some kind of a happy ending, but overall sad endings just make me sigh at the end and look forward to the next book instead of thinking about what I liked about the one I just read. I don’t include that in my rating, however, since it’s based on a true story. Nancy Wake was clearly amazing. I thank Ariel Lawhon for telling her story and give this story 3.5 stars.
Even though the story itself was interesting and should have been exciting to read, I found myself bored a lot of the time and just wanting to be finished with the book. Normally I like dual timelines, but these were too close together (and obviously would end up converging), so I would put the book down and come back and forget where I was and in which timeline something had occurred. I was also equally annoyed when the author would change chapters and timelines when something important was happening. Other authors do this quite skillfully, but there was something about the delivery here that just left me distracted and frustrated, especially if the next chapter was 30-40 minutes long.
I also wasn’t crazy about how they described Nancy when she was Helene. I felt that someone so strong and courageous should have had a better visual in my mind. I noticed other reviewers voiced the same opinion, so it wasn’t just me.
All of that said, I really enjoyed all of the characters and the overall storyline. I kept hoping for Nancy and Henri to be reunited in the end. Not following a true story, maybe they would have. As it was, it left me sad at the end of the book. Picon still being there provided for some kind of a happy ending, but overall sad endings just make me sigh at the end and look forward to the next book instead of thinking about what I liked about the one I just read. I don’t include that in my rating, however, since it’s based on a true story. Nancy Wake was clearly amazing. I thank Ariel Lawhon for telling her story and give this story 3.5 stars.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
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:
No
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Horrendously corny dialogue. Written like a cheesy romance novel. Gave “pitbull in lipstick” vibes that were a little too Sarah Palin. Somehow managed to be a boring spy novel. The real Nancy Wake deserved better than this corny drivel.
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
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:
Complicated