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quietdomino's review against another edition
3.0
Apparently there is no upper limit to the number of pages I am willing to read about paradoxes in time travel during the Blitz.
jpark414's review against another edition
3.0
Blackouts better with the sequel. Both would be better -250 (350?) pages.
Like so many (high school) essays, this book is ok if I think about the ::intent:: rather than the org/details/style.
Like so many (high school) essays, this book is ok if I think about the ::intent:: rather than the org/details/style.
mollyoneillwrites's review against another edition
4.0
Dual Review for Blackout and All Clear
This is a looong book, and I didn't have the stamina to read the volumes together. I got through all of Blackout and a third of All Clear in May before giving up for few months and eventually finishing it in August. Next time I read it I'll take proper advantage of the split and read something inbetween.
I'm in two minds about this book, and I think the reason is that the style is unfashionable. A lot of time and paper is spent dealing with the minutae of every day life for three people in Blitzed London and there is a strong sense of deja vu as they go through the same experiences of hiding in bomb shelters, working,and worrying about the war, on a loop for most of the two volumes. There are characters and plot-lines at different times in the war which don't reveal their identity and purpose til late in the second book which are frustrating to have to hold in your head when you don't know why they're important.
In short it's too long and it needed a good edit, at half the length I think it would have much wider appeal.
And yet that might be missing the point of the books, which is to place the reader, with the Oxford historians, into war-torn Britain and witness what it was like, that it did go on and on and the British people had to go on and on with it. Reading the book you get a sense of what it was like to live in darkness with nightly terrifying raids, with rationing and fear, and the fact that they didn't know they were going to win, (a fact which is so obvious that it is often forgotten).
The book also hammers home the ordinary and varied acts of bravery and heroism that are found in times of great trial and celebrates the strength of will to simply keep going and keep sacrificing. This theme is obviously made but with an undeniable emotional power.
For all its faults this is a book which powerfully portrays its subject and is an enjoyable read.
This is a looong book, and I didn't have the stamina to read the volumes together. I got through all of Blackout and a third of All Clear in May before giving up for few months and eventually finishing it in August. Next time I read it I'll take proper advantage of the split and read something inbetween.
I'm in two minds about this book, and I think the reason is that the style is unfashionable. A lot of time and paper is spent dealing with the minutae of every day life for three people in Blitzed London and there is a strong sense of deja vu as they go through the same experiences of hiding in bomb shelters, working,and worrying about the war, on a loop for most of the two volumes. There are characters and plot-lines at different times in the war which don't reveal their identity and purpose til late in the second book which are frustrating to have to hold in your head when you don't know why they're important.
In short it's too long and it needed a good edit, at half the length I think it would have much wider appeal.
And yet that might be missing the point of the books, which is to place the reader, with the Oxford historians, into war-torn Britain and witness what it was like, that it did go on and on and the British people had to go on and on with it. Reading the book you get a sense of what it was like to live in darkness with nightly terrifying raids, with rationing and fear, and the fact that they didn't know they were going to win, (a fact which is so obvious that it is often forgotten).
The book also hammers home the ordinary and varied acts of bravery and heroism that are found in times of great trial and celebrates the strength of will to simply keep going and keep sacrificing. This theme is obviously made but with an undeniable emotional power.
For all its faults this is a book which powerfully portrays its subject and is an enjoyable read.
gabeyourself's review against another edition
4.0
Histoire finalement très sympa (j'ai donc remonté la note du premier volume de 2/5 à 3/5), j'ai dévoré les 200 dernières pages.
Seul regret, je n'aurais pas dû faire une pause de 2 ans et demi entre les 2 volumes.
Comme l'explique l'auteure, c'est en fait un unique livre coupé en 2.
J'ai du coup eu du mal à remettre les personnages dans leur contexte car aucune "introduction" n'est prévue dans ce 2ème volume pour rappeler les différentes situations.
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Pretty good story after all (I change my rating of the first book from 2 to 3), I read avidly the last 200 pages.
My only regret has been to have a break of 2 and half years between the 2 books.
Like the author explain at the beginning of the 2nd book, it's a single book split in 2.
So I struggled to put the characters back in context because no "introduction" was planned in this second volume to remind the different situations.
Seul regret, je n'aurais pas dû faire une pause de 2 ans et demi entre les 2 volumes.
Comme l'explique l'auteure, c'est en fait un unique livre coupé en 2.
J'ai du coup eu du mal à remettre les personnages dans leur contexte car aucune "introduction" n'est prévue dans ce 2ème volume pour rappeler les différentes situations.
-------------
Pretty good story after all (I change my rating of the first book from 2 to 3), I read avidly the last 200 pages.
My only regret has been to have a break of 2 and half years between the 2 books.
Like the author explain at the beginning of the 2nd book, it's a single book split in 2.
So I struggled to put the characters back in context because no "introduction" was planned in this second volume to remind the different situations.
newejersey's review against another edition
4.0
What I first said: "It's not the best book ever but I was completely gripped. Stick with it and it pays off at the end."
But in over time I have realized that this really is in the top 10. Get it, read it -- it will captive and haunt you.
But in over time I have realized that this really is in the top 10. Get it, read it -- it will captive and haunt you.
susannavs's review against another edition
3.0
Goodness. I've finished. Finally. Good story - quite complicated to follow along sometimes though!
kcdarmody's review against another edition
3.0
The premise was interesting but ultimately this book and its predecessor were way too long. I was a little disappointed that the reason things went wrong is basically the same reason things went wrong in To Say Nothing of the Dog. But if she wrote a book about Colin, would I read it? Yeah, probably. I'm a sucker for time travel and I just love that the only people who get to do it are historians.
oscarhp's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
alythespoon's review against another edition
3.0
Giving this three stars only because of the last 100 pages, at which point this book actually got good. Otherwise, it was too long and too precious with clues toward the final outcome of its mystery. The denouement relies heavily on the revelation of information which, as a person who has read a lot of time travel books, I picked up on very early (by which I mean in the first book), and the fact that the professional time travelers didn’t get it until the end was really frustrating to me. Not to mention the pages on pages of dialog that did nothing to advance the plot or advance character development, but only to show just how much research and work Willis put into this book. And I respect that, I truly do, but there’s absolutely no reason why this book needed to be nearly 700 pages long.
frexam's review against another edition
4.0
It takes a long while to get here, especially since it is the second half of the story begun in Blackout, and is heavy on its history, but ending is so good it made it all worthwhile.