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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
I love Louisa Adair.
I love Jane Warner.
I love Flight Lieutenant James Gordon Erskine Murray Beaufort-Stuart (even more now than before)
The Enigma Game takes place in 1940-1941 and follows one Blenheim bomber unit, and a young British Jamaican girl serving as a companion for an elderly former opera singer and German expatriate in Scotland. There are spies and bombs and, as always in a Wein novel, utter heartbreak. But she does it all so well, I will always keep coming back for more.
There are three point of view characters in this novel. Louisa, orphaned 15 year old with limited options due to her mixed parentage and place of birth, becomes the caretaker of an elderly, fragile woman who must live with her niece in a pub in Scotland near an RAF Aerodrome. Jamie, leader of 648 Squadron's B Flight, is stationed at the Aerodrome and is desperate to have more control over the missions he flies and his targets. Ellen, a Traveller who signed on as a driver for the ATS, ferries people who need a ride to and from the Aerodrome and lives at the same pub as Louisa. All three of their voices are extremely different. Louisa and Jamie pull the reader into their story and don't let go. They are both just so fascinating in their thoughts, motivations, and thinking. Ellen is not as strong. I saw her more as a bridge between Louisa and Jamie-not just as her role is in the action but her parts as well. I'm not sure if this was intentional. I do think she is probably the least developed of all Wein's characters and is a big reason [b:The Pearl Thief|31178738|The Pearl Thief|Elizabeth Wein|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1484527029l/31178738._SY75_.jpg|51817176] didn't work for me as well as Wein's other books. I found myself skimming her parts a lot to get to more Louisa and Jamie.
In Louisa's story is a wonderful intergenerational friendship between two outsiders who bond over music and a desire to break rules. They also find themselves at the center of intrigue involving the boys from the Aerodrome and a German pilot.
Jamie is so young here and already more than a tad jaded. This is Jamie before he meets Maddie in [b:Code Name Verity|11925514|Code Name Verity|Elizabeth Wein|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388161911l/11925514._SY75_.jpg|16885788], so the reader gets to see how he got to be where he was in that book, and this was the cause of the majority of my tears.
Jamie at the end of the book when he knows his military career is over due to his recently amputated fingers and toes: "Weren't there a couple of one armed ferry pilots in the Air Transport Auxiliary? I knew my wee sister had a friend who flew for them. Maybe she could introduce me." (sobs forever)
But also I was floored by the parallels between Jamie's friendship with his best friend Silver and Maddie and Julie's friendship. It adds a whole extra depth of understanding to the bond Maddie and Jamie share that I'm so glad it was unpacked here. Like so many parallels. SO MANY.
Julie is in this book too. There is a tradition the boys at the Aerodrome have of leaving a sixpence stuck in the wood of the bar mantle. When they return from a flight still alive, they retrieve it and buy a drink. At one point Julie adds a sixpence too:
"And I'm never coming back for it. I want it to be up there forever with the rest of them."
(sobs harder forever)
I can't begin to know how well this book works for people who haven't read [b:Code Name Verity|11925514|Code Name Verity|Elizabeth Wein|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388161911l/11925514._SY75_.jpg|16885788] and [b:Rose Under Fire|17262236|Rose Under Fire|Elizabeth Wein|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1368219053l/17262236._SX50_.jpg|23859036]. Jamie had my heart already, and I know how his story unfolds later on. It wasn't hard for me to grow attached. I'm not impartial enough to judge how a new reader would react to him. I have to say he did make me fall in love with the other boys in B Flight almost immediately(even the obnoxious ones I didn't love I grew concerned for). Jamie shows in the other two books that he has tremendous empathy and a need to protect people. This book shows those traits in abundance, and it's Jamie's heart for the people in his life that make the reader love them too.
Louisa is a new character, and I can say that she grabbed me straight from the beginning too. I was invested in her and her story full on by the end of her first section. In fact, I would really love to hear more of her story following the events of this book.
Jane Warner may be my favorite old lady in fiction now.
I love Jane Warner.
I love Flight Lieutenant James Gordon Erskine Murray Beaufort-Stuart (even more now than before)
The Enigma Game takes place in 1940-1941 and follows one Blenheim bomber unit, and a young British Jamaican girl serving as a companion for an elderly former opera singer and German expatriate in Scotland. There are spies and bombs and, as always in a Wein novel, utter heartbreak. But she does it all so well, I will always keep coming back for more.
There are three point of view characters in this novel. Louisa, orphaned 15 year old with limited options due to her mixed parentage and place of birth, becomes the caretaker of an elderly, fragile woman who must live with her niece in a pub in Scotland near an RAF Aerodrome. Jamie, leader of 648 Squadron's B Flight, is stationed at the Aerodrome and is desperate to have more control over the missions he flies and his targets. Ellen, a Traveller who signed on as a driver for the ATS, ferries people who need a ride to and from the Aerodrome and lives at the same pub as Louisa. All three of their voices are extremely different. Louisa and Jamie pull the reader into their story and don't let go. They are both just so fascinating in their thoughts, motivations, and thinking. Ellen is not as strong. I saw her more as a bridge between Louisa and Jamie-not just as her role is in the action but her parts as well. I'm not sure if this was intentional. I do think she is probably the least developed of all Wein's characters and is a big reason [b:The Pearl Thief|31178738|The Pearl Thief|Elizabeth Wein|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1484527029l/31178738._SY75_.jpg|51817176] didn't work for me as well as Wein's other books. I found myself skimming her parts a lot to get to more Louisa and Jamie.
In Louisa's story is a wonderful intergenerational friendship between two outsiders who bond over music and a desire to break rules. They also find themselves at the center of intrigue involving the boys from the Aerodrome and a German pilot.
Jamie is so young here and already more than a tad jaded. This is Jamie before he meets Maddie in [b:Code Name Verity|11925514|Code Name Verity|Elizabeth Wein|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388161911l/11925514._SY75_.jpg|16885788], so the reader gets to see how he got to be where he was in that book, and this was the cause of the majority of my tears.
Spoiler
Jamie at the end of the book when he knows his military career is over due to his recently amputated fingers and toes: "Weren't there a couple of one armed ferry pilots in the Air Transport Auxiliary? I knew my wee sister had a friend who flew for them. Maybe she could introduce me." (sobs forever)
But also I was floored by the parallels between Jamie's friendship with his best friend Silver and Maddie and Julie's friendship. It adds a whole extra depth of understanding to the bond Maddie and Jamie share that I'm so glad it was unpacked here. Like so many parallels. SO MANY.
Julie is in this book too. There is a tradition the boys at the Aerodrome have of leaving a sixpence stuck in the wood of the bar mantle. When they return from a flight still alive, they retrieve it and buy a drink. At one point Julie adds a sixpence too:
"And I'm never coming back for it. I want it to be up there forever with the rest of them."
(sobs harder forever)
I can't begin to know how well this book works for people who haven't read [b:Code Name Verity|11925514|Code Name Verity|Elizabeth Wein|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388161911l/11925514._SY75_.jpg|16885788] and [b:Rose Under Fire|17262236|Rose Under Fire|Elizabeth Wein|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1368219053l/17262236._SX50_.jpg|23859036]. Jamie had my heart already, and I know how his story unfolds later on. It wasn't hard for me to grow attached. I'm not impartial enough to judge how a new reader would react to him. I have to say he did make me fall in love with the other boys in B Flight almost immediately(even the obnoxious ones I didn't love I grew concerned for). Jamie shows in the other two books that he has tremendous empathy and a need to protect people. This book shows those traits in abundance, and it's Jamie's heart for the people in his life that make the reader love them too.
Louisa is a new character, and I can say that she grabbed me straight from the beginning too. I was invested in her and her story full on by the end of her first section. In fact, I would really love to hear more of her story following the events of this book.
Jane Warner may be my favorite old lady in fiction now.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racism, Grief, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Death, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent
I put off reading this for years fearing I'd be disappointment. After all, it's hard to follow up one of the literally less than a hand of fingers novels that made me cry and that in spite I reread almost every year. After finally plunging in, while I can say I wasn't as swept away as I was with Code Name Verity--and really, that can't be expected-- this is a perfect example of why Dr. Wein is a master of her craft.
This story doesn't just bank on nostalgia or the romanticism many accredit to this historical time these days. It presents incredibly compelling characters caught up in an astonishing time of transition and peril that instantly worm their way into their heart. Along with being individual gems, I am so admiring of the author's way of building relationships that are complex and cover the full range of conflict and coalescence of those we orbit around and those that we gravitate to and those we are compelled by other forces and circumstances to be around. In other words--family of all its shapes, sizes, and familiarity. What is most notable is her ability to lay the patchwork to show commonality between even foes that transcends geographical, political, and linguistic borders and barriers.
What astonishes me the most is Dr. Wein's ability to educate and illuminate a time that we all thought we knew so well by now, to bring to life the true circumstances and stakes, and to remind us of the key players and tensions that existed. The reader doesn't even realize how much information they're taking in as it's so seamlessly weaved into the narrative that until reflection most just feels like atmosphere or scene building. I loved how there was no cookie cutter or 'good guy vs. bad guy' reaction to our lead's Jamaican heritage and how the concept of visible and invisible othering could be related to by others.
As a fan, on the lighter side, the cameos made my heart sing (and twist--the leaving and statement of and about a coin by a certain character we know very well from the first I'm fairly certain was meant as torture). And, as someone with a best friend who's an Aussie and who is herself a dog lover--having a dog loving Aussie side character was delightful.
This story doesn't just bank on nostalgia or the romanticism many accredit to this historical time these days. It presents incredibly compelling characters caught up in an astonishing time of transition and peril that instantly worm their way into their heart. Along with being individual gems, I am so admiring of the author's way of building relationships that are complex and cover the full range of conflict and coalescence of those we orbit around and those that we gravitate to and those we are compelled by other forces and circumstances to be around. In other words--family of all its shapes, sizes, and familiarity. What is most notable is her ability to lay the patchwork to show commonality between even foes that transcends geographical, political, and linguistic borders and barriers.
What astonishes me the most is Dr. Wein's ability to educate and illuminate a time that we all thought we knew so well by now, to bring to life the true circumstances and stakes, and to remind us of the key players and tensions that existed. The reader doesn't even realize how much information they're taking in as it's so seamlessly weaved into the narrative that until reflection most just feels like atmosphere or scene building. I loved how there was no cookie cutter or 'good guy vs. bad guy' reaction to our lead's Jamaican heritage and how the concept of visible and invisible othering could be related to by others.
As a fan, on the lighter side, the cameos made my heart sing (and twist--the leaving and statement of and about a coin by a certain character we know very well from the first I'm fairly certain was meant as torture). And, as someone with a best friend who's an Aussie and who is herself a dog lover--having a dog loving Aussie side character was delightful.
3.5 ⭐
Not as good as Code Name Verity in my opinion, but I also don't love multi-POV stories in general so maybe that is part of the reason. Still a good book and, like CNV, the second half was better than the first and picked up the pace. Wein's writing was good, as always, and the climax of the story at the end is very engaging (and sad). However, I found a bit rushed and somewhat chaotic and unbelievable in the way it happened.
Not as good as Code Name Verity in my opinion, but I also don't love multi-POV stories in general so maybe that is part of the reason. Still a good book and, like CNV, the second half was better than the first and picked up the pace. Wein's writing was good, as always, and the climax of the story at the end is very engaging (and sad). However, I found
Spoiler
Jane's death
This is definitely a good book, but why did the ending have to have such sadness?
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
4.5 stars
The first part of the book was a bit rocky, but it found its footing by part 2 and we were off. It was wonderful to see Jamie and Ellen and a few others again, and I fell in love with Louisa and Jane. The story itself took a darker turn in the final act, but it is a war story, after all.
Now I'm all set for my CNV reread (and perhaps a Pearl Thief reread once that's done).
The first part of the book was a bit rocky, but it found its footing by part 2 and we were off. It was wonderful to see Jamie and Ellen and a few others again, and I fell in love with Louisa and Jane. The story itself took a darker turn in the final act, but it is a war story, after all.
Now I'm all set for my CNV reread (and perhaps a Pearl Thief reread once that's done).
Historical Fiction
I loved Code Name Verity, and didn’t realize that this book is part of that saga. World War II - pilots, undercover agents, code names, this book has it all. I absolutely loved it.
I loved Code Name Verity, and didn’t realize that this book is part of that saga. World War II - pilots, undercover agents, code names, this book has it all. I absolutely loved it.