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laurasaurus's review
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
lilbuff20's review
adventurous
challenging
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nim_light's review
5.0
Utterly refreshing!
A book about sex in war time and the things we'll tell ourselves in order to justify the more morally dubious things we want.
Engaging and cleanly written, the relationships were all so interesting and I'm so glad I picked this up - it's so unlike anything I've ever read about wartime!
A book about sex in war time and the things we'll tell ourselves in order to justify the more morally dubious things we want.
Engaging and cleanly written, the relationships were all so interesting and I'm so glad I picked this up - it's so unlike anything I've ever read about wartime!
ambermahalia's review
4.0
A really unique take on the war novel genre and must of broken the mould. Not sure if I like the protagonist but I think that is the point and the book is very clever overall! Lots of praise to Persephone for publishing it as well as it would of been a great shame to leave this out of the literary world!
vg2's review
3.0
I fear that my expectations of this book were a little too high; I had hoped for a story that explored female opportunities and independence during wartime, but instead the main character is consumed by her desire for men and how she defines herself within various relationships. I appreciated the different take on wartime attitudes and behaviour compared to the typical ‘home front’ novels, and the writing was the usual, enjoyable Laski style, but it did not capture me.
boorrito's review
4.0
For a book about a married woman sleeping around with lots (and lots) of men during a war, Deborah's relationships with other women are just and possibly even more important than her relationships with men. The men she sleeps with become very disposable by the end and her husband and son don't fare much better. Deborah's competitive relationship with Madeline seems to drive her further and further into her "downfall" and much more effectively than any of the men do. It's the fear that Madeline is still better than her that pushes her to ask for Pierre's training, and it's no wonder Graham's afraid that she's staying with Madeline when he hears she's going to London. It's her mother who gets her out of trouble, Mrs Chamblers who provides the nearest thing Deborah has to a conscience about her son and it's another lonely young war wife she takes under her wing at the end, not a man.
There's more I could write about this book, like how accurately it reflects the double standards of sex and the lies people tell themselves to justify doing something that they want to do (no, Timmy won't be better off for you running off to London and sleeping around), but other people have written better about it, and the female relationships caught my attention.
I haven't encountered another book like this set in this period, and I recommend it as a counterbalance to all the books about outstanding women who keep everything ticking over on the home front.
There's more I could write about this book, like how accurately it reflects the double standards of sex and the lies people tell themselves to justify doing something that they want to do (no, Timmy won't be better off for you running off to London and sleeping around), but other people have written better about it, and the female relationships caught my attention.
I haven't encountered another book like this set in this period, and I recommend it as a counterbalance to all the books about outstanding women who keep everything ticking over on the home front.
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