Scan barcode
jess_mango's review
4.0
Yes, yes...I've read another historical fiction book set during WWII. There are so many out there...
This one focused on a group of British women who worked to help relay radio messages out of France to help with the war effort.
The narrative alternated between 3 women: Eleanor, who led the division of women. Marie, who was one of the women who was sent to France, and Grace, an American who stumbles across info about the women after the war and starts her own investigation. Of the 3 narratives, Marie's was my favorite.
I enjoyed the book and the story it had to tell about women in the war. This was a welcome change after I was disappointed in my most recent WWII read, The Tattooist of Auschwitz.
This one focused on a group of British women who worked to help relay radio messages out of France to help with the war effort.
The narrative alternated between 3 women: Eleanor, who led the division of women. Marie, who was one of the women who was sent to France, and Grace, an American who stumbles across info about the women after the war and starts her own investigation. Of the 3 narratives, Marie's was my favorite.
I enjoyed the book and the story it had to tell about women in the war. This was a welcome change after I was disappointed in my most recent WWII read, The Tattooist of Auschwitz.
maryellen_13's review
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
czaberdac's review
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-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? Yes
3.75
mclellan's review
5.0
Inspired by true events this book was ubgruiging and one I won't soon forget. It's well written and once I got to know the characters I couldn't put the book down. I just HAD to know what happened next. The SOE's Women's Unit, founded by Eleanor Trigg, was an amazing group of women recruited to work special ops during WWII. Amazing women that did an amazing job.
book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
Another WWII story featuring women working as spies through the underground resistance and facing untold dangers. This one starts after the war, when Grace Healey, taking a shortcut through Grand Central Station on her way to work, finds an abandoned suitcase tucked beneath a bench. Curious, she opens the case and finds a packet of photos, each of the dozen pictures of a different woman. On impulse, she takes the photos. Later she learns the suitcase belonged to a woman named Eleanor Trigg, who died in a tragic auto accident. But Grace is determined to find out the women’s stories.
There’s much to like about this tale, though I am frankly tired of the back-and-forth timelines used by so many writers these days. The author also uses different points of view from chapter to chapter: Grace, Eleanor, and Marie Roux (a young mother who was one of the couriers working with the resistance in occupied France).
I could have done without the love interest and I thought some of Marie’s actions were inconsistent and downright stupid, given the circumstances. I thought Grace’s role was just padding. The story could easily have been told in a linear fashion with just Eleanor and Marie and would have been about 100 pages shorter.
The character I liked the most was relegated to a rather small role: Josie. She’s a spitfire of a girl and very resourceful. I loved every scene she was a part of.
The one that made the least sense to me was Julian – leader of a band of couriers, he’s in France but doesn’t speak French!
Still, the story, which is partly based on true events, moved quickly and was engaging and interesting. A decent vacation read.
There’s much to like about this tale, though I am frankly tired of the back-and-forth timelines used by so many writers these days. The author also uses different points of view from chapter to chapter: Grace, Eleanor, and Marie Roux (a young mother who was one of the couriers working with the resistance in occupied France).
I could have done without the love interest and I thought some of Marie’s actions were inconsistent and downright stupid, given the circumstances. I thought Grace’s role was just padding. The story could easily have been told in a linear fashion with just Eleanor and Marie and would have been about 100 pages shorter.
The character I liked the most was relegated to a rather small role: Josie. She’s a spitfire of a girl and very resourceful. I loved every scene she was a part of.
The one that made the least sense to me was Julian – leader of a band of couriers, he’s in France but doesn’t speak French!
Still, the story, which is partly based on true events, moved quickly and was engaging and interesting. A decent vacation read.
airchickee's review
emotional
inspiring
medium-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? Yes
4.25
roseleaf24's review
3.0
This story is engaging, and the history is interesting, but I found the actions of the characters at several points unbelievable... Or if I were to believe them, the characters unlikable. There were other things that felt inconsistent as well.
devansbooklife's review
3.0
3.5 stars
Mild spoilers ahead......
I am sucker for WWII tales. Non-fiction, memoirs, historical fiction, biographies, and even historical books that read like textbooks. Take that and the plot of this tale by Pam Jenoff and it seemed to be a no brainer for me. The audiobook was performed well and did not disappoint. I am certain the book would have only gotten 3 stars out of me if I had only read the book.
The story is delivered in alternating tinelines and from alternating perspectives. You are introduced to Eleanor, the leader of the SOE, Marie, a secret agent of the SOE, and Grace, a secretary in New York who accidentally steals herself into a secret part of history. Grace finds an abandoned suitcase in Grand Central. She ends up taking photos out of it and finds out afterward they belonged to a women killed that day in an pedestrian verses automobile accident. Her interests in the photos lead her to be investigate the woman, Eleanor, and her life.
The SOE dropped women in occupied France to act as spies working with the Frencg resistance. It is based on true events. It provides details of incredible acts of heroism, bravery, and courage.
But..... this fell flat.
I usually love these types of stories. I usually love Pam Jenoff. However, I disliked Marie very much. I found her immature and naive. Too naive for a woman living in the world in the 1930s. There was a small romance in the field that really killed the story for me. Marie didn't behave like a spy or a mother. She felt unreal. Her behavior forced. I understand that many people did things in the war they never would have in other circumstances, but it felt too fictitious. I loved Josie a supporting character and would have liked a book about her. Meanwhile I found Marie slightly insufferable. If there had been less Marie and more about Josie or the gritty, brave actions the SOE agents did I would have likely loved it.
Mild spoilers ahead......
I am sucker for WWII tales. Non-fiction, memoirs, historical fiction, biographies, and even historical books that read like textbooks. Take that and the plot of this tale by Pam Jenoff and it seemed to be a no brainer for me. The audiobook was performed well and did not disappoint. I am certain the book would have only gotten 3 stars out of me if I had only read the book.
The story is delivered in alternating tinelines and from alternating perspectives. You are introduced to Eleanor, the leader of the SOE, Marie, a secret agent of the SOE, and Grace, a secretary in New York who accidentally steals herself into a secret part of history. Grace finds an abandoned suitcase in Grand Central. She ends up taking photos out of it and finds out afterward they belonged to a women killed that day in an pedestrian verses automobile accident. Her interests in the photos lead her to be investigate the woman, Eleanor, and her life.
The SOE dropped women in occupied France to act as spies working with the Frencg resistance. It is based on true events. It provides details of incredible acts of heroism, bravery, and courage.
But..... this fell flat.
I usually love these types of stories. I usually love Pam Jenoff. However, I disliked Marie very much. I found her immature and naive. Too naive for a woman living in the world in the 1930s. There was a small romance in the field that really killed the story for me. Marie didn't behave like a spy or a mother. She felt unreal. Her behavior forced. I understand that many people did things in the war they never would have in other circumstances, but it felt too fictitious. I loved Josie a supporting character and would have liked a book about her. Meanwhile I found Marie slightly insufferable. If there had been less Marie and more about Josie or the gritty, brave actions the SOE agents did I would have likely loved it.