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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
I love spy novels, and Transcription instantly piqued my interest and kept a firm grasp on it with the things that set it apart from the vast majority of other books in the genre. Namely:
A female protagonist.
A setting (mostly) away from the action, in this case WWII London, taking place mostly before the Blitz, and ten years later.
And slow burn rather than the overstuffed action of many thrillers in the genre.
But rather than just being a spy novel, Transcription also has great depth, with characters that come alive off the page and scenes detailed with a fine point. Protagonist Juliet, thrust into the world of espionage, staunchly keeps her wits about her throughout the drudgery and the danger of both the war and the world of the BBC. All this is bolstered by Atkinson’s research in the archives of MI5 and plenty of resources about the war and the BBC, as discussed in the author’s note. Overall, this book is fantastic, and I plan on buying a copy when it is released and recommending it to many people.
A female protagonist.
A setting (mostly) away from the action, in this case WWII London, taking place mostly before the Blitz, and ten years later.
And slow burn rather than the overstuffed action of many thrillers in the genre.
But rather than just being a spy novel, Transcription also has great depth, with characters that come alive off the page and scenes detailed with a fine point. Protagonist Juliet, thrust into the world of espionage, staunchly keeps her wits about her throughout the drudgery and the danger of both the war and the world of the BBC. All this is bolstered by Atkinson’s research in the archives of MI5 and plenty of resources about the war and the BBC, as discussed in the author’s note. Overall, this book is fantastic, and I plan on buying a copy when it is released and recommending it to many people.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I like Kate Atkinson's writing, it makes me excited to dive into her backlist.
Juliet was a great unreliable narrator, there were little things in the story about here and there that made me not fully trust her. Each character was well done, I could completely see them in my mind. The only drawback for me was that I wanted more explanations, I know that there are things that are left in the dark on purpose but I wanted more answers, like was her getting hit by the car a setup, or was it an accident?? And the double agent reveal, love it!
Juliet was a great unreliable narrator, there were little things in the story about here and there that made me not fully trust her. Each character was well done, I could completely see them in my mind. The only drawback for me was that I wanted more explanations, I know that there are things that are left in the dark on purpose but I wanted more answers, like was her getting hit by the car a setup, or was it an accident?? And the double agent reveal, love it!
Big fan of Atkinson - but this one, or my mood for it, did not mesh. The characters felt too contained by their circumstance and personalities. They were not interesting to me.
Rare Birds Book Club
This was my first Kate Atkinson book, and I have to agree with some that I was a little underwhelmed. I found the writing style a little slow paced for my liking, and continually got confused between Perry and Toby as I just didn’t get that engaged with the characters. I’ve not long since seen Red Joan at the cinema and it very much reminded me of that story, but I felt Juliet was cold and distant, and really the only character I was rooting for was Cyril! I did enjoy the double-agent twist, and laughed out loud at the line about hurrying up because we’re getting to the end of the novel!, but in truth that was very much how it felt to me. I will still probably look to pick up another KA book, but maybe not for a little while
This was my first Kate Atkinson book, and I have to agree with some that I was a little underwhelmed. I found the writing style a little slow paced for my liking, and continually got confused between Perry and Toby as I just didn’t get that engaged with the characters. I’ve not long since seen Red Joan at the cinema and it very much reminded me of that story, but I felt Juliet was cold and distant, and really the only character I was rooting for was Cyril! I did enjoy the double-agent twist, and laughed out loud at the line about hurrying up because we’re getting to the end of the novel!, but in truth that was very much how it felt to me. I will still probably look to pick up another KA book, but maybe not for a little while
Quirky and spunky protagonist living in an interesting time and place and doing several types of spy work. Enjoyable but a little too long.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
informative
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