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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
3.5 stars (didn’t love the last quarter) but Kate Atkinson will always get a rounding up in my books.
I felt the ending was pretty rushed and I couldn't connect with any of the characters.
I love Kate Atkinson books - her first Behind the scenes at the Museum would be one of my all time favourites.however, I really didn’t like Transcription. I think it was well-researched but ultimately seem to lose its way. The characters lacked interest for me and I felt the twist at the door didn’t make much sense. I’m sure others will disagree but i finished it thinking ‘why did I persevere with it?’ and should have given up on it (I hate not finishing books though!).
Ahhh, it's so easy to read a book from the author you know and like. Kate Atkinson writes both historical fiction and crime novels. I prefer her historical fiction; therefore, I was looking forward to reading Transcription for quite a while. It was actually a blend between historical fiction and spy novel. Set during World War II (1940) and post-war London (1950), we get to follow the adventures of Juliet Armstrong, a young woman recruited for MI5. The book starts off slowly but gets into enough action and suspense about 100 pages in. I have to say it probably had more suspense at times than some of the so-called thrillers I've read recently. The author plays with reader's perception of events until the very end, peeling away the layers of truth from the past and present. Juliet as well gets her fair share of exciting situations, sometimes starting to believe she's imagining things.
I have to say that this novel lacked some smoothness that I'm used to in Atkinson's historical fiction. But I respect her openness about historical accuracy and true stories behind her characters and plot ideas. It kinda adds that little something to the book.
I have to say that this novel lacked some smoothness that I'm used to in Atkinson's historical fiction. But I respect her openness about historical accuracy and true stories behind her characters and plot ideas. It kinda adds that little something to the book.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
I wanted to love this book because I’ve thoroughly enjoyed other books by Kate Atkinson. One false start and a later full read later, I have to say I didn’t love it. There were engaging plot aspects and some surprises. The long sections of transcription interfered, I think, with the flow of the more interesting story.
A decent read about a part of WWII we don't often consider, the MI15 in Britain. But maybe too many characters to follow and too subtle a plot twist for my taste...
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I read this in 2018 but apparently almost none of it stuck with me. My review from 2018 says I was mostly overcome by the sheer melancholy of the plot by the end, but this time around I enjoyed the contemplative trauma of it all. I really love the way Kate Atkinson approaches WWII and its aftermath on the regular people of Britain, and there are a couple of twists at the end that I was not a good enough detective to anticipate.
Transcription, by Kate Atkinson is a strong novel about the long enduring consequences of war. Juliet Armstrong worked for the British M15 division of WWII, and set in a reverse timeline we uncover who Juliet has been and the decisions she has made at various points in her life. Although at points I found this book to be a bit confusing and uninteresting, the book was extremely well written and in the right hands would be a powerful book about the extraordinary things people were forced to do during the war.
*Thank you to NetGalley and LittleBrown for the advanced readers copy of this book, #Transcription #NetGalley
*Thank you to NetGalley and LittleBrown for the advanced readers copy of this book, #Transcription #NetGalley