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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
There are many pleasures to be had in this most recent novel by the always interesting Kate Atkinson. Not the least of them is the voice of the narrator, Juliet Armstrong, whose acute observations and wry commentary make the book sometimes laugh-out-loud funny.
This is a Chinese puzzle of a book; it is framed by brief scenes in a hospital in 1981, when Juliet has been hit by a car (no spoiler, this happens in the first couple of pages). It then jumps to 1950, where Juliet is a producer for the BBC Schools Service, and then to 1940, when the then eighteen-year-old Juliet is recruited by MI5, not, to her disappointment, as a bona-fide spy, but for her secretarial skills. Her job is to transcribe meetings between an agent working under cover as a Fifth Columnist and the various fascist agents he has contact with. This happened in real life, and Atkinson tells us in her afterword that the actual transcripts were the inspiration for this novel. But, as Juliet thinks to herself, "History should always have a plot .... How else could you make sense of it?"
However, one of the epigraphs of the novel is a quote by Winston Churchill: "In wartime, truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies." At one point, when she resigns herself to a less exciting job than she had hoped, Juliet thinks to herself "Choice, it seemed, was one of the first casualties of war"; so, of course, if we correct her misquotation, is truth. No one and nothing are quite what they seem: one character tells her "It's all a front, darling," and her internal response is "But then wasn't everything?"
But to focus on the thematic aspects of the work is to take away from its comedy. It is almost a comedy of manners; one pictures the characters in Philip Larkin's "old style hats and coats" acting in a black and white Ealing comedy, with a script by Noel Coward. Hardly a page goes by without an amusing aside or editorial commentary from Juliet's inner voice. One particular favourite is when a pedantic teacher quizzes her on word derivation: "'Hypocaustum from the Ancient Greek - hypo meaning beneath and caust burnt. Which word do you think we get from that?' 'I have no idea,' she said, caustically."
This is not a novel that tells a straight-forward story of wartime derring-do; it is something more complex, but cloaked in a light tone and featuring mishaps and misadventure. Most importantly, it is an exploration of story-telling, of information and mis-information. At a climactic point in the narrative, one character declares "Come now, quite enough of exposition and explanation. We're not approaching the end of a novel, Miss Armstrong." But of course they are.
I was provided an advance copy of this novel by NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
This is a Chinese puzzle of a book; it is framed by brief scenes in a hospital in 1981, when Juliet has been hit by a car (no spoiler, this happens in the first couple of pages). It then jumps to 1950, where Juliet is a producer for the BBC Schools Service, and then to 1940, when the then eighteen-year-old Juliet is recruited by MI5, not, to her disappointment, as a bona-fide spy, but for her secretarial skills. Her job is to transcribe meetings between an agent working under cover as a Fifth Columnist and the various fascist agents he has contact with. This happened in real life, and Atkinson tells us in her afterword that the actual transcripts were the inspiration for this novel. But, as Juliet thinks to herself, "History should always have a plot .... How else could you make sense of it?"
However, one of the epigraphs of the novel is a quote by Winston Churchill: "In wartime, truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies." At one point, when she resigns herself to a less exciting job than she had hoped, Juliet thinks to herself "Choice, it seemed, was one of the first casualties of war"; so, of course, if we correct her misquotation, is truth. No one and nothing are quite what they seem: one character tells her "It's all a front, darling," and her internal response is "But then wasn't everything?"
But to focus on the thematic aspects of the work is to take away from its comedy. It is almost a comedy of manners; one pictures the characters in Philip Larkin's "old style hats and coats" acting in a black and white Ealing comedy, with a script by Noel Coward. Hardly a page goes by without an amusing aside or editorial commentary from Juliet's inner voice. One particular favourite is when a pedantic teacher quizzes her on word derivation: "'Hypocaustum from the Ancient Greek - hypo meaning beneath and caust burnt. Which word do you think we get from that?' 'I have no idea,' she said, caustically."
This is not a novel that tells a straight-forward story of wartime derring-do; it is something more complex, but cloaked in a light tone and featuring mishaps and misadventure. Most importantly, it is an exploration of story-telling, of information and mis-information. At a climactic point in the narrative, one character declares "Come now, quite enough of exposition and explanation. We're not approaching the end of a novel, Miss Armstrong." But of course they are.
I was provided an advance copy of this novel by NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
The twist in the ending is predicated on the narrator choosing a path thirty years before the book closes, and yet nothing in the book demonstrates that she would have any reason to walk down that path. The protagonist in general is somewhat enigmatic but--for all the research the author lists at the conclusion of the novel-- I expect there to be an underpinning motivation, even if it was one that was easily missed in a first readthrough...no such luck!
Transcription was SO GOOD. This spy novel about a woman working with MI-5 was so exciting and interesting! The intertwining stories kept me interested and wanting more from every character. I highly recommend this one!!
2.5 Stars. Rather than dramatic, it was a bit dull, but written as though there was to be something really exciting just around the bend. (But nothing very exciting ever really happened.)
Meh.
I wonder if this would have been better if ik read it vs audio.
There was no tension in this book. More just a recap of events without reactions.
Very matter of fact.
I wonder if this would have been better if ik read it vs audio.
There was no tension in this book. More just a recap of events without reactions.
Very matter of fact.
I really enjoy Atkinson’s writing. Her turn of a phrase. Her “voice”. I love Juliette’s stream of consciousness thoughts. On top of a great spy novel.
I am a fan of Kate Atkinson and I generally don't need much of an excuse to read a piece of historical fiction about WW2 -- especially if it's set in England.
But the thing about England in WW2 is that the setting is so thoroughly overdone at this point that even the best of world building isn't going to keep me interested in its own right. You have to use the set and setting to tell an interesting story. Or at least tell it in a creative way.
The problem with Transcription is that the plot never really builds too far beyond its original premise. And it doesn't substantially build on its setting.
The result is a story that was, to me, quite tedious. When things do start to finally happen, I was already over the whole operation and just looking to get it done with already. It just didn't work for me at all.
But the thing about England in WW2 is that the setting is so thoroughly overdone at this point that even the best of world building isn't going to keep me interested in its own right. You have to use the set and setting to tell an interesting story. Or at least tell it in a creative way.
The problem with Transcription is that the plot never really builds too far beyond its original premise. And it doesn't substantially build on its setting.
The result is a story that was, to me, quite tedious. When things do start to finally happen, I was already over the whole operation and just looking to get it done with already. It just didn't work for me at all.
adventurous
challenging
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I liked the characters, I felt they were well drawn and authentic.
The book kept my interest, but I felt that the ending was a complete non-seqitur. I even reread passages, no details that supported the " reveal"
The book kept my interest, but I felt that the ending was a complete non-seqitur. I even reread passages, no details that supported the " reveal"
Immensely enjoyable novel about a young woman working for MI5 during WW2 to monitor the conversations of British fascists and ensure that any information they had was waylaid to a faux Nazi agent rather than the real deal. Well written & engaging but possibly with not quite the depth and substance of some of her other novels. Did not seem to quite live up to the promise of adventure & conspiracy. But nonetheless almost a 4