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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
This book is for British people. Half of what this writer wrote in this book didn't make sense to this American. Although I love WWII books, this book fell very flat in my opinion... And barely about WWII.
The author seemed to jump around a lot, which made it confusing to begin with. Also, there's a whole myriad of characters that the reader is made to keep up with. I literally had to keep a piece of notebook paper with me to refer back to all the time.
There were a few redeeming parts that had my interest piqued, but not enough to give it more than 1 star.
Had this book not been for a book club, I would have abandoned it after 100 pages.
The author seemed to jump around a lot, which made it confusing to begin with. Also, there's a whole myriad of characters that the reader is made to keep up with. I literally had to keep a piece of notebook paper with me to refer back to all the time.
There were a few redeeming parts that had my interest piqued, but not enough to give it more than 1 star.
Had this book not been for a book club, I would have abandoned it after 100 pages.
Fun fast read with interesting characters. I always enjoy books that switch back and forth between time periods and find the stories about spies during WWII fascinating.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Kate Atkinson never fails me. Another book to treasure, and so very different from the others I have loved. She takes us to London during the 40s and 50s and, even though she confesses to “making things up”, she captures the feel of the period, and especially illuminates some of the real headlines of those days.
DNF at around 60%. I feel like I can’t give an accurate rating since I didn’t finish, but this one wasn’t for me.
I absolutely loved this book. I’m a huge fan of historical novels and the peek into the works of MI5 was fantastically interesting. My only note to readers is to pay attention! I often found myself having to go back due to all of the aliases and time frame leaps.
Build wasn't great, the ending felt out of sync with the rest of the book.
adventurous
informative
mysterious
slow-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:
Complicated
informative
tense
slow-paced
I think the plot here has so much potential, but could have been executed better. The spy storyline sounds engaging but wasn’t pulled off. This is a shame as Kate Atkinson’s Life After Life is one of my favourites.
I've had Atkinson's "Life After Life" on my to-read for years so I was pleased to get this for Christmas, and to experience her writing for the first time. I was not disappointed.
Transcription tells a story that spans 4 decades, beginning when Juliet ("Miss Armstrong") is recruited by M15 to assist the war effort... Atkinson deftly weaves a story of loyalty, betrayal, and intrigue.
Transcription tells a story that spans 4 decades, beginning when Juliet ("Miss Armstrong") is recruited by M15 to assist the war effort... Atkinson deftly weaves a story of loyalty, betrayal, and intrigue.