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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
Interesting writing style and topic but the plot didn't come together for me.
The fact is, I just love the way Atkinson writes - her characterization and the voice that she gives each person in a novel is so vivid. I love it. So, when the main character is a plucky (if naive) young woman who becomes a WWII spy, and said young woman has a tendency to quote and refer to Shakespeare... it’s catnip to me. I literally laughed out loud several times at her internal monologue - not something you get in a WWII novel very often.
I heard someone describe the ending as “unearned,” and I can get behind that sentiment. I was totally surprised, but not in that “So clever, if I look back I can see all the clues in retrospect” way. More in the “Whaaaa...” way. That said: I still enjoyed the hell out of it, and it was still one of my favorite reads this year. Sue me.
I heard someone describe the ending as “unearned,” and I can get behind that sentiment. I was totally surprised, but not in that “So clever, if I look back I can see all the clues in retrospect” way. More in the “Whaaaa...” way. That said: I still enjoyed the hell out of it, and it was still one of my favorite reads this year. Sue me.
challenging
mysterious
slow-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
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
I listened to the whole book, but it was often confusing. Too many characters to keep track of, and I just didn't connect with the main character.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
medium-paced
Hitler was collecting countries like stamps. How long before he had the full set? Transcription by Kate Atkinson
I was swept into Transcription, enthralled with Kate Atkinson's atmospheric and witty writing, the recreation of England during the rise of Hitler, and the espionage ring with its vivid characters and uncertain alliances.
The novel opens in 1950 with twenty-eight-year-old Juliet working in post-war London for the BBC.
"There was a better life somewhere, Juliet supposed, if only she could be bothered to find it." Transcription by Kate Atkinson
Julie fingers her necklace of pearls, which she admits she took off a dead woman who was heavier to lift than she looked. We learn that Julie tells lies to strangers. She sees a man she used to know by two names, who tells her "I think you have confused me with someone else." And in a local cafe, a strange man observes her "in a way that was extremely disconcerting." Julie reflects on her time with MI5 during the war ten years previous, when she was a transcriptionist typing recordings of traitorous conversations.
Juliet's life working for MI5 alternates between boredom and mystery. She is never completely filled in on the operations, merely does as she is told. She drifts along with whatever comes, even into a mock engagement with a coworker who shows no physical interest in her. She is given a fake identity as part of a sting operation. She is a natural liar and playactor.
The future of England at stake, with Fascists sympathizers and Communist sympathizers and loyal royalists endeavoring for the prize.
This England, is it worth fighting for? Transcription by Kate Atkinson
The novel ends with unexpected turns of events.
"It was all such a waste of breath. War and peace. Peace and war. It would go on forever without end." Transcription by Kate Atkinson
I am so happy to have finally read Atkinson. I can't wait to get a hold of her previous books.
I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
I was swept into Transcription, enthralled with Kate Atkinson's atmospheric and witty writing, the recreation of England during the rise of Hitler, and the espionage ring with its vivid characters and uncertain alliances.
The novel opens in 1950 with twenty-eight-year-old Juliet working in post-war London for the BBC.
"There was a better life somewhere, Juliet supposed, if only she could be bothered to find it." Transcription by Kate Atkinson
Julie fingers her necklace of pearls, which she admits she took off a dead woman who was heavier to lift than she looked. We learn that Julie tells lies to strangers. She sees a man she used to know by two names, who tells her "I think you have confused me with someone else." And in a local cafe, a strange man observes her "in a way that was extremely disconcerting." Julie reflects on her time with MI5 during the war ten years previous, when she was a transcriptionist typing recordings of traitorous conversations.
Juliet's life working for MI5 alternates between boredom and mystery. She is never completely filled in on the operations, merely does as she is told. She drifts along with whatever comes, even into a mock engagement with a coworker who shows no physical interest in her. She is given a fake identity as part of a sting operation. She is a natural liar and playactor.
The future of England at stake, with Fascists sympathizers and Communist sympathizers and loyal royalists endeavoring for the prize.
This England, is it worth fighting for? Transcription by Kate Atkinson
The novel ends with unexpected turns of events.
"It was all such a waste of breath. War and peace. Peace and war. It would go on forever without end." Transcription by Kate Atkinson
I am so happy to have finally read Atkinson. I can't wait to get a hold of her previous books.
I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
Wederom een prachtig boek van Kate Atkinson (Life after life staat heel hoog in mijn lijstje beste boeken). Er wordt wat minder met de tijd gespeeld dan in dat boek, maar met hoofdstukken '1981', '1950', '1940', '1950', etc wordt het hele verhaal mooi vormgegeven. Sommige hoofdstukken verwijzen naar dingen die eerder zijn gebeurd, maar later worden beschreven, en sommigen eindigen met een echte cliffhanger (waarna de tijd weer naar het heden vooruit schiet). Plot: spionnen, tweede wereldoorlog, BBC, en uiteindelijk toch een fijn onverwachte plotwending (en veel zinnen tussen haakjes)
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes