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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
In 2012, the BBC aired a period war drama called “Restless”, which I watched and enjoyed- although I didn’t catch the final episode. Because I was working in a shop which sells books at the time, I soon realised this drama was based on a book (like most good films and tv shows), and immediately wanted to read it. Well I finally have and all I can say is that I never realised I had such a thirst for World War 2 fiction or spy novels. Restless follows two point of views. The first is the “present day” of 1976, following a woman named Ruth who visits her mother once a week and notices that her mother is acting oddly, pretending to need a wheelchair, altering her appearance, watching the woods behind her house through binoculars. Her mum, Sally, then hands her a mass of papers claiming that her name is actually Eva and she has a bit of an interesting background. The second perspective, follows the events of Eva’s war-time, which she spent working as an operative for the British Government. As the story unfolds, it is full of double and triple-bluffs with classic red herrings galore, so that by the end, you’ve little idea who to actually trust- just like Eva. I spent most of this book on edge holding my breath, waiting for her to get caught. I got completely caught up in it.
This was my first time reading Boyd, and all I can say is that I really enjoyed this book. I didn’t give it five stars because sometimes I found the daughter’s story boring and spent most of her chapters wishing the book just stayed with Ruth in the 1940s the whole time. This was such a good read though. I recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys: World War 2 fiction, mystery and spy novels.
For more of my reviews, please visit The Book Heap: http://thebookheap.wordpress.com/
This was my first time reading Boyd, and all I can say is that I really enjoyed this book. I didn’t give it five stars because sometimes I found the daughter’s story boring and spent most of her chapters wishing the book just stayed with Ruth in the 1940s the whole time. This was such a good read though. I recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys: World War 2 fiction, mystery and spy novels.
For more of my reviews, please visit The Book Heap: http://thebookheap.wordpress.com/
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This one took me a little while to get into but once I did I found it very compelling. I found Eva’s story from WWII more interesting than the “present day” story (which is set in 1976) but the way they eventually intertwine is pretty satisfying and I liked the character of Ruth a lot. The spook stuff was all pretty fascinating and I had no idea about the activities of the British secret service in the US prior to Pearl Harbour, so it was good to learn a bit more about all that. I will definitely seek out more from this author.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
adventurous
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
At first, I found Restless quite slow going and was really disappointed having read Any Human Heart (a wonderful book) earlier this year. However, towards the middle the book picked up spectacularly and I found it hard to put down. It has definitely made me want to read more about British spy activity in WWII.
I kept getting it in my head that I didn't like this author, but I finally figured out I had him confused with two other authors with similar names whose works I can't stand. I'm glad I got that cleared up, because this book is a real Oscar Mayer. I'm looking forward to reading more from William Boyd very soon.
adventurous
informative
medium-paced