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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Loved this book! Great characters! Excellent plot! The writing isn’t super fantastic —- it’s not strikingly written, but the story was so interesting and fun! Highly recommend!
WWII in Portugal- Lara is working behind the scenes for the British intelligence agency.
WWII in Portugal- Lara is working behind the scenes for the British intelligence agency.
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Book club pick. It was fine, but the market is saturated with WWII historical fiction and I was hoping for something that gave us a better feel for the experience in Portugal, rather than just another British spy novel.
dark
emotional
funny
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-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
I struggled to finish this one, but kept hoping it would get better. Disappointingly, it did not.
An easy, fairly fast-paced read, but the characters and their dialogue make this book feel more like a romantic comedy that takes place while WWII happens to be going on. The lightness with which the characters take their little escapades, while so many others are suffering, kept taking me out of the period that this is supposed to be taking place. At one point, I had to flip back to the second chapter to find out exactly what year it was supposed to be. For an historical fiction book, I like being transported to the time the book is set in, but this lacked all of the historical goodness.
I also felt completely fooled by the book title and blurb. You would think the bookstore would play a much bigger role, but it really doesn't. This book could truly be set anywhere and anytime as long as you remove the word "Nazi" from it. So very disappointing that this is called historical fiction.
Lastly, the main character, Lara, is completely unlikable and self-centered. There is a war taking place, and all she can think about is how she doesn't get to be an actress. Or how upsetting and unfair it is that she is separated from her new love because of this silly war taking place.
An easy, fairly fast-paced read, but the characters and their dialogue make this book feel more like a romantic comedy that takes place while WWII happens to be going on. The lightness with which the characters take their little escapades, while so many others are suffering, kept taking me out of the period that this is supposed to be taking place. At one point, I had to flip back to the second chapter to find out exactly what year it was supposed to be. For an historical fiction book, I like being transported to the time the book is set in, but this lacked all of the historical goodness.
I also felt completely fooled by the book title and blurb. You would think the bookstore would play a much bigger role, but it really doesn't. This book could truly be set anywhere and anytime as long as you remove the word "Nazi" from it. So very disappointing that this is called historical fiction.
Lastly, the main character, Lara, is completely unlikable and self-centered. There is a war taking place, and all she can think about is how she doesn't get to be an actress. Or how upsetting and unfair it is that she is separated from her new love because of this silly war taking place.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Violence, Alcohol
Minor: War
As much as I love WWII historical fiction, I'm not loving this lighthearted cozy story of events enough to finish.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
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:
No