Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
I would have rated this book one star higher, but it got a little too saccharine for my taste near the end. I'm all in favor of happy endings, but if you have to beat me over the head with an uplifting message then you must not have successfully gotten it across throughout the rest of the book.
For those who like Hallmark movies, this is right up your alley. If you're a fan of true historical fiction, it's a stretch. While it was more romancey than I usually read, I still found this book interesting in that it did give a perspective on what life was like in London during the Blitz.
Ugh...the writing was bad... not just bad but BAD. Very basic, very shallow and choppy. It was like eating chocolate you expect to be Ghiradelli and it ends up being the knock off chocolate from the dollar store.... way too sweet and without any substance. If you like a story with a predicable ending, this is your book."
I'm not sure what I expected, but definitely not a book that had such a simple plot and really no surprises at all. Pretty much everything was foreseeable. The idea itself interested me, and the extremely high rating sold me on giving it a go, but as it went along I kind of just lost interest. After finishing it, I checked to see if it was a YA book (which apparently it isn't). All in all it was okay, but not something I'd recommend.
Usually a sucker for WW2 Historical Fiction but just found this flat and the writing a bit formal.
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The overall storyline was engaging and the characters lovable, but the pacing felt uneven, skipping ahead months or even years in a matter of paragraphs. I also found the love story hard to believe and feeling flat, as much of the development of that relationship happens off the page.
A British cozy, the story of the blitz in London. Real characters and situations, a very British book.
For those who enjoy World War II historical fiction, this is a very enjoyable read. Readers will delight in the developing plot. For my personal taste, it wasn't quite important enough. Its not likely to win the big literary awards but it made me feel and I genuinely appreciated the writing and story.
Structurally Martin does a terrific job at introducing the characters, setting the scene, developing minor tensions that build over time. The characters, even the grumpy ones, are believable and likeable. I'm guessing, but I would imagine Martin outlined before she began drafting. It feels tightly constructed.
She obviously did heaps of research on World War II's devasting effects on London and only occasionally and very briefly, did those facts feel like facts. Mostly they wove into the story seamlessly. She has years of bombings and fires to describe which is difficult to do and keep it compelling and heart-pounding. I felt like it was always compelling, and at times heart-pounding. But it never felt gratuitous or exaggerated--certainly never tedious or boring.
The love story is minor and while necessary to the story, I found it the weakest element of the book. It develops in a flash and feels a bit unbelieveable to me. We know very little about George, nor does Grace, the protagonist. I do believe there were couples who impulsively met and and coupled in the months before WWII in this way, but it seems a bit far-fetched today. But its fun to believe in the power of love and so I didn't mind suspending belief.
If you like stories that have strong plots but aren't so tense that your stomach is in knots, this will probably work for you. If you like stories of female friendship and strength, this has that too. It is mostly a joyful and hopeful story with some believably sad moments.
When it brought me to tears, I didn't feel manipulated as I did with A Man Called Ove. I was sharing the emotions of the protagonist. I think this a strong testament to the writing. In fact, I'm quite impressed with Madeline Martin's writing. Personally, I would have liked to slow the pacing down slightly and to spend more time in her scenes with her characters. But alas, publishers like writers to rush.
I am generally very critical of contemporary fiction. I don't think this is a 5-star in the same league as a non-fiction 5-star nor a classic 5-star. In fact, even within contemporary fiction, it's probably a 4.8, not truly 5-stars. But those are not hairs I can split here on Goodreads. Thus, it gets 5 stars. I found myself thinking about it between reading sessions, wanting urgently to return to it. When I had my last chapters to read I raced through them in one sitting. It made me feel good about being a reader and boosted my sense or obligation to think of others. I encourage you to read it.
Structurally Martin does a terrific job at introducing the characters, setting the scene, developing minor tensions that build over time. The characters, even the grumpy ones, are believable and likeable. I'm guessing, but I would imagine Martin outlined before she began drafting. It feels tightly constructed.
She obviously did heaps of research on World War II's devasting effects on London and only occasionally and very briefly, did those facts feel like facts. Mostly they wove into the story seamlessly. She has years of bombings and fires to describe which is difficult to do and keep it compelling and heart-pounding. I felt like it was always compelling, and at times heart-pounding. But it never felt gratuitous or exaggerated--certainly never tedious or boring.
The love story is minor and while necessary to the story, I found it the weakest element of the book. It develops in a flash and feels a bit unbelieveable to me. We know very little about George, nor does Grace, the protagonist. I do believe there were couples who impulsively met and and coupled in the months before WWII in this way, but it seems a bit far-fetched today. But its fun to believe in the power of love and so I didn't mind suspending belief.
If you like stories that have strong plots but aren't so tense that your stomach is in knots, this will probably work for you. If you like stories of female friendship and strength, this has that too. It is mostly a joyful and hopeful story with some believably sad moments.
When it brought me to tears, I didn't feel manipulated as I did with A Man Called Ove. I was sharing the emotions of the protagonist. I think this a strong testament to the writing. In fact, I'm quite impressed with Madeline Martin's writing. Personally, I would have liked to slow the pacing down slightly and to spend more time in her scenes with her characters. But alas, publishers like writers to rush.
I am generally very critical of contemporary fiction. I don't think this is a 5-star in the same league as a non-fiction 5-star nor a classic 5-star. In fact, even within contemporary fiction, it's probably a 4.8, not truly 5-stars. But those are not hairs I can split here on Goodreads. Thus, it gets 5 stars. I found myself thinking about it between reading sessions, wanting urgently to return to it. When I had my last chapters to read I raced through them in one sitting. It made me feel good about being a reader and boosted my sense or obligation to think of others. I encourage you to read it.
The story and writing style were a solid 3ish for me, both being a little too saccharine sweet for WW2 historical fiction. But for me, this book was more about a collective love of reading and where books can take readers, than it was about anything else. It was about using books as an escape, and how books speak to all our senses (have you ever smelled a book when you first open it?). The emotional aspect of reading has never been more well defined than it was in this book.