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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
I really…. really did not enjoy this. I don’t mind historical fiction but to me calling this a historical fiction is a big stretch.
This author reduced her main character to a people-pleasing, naive, simple girl with a vain, power hungry roommate. The plot moved so far away from the actual history (which is really cool by the way) to really a weird, poorly written dating show. I couldn’t stand listening to the way June tried over and over again to be the girl her partner saw her as. I was so bored 1/3 of the way through the story, I really did not care about any of the characters by the end If the book.
We can blame the timeframe but to me, this was such a poor lens to view this history through. The characters (especially the minor characters- the few characters of color) were only plot devices and not fully realized. Just overall disappointing and would not read or recommend for others to read.
This author reduced her main character to a people-pleasing, naive, simple girl with a vain, power hungry roommate. The plot moved so far away from the actual history (which is really cool by the way) to really a weird, poorly written dating show. I couldn’t stand listening to the way June tried over and over again to be the girl her partner saw her as. I was so bored 1/3 of the way through the story, I really did not care about any of the characters by the end If the book.
We can blame the timeframe but to me, this was such a poor lens to view this history through. The characters (especially the minor characters- the few characters of color) were only plot devices and not fully realized. Just overall disappointing and would not read or recommend for others to read.
medium-paced
informative
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It was okay. I actually was pleasantly surprised by the June/Sam ending and the ways in which the plot lines crossed. However, the actual endings themselves felt pretty inconclusive and thrown away. The plot really focused on June and Sam, and the other characters were not given the same development. All of their endings felt like throw away endings imo. Also just not that interested in the Manhattan project.
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The book has a slow start but everything wraps up neatly in the end. The story centers around 4 characters: June, Sam, Joe and Cici and their lives at Oak Ridge leading up to the dropping of the Atomic bomb and end of WWII. In the first couple chapters there seems to be a lot of unnecessary detail that weighs down the story. The ending which is more plot driven felt more fast paced. I liked that the book provides an epilogue telling you how each character ends off post war.
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a somber book. It didn't end happy and almost no good things happened to the characters. Cecelia was awful, Joe had nothing good, and June really got the short end of the stick. It was a horny book and I didn't appreciate the implied noncon with June. She didn't seem to have consented to sex with Sam except maybe once. But they slept together tons of times in the book. Sad
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Antisemitism, Sexual harassment, War
The Atomic City Girls wasn't anything special.
It wasn't terrible. It was far from great.
I kept waiting for something to happen, and then when it inevitably happened... it really felt like it hadn't happened at all. It was incredibly slow paced, and absolutely dull.
How do you take an event like dropping an atomic bomb on two cities sound boring? How do you make it about a half-developed love story between a scientist and an "atomic city girl?"
The potential that this book had blows my mind, but unfortunately, it was squandered.
The narrative follows four people, two "atomic girls" and two men. I would have liked to see just one perspective. One of the perspectives, Joe, a construction worker (I think) is almost completely unimportant to the progression of the story, because the crescendo involves him overhearing a big secret and THAT IS ALL. He did not need to be a main personality. His best friend dies and it's as simple as "yeah he was stabbed" and then emotions. All of the narratives were handled badly, but poor Joe got the worst of it.
Sam the Scientist was insufferable. Cici and June were the most fleshed out characters, but not enough to redeem the entire book.
There is a tiny bit of science thrown in that makes sense (I'm not a scientist) and that was the most interesting part. Four throwaway sentences of science was the highlight. I'm not joking.
I would not recommend it because I was so disappointed.
It wasn't terrible. It was far from great.
I kept waiting for something to happen, and then when it inevitably happened... it really felt like it hadn't happened at all. It was incredibly slow paced, and absolutely dull.
How do you take an event like dropping an atomic bomb on two cities sound boring? How do you make it about a half-developed love story between a scientist and an "atomic city girl?"
The potential that this book had blows my mind, but unfortunately, it was squandered.
The narrative follows four people, two "atomic girls" and two men. I would have liked to see just one perspective. One of the perspectives, Joe, a construction worker (I think) is almost completely unimportant to the progression of the story, because the crescendo involves him overhearing a big secret and THAT IS ALL. He did not need to be a main personality. His best friend dies and it's as simple as "yeah he was stabbed" and then emotions. All of the narratives were handled badly, but poor Joe got the worst of it.
Sam the Scientist was insufferable. Cici and June were the most fleshed out characters, but not enough to redeem the entire book.
There is a tiny bit of science thrown in that makes sense (I'm not a scientist) and that was the most interesting part. Four throwaway sentences of science was the highlight. I'm not joking.
I would not recommend it because I was so disappointed.
Great premise for a story, but the narratives of the main characters barely fit together. Poorly executed and two-dimensional.
Easy, mostly enjoyable reading about a fascinating point in time, though felt the end was rather abrupt. Loved having the historical photos. All in all, reading this definitely piqued my interest to learn more.