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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
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:
Complicated
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I accidentally stumbled upon this book on Storytel as I was looking for books on the Manhattan Project. It's a fictional story where a young girl joins the band of women who worked at the Oak Ridge plant on the nuclear bomb that would end WWII. This short story also touches upon the prevalent issues or race, class and gender at that time.
It was an enjoyable novel but not one of the most lasting ones in my mind. Hence, 3/5 stars.
It was an enjoyable novel but not one of the most lasting ones in my mind. Hence, 3/5 stars.
20/4 - This was only so-so. I think that whoever included the uncaptioned photos made a mistake because in quite a few of them it was unclear what we were looking at (kind of like looking at a now deceased relative's old photos and trying to work out where they were taken and who the people in them are without the relative's input).
Of the four main characters only one was sympathetic, but even then I didn't really enjoy reading his chapters because he was a black man working in a very white world and his story made me angry and/or depressed. It was a trial of my patience to read Cici's chapters because of her single-minded desire to climb the social ladder because where she came from wasn't good enough and I was very glad when she disappeared for most of the middle and end of the book, but Sam the drunk and June the boring weren't much better. Reading back on what I've written so far you might be wondering why I've given it two stars, instead of one. The writing was fine and there were no editing errors that I could see (high praise that is) and I try to save my one stars for books that hit the trifecta of bad - writing, plot and characters.
I think I would have been better off reading a non-fiction on this topic, because my favourite part of the book was at the beginning when Beard was going into more detail about Oak Ridge and what work the women were unknowingly doing there. If there isn't a non-fiction book on the topic I think I'll see what trusty Wikipedia has to offer.
Of the four main characters only one was sympathetic, but even then I didn't really enjoy reading his chapters because he was a black man working in a very white world and his story made me angry and/or depressed. It was a trial of my patience to read Cici's chapters because of her single-minded desire to climb the social ladder because where she came from wasn't good enough and I was very glad when she disappeared for most of the middle and end of the book, but Sam the drunk and June the boring weren't much better. Reading back on what I've written so far you might be wondering why I've given it two stars, instead of one. The writing was fine and there were no editing errors that I could see (high praise that is) and I try to save my one stars for books that hit the trifecta of bad - writing, plot and characters.
I think I would have been better off reading a non-fiction on this topic, because my favourite part of the book was at the beginning when Beard was going into more detail about Oak Ridge and what work the women were unknowingly doing there. If there isn't a non-fiction book on the topic I think I'll see what trusty Wikipedia has to offer.
I'll admit that I can't speak to the historical accuracy of this book, but I will say that The Atomic City Girls presented an intriguing subject matter in an enjoyable story.
There were a few instances where the wording would have felt more authentic to the time period if slight modifications were made (such as using "uncomfortable" instead of "awkward"), but this wasn't too bothersome overall.
There were a few instances where the wording would have felt more authentic to the time period if slight modifications were made (such as using "uncomfortable" instead of "awkward"), but this wasn't too bothersome overall.
I'm discovering that I'm not a huge fan of books that have the story told through more than two perspectives. It takes me a while to get used to each one, and i have had had trauma so it's hard to remember whose storyline is saying what.
I'm not sure if this book has a show start, or if it just seemed that way because it took probably eight chapters to get the hang of the characters!
It's an interesting story, one i wish i knew more about. There's a nonfiction version of this, i believe, that i may have to read.
I'm not sure if this book has a show start, or if it just seemed that way because it took probably eight chapters to get the hang of the characters!
It's an interesting story, one i wish i knew more about. There's a nonfiction version of this, i believe, that i may have to read.
I received this book free via Goodreads giveaways.
I really liked the multiple storylines. It gave the historical background more depth.
I really liked the multiple storylines. It gave the historical background more depth.
This was a quick read, enjoyable and a topic I have not read much about. But the characters lacked development and it they seemed bland and I think the book will be one I will soon forget about. But I may seek out some non-fictional books about the “Atomic city”
emotional
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
emotional
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes