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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
Meh. The characters are one-dimensional and not particularly interesting. The plot is predictable. The adverts for the book claims it's like Hidden Figures, but this book could take place anywhere. It doesn't really get into what was happening at Oakville and it never comes close to touching the disparity in lives of whites and blacks there. Disappointing on many levels.
This book extremely disappointed me. :( it was more romanticized than the actual story. I was hoping it would have been more like the Wives of Los Alamos.
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Look, this was fine. I just didn’t love it. Don’t regret the time I spent listening but also not a favorite.
Enjoyable book that gives the perspective of multiple characters working at the Oak Ridge Labs. From the title I thought there’d be more about the actual work, but the book focuses mostly on romantic entanglements. The sense of place is compelling but the narrative arc isn’t very dramatic and the characters feel a little flat.
2 stars. Didn’t really deliver greatly on history – just wee bits are woven into a fictional story – which I think the author could have done a better job – if not woven a real person’s history from Oak Ridge into the plot. Still, it whets my appetite for more info about Oak Ridge and in the end, was an OK read. This is a coulda/shoulda book with a lot of promise but ended up being unripe fruit at the foot of the tree
What I really turned me off:
- Roughly, only 2 Atomic girls tho the book blurb talks about “hundreds of girls”. And of the two, one is a pointless mean girl character (but she was only mildly atomic-haha). Hundreds of other girls must be referencing spouses of men--spouses who had nothing to do with the Manhattan Project is my guess.
- Joe, and the other characters of color…had potential but the story didn’t even go that deep.
- Sam, again, not sure why his character failed so spectacularly who is paired in a wet noodle romance w/one of the Atomic Girls.
If anything, this could be a screenplay for a TV series – like the Canadian “Bomb Girls” and maybe that’s why it was written or inspired the author?
I won’t recommend to history-loving friends.
What I really turned me off:
- Roughly, only 2 Atomic girls tho the book blurb talks about “hundreds of girls”. And of the two, one is a pointless mean girl character (but she was only mildly atomic-haha). Hundreds of other girls must be referencing spouses of men--spouses who had nothing to do with the Manhattan Project is my guess.
- Joe, and the other characters of color…had potential but the story didn’t even go that deep.
- Sam, again, not sure why his character failed so spectacularly who is paired in a wet noodle romance w/one of the Atomic Girls.
If anything, this could be a screenplay for a TV series – like the Canadian “Bomb Girls” and maybe that’s why it was written or inspired the author?
I won’t recommend to history-loving friends.
I kept waiting for the story to get started and it just never felt like it did. I never cared about any of the characters or what they did.
Audiobook.
Audiobook.
This is an excellent book! Full of interesting people doing amazing things, both heart-breaking and heartwarming. Xe Sands reads it in a delightful and unaffected voice that I found enchanting. The conditions under which all the characters live and work, the crude accommodations, the strict security, and the social stratification are so graphicly drawn, I wish I could ask some of the folks who were there about their experiences. Too late, now. They are gone. But the bomb they made and the progress in atomic energy they jump-started are here with us. Makes you wonder.
Interesting, but not more than three stars. the pictures from the department of energy had no descriptions and were randomly placed through out the book which frankly was just confusing.
Enjoyed this historical fiction - and we skyped with author Janet Beard. A solid book club choice!
Very slow, and the characters weren't too engaging, but fascinating story.