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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
I wanted to like it more than I did and was hoping that more of the book actually took place in Burkina Faso.
A perfectly fine spy novel, I guess. I don't read spy novels - this was recommended by the sort-of book club I'm sort-of in. I probably liked this better than I would enjoyed a more traditional (White) spy novel, but it didn't really suck me in, and I didn't feel like the stated purpose of the writing matched the style. The best part for me was the time spent in Burkina Faso and the discussion of the political theories and practices in Africa.
This review is probably most useful for folks who don't read spy novels and think this might transcend the genre. Other than the novelty (for spy novels) of the protagonist and location, I don't think it does.
This review is probably most useful for folks who don't read spy novels and think this might transcend the genre. Other than the novelty (for spy novels) of the protagonist and location, I don't think it does.
3.5 is more accurate. I really, really enjoyed this book, but - to borrow one of my BFFs terms - it sort of petered out. I was surprised by how abrupt the ending was. I appreciate the story of Marie and her complicated, but not broken or typical in any means, family. There were rich characters and backgrounds, and the way the author wrote about Africa was breathtaking.
Genuine question:
Genuine question:
Spoiler
did anyone else miss that her sons were twins? I did, so I was certain that Thomas Senkara was not actually dead for quite a while. Although this was my own doing, it was still a let down.
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A highly engaging spy novel with excellent characters that deals with imperialism, gender, race, and other issues with depth beyond what I’d usually expect from the genre.
This felt like it ended too soon? Idk it's missing something. I wanted to know what happened to her after she left her kids. Did she die? Did she end it and live?
Given the thread in which I found this book, I was expecting more espionage and more intrigue. This is almost all character development. 3.5
3.75 Rounded up to 4. I love the premise and power of this book, a badass black female American spy in the 70s/80s writing a journal to her children about her life after they have to flee the US when someone has attacked her in the night.
"It has never earned me anything to share my darker self with other people. The only anger I ever expose to the world is through implication, by suggesting that I'm on the brink of no longer being able to contain my fury. That is what a woman's strength looks like with it is palatable. Like she is containing herself."
There was so much to love about this book, the storyline and background about the FBI and CIA's involvement in politics in Africa during that time period, a black woman heroine claiming her power and badassery, so much culture that I really have no clue about. I loved the concept that mothering is revolutionary.
But some also fell flat for me too. I felt the pacing was a little slow and disjointed and in the end, I didn't CARE enough about Marie to really care about her story. Perhaps it was because she was writing to her children so necessarily withheld portions of herself like you would to protect, but because of that, her character felt cold and distant and instead of feeling like part of her story, I felt like an outsider having found this journal on the street and not connecting it to a real person.
The intrigue was...intriguing, but the characters less so.
Mad props to Bahni Turpin though who is an AMAZING narrator and probably kept me going through this book when I would have put it down had I been reading it with my eyes instead of my ears.
"It has never earned me anything to share my darker self with other people. The only anger I ever expose to the world is through implication, by suggesting that I'm on the brink of no longer being able to contain my fury. That is what a woman's strength looks like with it is palatable. Like she is containing herself."
There was so much to love about this book, the storyline and background about the FBI and CIA's involvement in politics in Africa during that time period, a black woman heroine claiming her power and badassery, so much culture that I really have no clue about. I loved the concept that mothering is revolutionary.
But some also fell flat for me too. I felt the pacing was a little slow and disjointed and in the end, I didn't CARE enough about Marie to really care about her story. Perhaps it was because she was writing to her children so necessarily withheld portions of herself like you would to protect, but because of that, her character felt cold and distant and instead of feeling like part of her story, I felt like an outsider having found this journal on the street and not connecting it to a real person.
The intrigue was...intriguing, but the characters less so.
Mad props to Bahni Turpin though who is an AMAZING narrator and probably kept me going through this book when I would have put it down had I been reading it with my eyes instead of my ears.
A fast faced and enjoyable book, but wish that the relationships between Marie and her family were explored more.