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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
A literary thriller that's far more comfortable and enjoyable on the thriller half of the equation.
Loved the first half of this book, then it fell flat for me. Unlike some other reviewers, I enjoyed the narrative voice - Wilkinson went for self-assured, self-knowing clarity, and it felt vivid and believable. It especially went to good use on the topic of being a black woman, both in general in the white man's world, and in particular the very specific white man's world of the FBI. Unfortunately, the actual spy stuff in the second half seemed full of holes. But overall enjoyable, and I'll still read her next book.
I'm not usually a fan of spy novels, but this one was a completely different perspective. Marie was an honest, sparse narrator. I was just a little confused about Helene's motivations throughout the book; I wish that had been fleshed out more.
Loved it, slow-moving at times but built slowly and the final pages had me in tears.
This book was hard for me to get through - I am not sure if maybe spy books are just not my genre, but I didn't like the narrative style (journal letters to her sons) and the story was not engaging for me. I appreciated the political context of the story, but it didn't really drive the plot. The high-pace espionage piece of it seemed to abruptly happen at the end and maybe that was the point of the story, but it just didn't do it for me.
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
This is a great introductory book for Lauren Wilkinson. I honestly think a movie could be based off this book.
It’s a effortless read and it is a page turner. However, it is not a thriller. It reads like a memoir. But the writing is really good because I could follow as she flipped back and forth through the years in not in chronological order. It’s the best fiction book I’ve read in a while.
The book walks through the normal life of a black FBI agent in the 80’s. She faced sexism, covered racism and she was overlooked for opportunities because she was a women and she was black. She was practically reduced only to a desk agent getting informants. But the one mission she did get, she believed it was because of her appearance and not her ability. The book also speaks about loss, sisterhood, growing into womenhood and creating an image for your personal brand.
Do you all think it will be a part 2?
It’s a effortless read and it is a page turner. However, it is not a thriller. It reads like a memoir. But the writing is really good because I could follow as she flipped back and forth through the years in not in chronological order. It’s the best fiction book I’ve read in a while.
The book walks through the normal life of a black FBI agent in the 80’s. She faced sexism, covered racism and she was overlooked for opportunities because she was a women and she was black. She was practically reduced only to a desk agent getting informants. But the one mission she did get, she believed it was because of her appearance and not her ability. The book also speaks about loss, sisterhood, growing into womenhood and creating an image for your personal brand.
Do you all think it will be a part 2?
Wilkinson offers an intelligent, enjoyable read with full characters and enough historical facts to add depth to the novel. Her event descriptions also reinforce the notion of why we need a diversity of authors writing. There are enough details left open, however, to suggest a follow-up novel.