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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
2.5 stars. I was totally underwhelmed by this book. It got such great reviews that maybe I was expecting too much. There were a few observations on being a black woman trying to work in law enforcement in the U.S. that I really enjoyed and would have liked more of, but they were too few and far between. And instead I felt like it was mostly B film screenwriting with not-good-enough twists on a tired spy seductress plot.
I enjoyed the writing style in this book. It was a bit long but had a good story that kept me interested.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love the premise of this book, but not the execution. A Black FBI agent in the 80's appears to have been sidelined, but is recognized by a CIA operative as potentially having useful skills for a mission that conflicts with her political values and beliefs. It's a nice tension between the demands of the jobs and the values of an individual. Only the details of the job get uglier and uglier the longer she works for her handlers, who aren't exactly all that they seem.
It sounds cool! A lot of the early portion of the book is spent meandering through quasi-random events of Marie's childhood and early adult life. We hear about a bully at summer camp, some things she does with her sister, dating a troublemaker of a boyfriend, the death of a relative, etc. Through that we get a few details that are relevant to the plot, but it felt a little tedious to get through for me.
Then we get into the thick of it, where the espionage bits are. I feel it fell flat. We learn the full details of the plot against the man Marie has been asked to spy on and seduce. She kind of reveals the plot, then just up and leaves. She claims to deeply love the president, but seems disinterested in disrupting the plot against him beyond not doing the deed herself. I would have liked to see more of a concerted effort to work against the company, rather than just up and leaving. Then the book ends with the knowledge that Marie is out seeking revenge, or at least to end any ongoing threat against her and her sons, but the book just endss with her leaving. Maybe it's meant to be a cliffhanger, but I really wish we could have seen that play out.
I think the idea of telling a story through a journal a mother leaves behind for her children while she does something dangerous is fascinating! I really loved that as a story telling device. I just felt the story itself wasn't quite what I'd gone in hoping for out of a spy novel.
It sounds cool! A lot of the early portion of the book is spent meandering through quasi-random events of Marie's childhood and early adult life. We hear about a bully at summer camp, some things she does with her sister, dating a troublemaker of a boyfriend, the death of a relative, etc. Through that we get a few details that are relevant to the plot, but it felt a little tedious to get through for me.
Then we get into the thick of it, where the espionage bits are. I feel it fell flat. We learn the full details of the plot against the man Marie has been asked to spy on and seduce. She kind of reveals the plot, then just up and leaves. She claims to deeply love the president, but seems disinterested in disrupting the plot against him beyond not doing the deed herself. I would have liked to see more of a concerted effort to work against the company, rather than just up and leaving. Then the book ends with the knowledge that Marie is out seeking revenge, or at least to end any ongoing threat against her and her sons, but the book just endss with her leaving. Maybe it's meant to be a cliffhanger, but I really wish we could have seen that play out.
I think the idea of telling a story through a journal a mother leaves behind for her children while she does something dangerous is fascinating! I really loved that as a story telling device. I just felt the story itself wasn't quite what I'd gone in hoping for out of a spy novel.
A black female spy engages with some real political figures in a unique piece of historical fiction.
This was a tough one because it had some good parts, but a lot of the book was just build up to a very short end.
Helene - I really thought this was leading somewhere. Maria was obsessed with talking to Helene’s boyfriend (husband) to find out what happened. But... just a car crash? Which it seems like she knew except she didn’t know the boyfriend/husband was also in the car. So, why all of the build up? Also, it seems like Daniel was abusive to her but they just barely touched on that with the phone call to her dad. Was this supposed to insinuate that it wasn’t an accident maybe? I’m so torn about what I am to think because it seems so straightforward that it would be weird that she went to Africa to “find the answers” from Daniel and it was just a car crash all along.
Thomas - saw the whole affair coming a mile away. Saw her siding with him over Daniel/Ross, etc. I didn’t really get a twist. It was a good story for sure. But I felt like the build up made it seem like she was going to help Thomas escape or fake his death somehow. But no, it turns out exactly how I expected.
Overall, despite the fact that I figured out a lot of the twists before they happened, the story was good and interesting. I enjoyed it. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I wasn’t expecting it to be a “shocking spy thriller” because I felt like it was more just a good story about a spy’s life. So, that’s the reason for 3 stars.
Helene - I really thought this was leading somewhere. Maria was obsessed with talking to Helene’s boyfriend (husband) to find out what happened. But... just a car crash? Which it seems like she knew except she didn’t know the boyfriend/husband was also in the car. So, why all of the build up? Also, it seems like Daniel was abusive to her but they just barely touched on that with the phone call to her dad. Was this supposed to insinuate that it wasn’t an accident maybe? I’m so torn about what I am to think because it seems so straightforward that it would be weird that she went to Africa to “find the answers” from Daniel and it was just a car crash all along.
Thomas - saw the whole affair coming a mile away. Saw her siding with him over Daniel/Ross, etc. I didn’t really get a twist. It was a good story for sure. But I felt like the build up made it seem like she was going to help Thomas escape or fake his death somehow. But no, it turns out exactly how I expected.
Overall, despite the fact that I figured out a lot of the twists before they happened, the story was good and interesting. I enjoyed it. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I wasn’t expecting it to be a “shocking spy thriller” because I felt like it was more just a good story about a spy’s life. So, that’s the reason for 3 stars.