Reviews - American Spy | The StoryGraph

1.38k reviews for:

American Spy

Lauren Wilkinson

3.49 AVERAGE

rachel_nadine's review against another edition

3.75

adventurous tense slow-paced

amylepp's review against another edition

4.0

mysterious sad 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: No

beanjamin25's review against another edition

3.75

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

holden8758's review against another edition

3.0

The plot is interesting but what makes the book most attractive to me as a reader is the style in which it is written -- a diary from a mother to her children, explaining her past (and the children's history as well), in case she doesn't return from a planned excursion. Partial spoiler alert: I'm still not sure if I would have preferred more resolution or not at the end...it was effective the way it was, but sometimes you want things wrapped up in a nice little package!

mothman_codes's review against another edition

5.0

This is a gorgeous book. Compelling story about working within a system you know is broken. It's a story about race, Cold War proxy conflicts, and American weaponized ideology, all under the guise of a spy novel.

jjohnwendell's review against another edition

4.0

I thought “American Spy” was extraordinarily well written, paced superbly, and challenging of our notions about so much of what is deemed right and wrong in society (e.g., democracy versus communism, violence, nation-building versus colonialism). It was a powerful narrative on sexism, racism, classism, and the impact of colonialism - both domestically and nationally. Wilkinson is a fantastic author! There were a few devices she used throughout that I found a bit too convenient, but I chalk that up to a debut novel! Overall, I am excited to see what comes next!