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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
This is a masterful piece of fiction (although I can hardly believe it's actually fiction). Take a deep breath and savor this book. I'm stunned.
I accidentally read the second of this series before the first thinking they were stand alone, and I adored that one. This book? Broke my heart into a million pieces and then some. So important as a book with a friendship being the centric part of it, and that friendship considered as important, if not more important, than any kind of romance. This one will stay with me for a long time.
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I ended up really enjoying this book but before I talk about what I liked I need to talk about what I didn't because it almost stopped me from finishing. The p.o.v. this book is written in is, to me, just plain silly. Our narrator, Verity, is a captured British operative who is writing a confession. But the confession comes in the form of her entire life story. This is just ridiculous because
A) Why in the world would the Nazi commanders be okay with this? She even mentions this a couple times so like, points for meta, but still. Then there is also lots of commentary on Verity’s own entrapment which I don’t being relevant to the soldiers. There is just so much extraneous information being given and time being wasted I can’t see why they would allow this.
B) It’s written as if it were a novel. By that I mean there are direct quotes all over the place. There are even direct quotes and extreme detail given in situations where our narrator was not even present. Implausible? I would say so.
Later on it becomes clear why the author did it this way, and it does add an extremely interesting element, but it just made it so hard to get through in the beginning. So just be warned…
But beyond that this really is a fantastic novel. Women’s involvement in war is hardly ever written about, especially in the young adult genre. And the two main girls in this book, Verity and Maddie, are wonderful. They’re complicated and real and feminine and emotional and yet are still able to get shit done. There is a trope out there that women need to be more “manly” in order to succeed, especially in an environment like war, and this book bucks this completely. Also, there’s no romance.
“whAT??? No romance??? But how??? Teenage girl always have romance. How can book be interesting without romance???”
Seriously though, what a breath of fresh air. No unnecessary or unbelievably romantic subplot to get through. This really is a story about friendship. Oh, and Paul’s character is extremely important. Paul is a resistance leader who sexually harasses every girl he can get his hands on. Unfortunately, we all know a Paul. This is why his portrayal in the book, as a total lech, is great.
The plot itself is a little slow at the beginning, but it eventually picks up, and the last 50 pages or so I couldn’t put down. Even with the rocky start this book is one I seriously loved.
A) Why in the world would the Nazi commanders be okay with this? She even mentions this a couple times so like, points for meta, but still. Then there is also lots of commentary on Verity’s own entrapment which I don’t being relevant to the soldiers. There is just so much extraneous information being given and time being wasted I can’t see why they would allow this.
B) It’s written as if it were a novel. By that I mean there are direct quotes all over the place. There are even direct quotes and extreme detail given in situations where our narrator was not even present. Implausible? I would say so.
Later on it becomes clear why the author did it this way, and it does add an extremely interesting element, but it just made it so hard to get through in the beginning. So just be warned…
But beyond that this really is a fantastic novel. Women’s involvement in war is hardly ever written about, especially in the young adult genre. And the two main girls in this book, Verity and Maddie, are wonderful. They’re complicated and real and feminine and emotional and yet are still able to get shit done. There is a trope out there that women need to be more “manly” in order to succeed, especially in an environment like war, and this book bucks this completely. Also, there’s no romance.
“whAT??? No romance??? But how??? Teenage girl always have romance. How can book be interesting without romance???”
Seriously though, what a breath of fresh air. No unnecessary or unbelievably romantic subplot to get through. This really is a story about friendship. Oh, and Paul’s character is extremely important. Paul is a resistance leader who sexually harasses every girl he can get his hands on. Unfortunately, we all know a Paul. This is why his portrayal in the book, as a total lech, is great.
The plot itself is a little slow at the beginning, but it eventually picks up, and the last 50 pages or so I couldn’t put down. Even with the rocky start this book is one I seriously loved.
I have read some incredible 5 star stories of women in WW2, namely the nightingale and all the light we cannot see. They have stayed with me and set a high bar!
This book was good, but it just did captivate me in the way those books did, so I have awarded in 4 star.
I am not sure what this book is lacking, but I felt I just wasn’t completely invested in the characters, they came off a bit flat.
However, it was still a good story and a perspective of WW2 I hadn’t come across before.
This book was good, but it just did captivate me in the way those books did, so I have awarded in 4 star.
I am not sure what this book is lacking, but I felt I just wasn’t completely invested in the characters, they came off a bit flat.
However, it was still a good story and a perspective of WW2 I hadn’t come across before.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Beautiful and brutal, heartbreaking and hopeful all at the same time.
"I am no longer afraid of getting old. Indeed I can't believe I ever said anything so stupid. So childish. So offensive and arrogant. But mainly, so very, very stupid. I desperately want to grow old."
I am genuinely wondering whether another book has ever made me cry so fiercely and so many times consecutively. But staying up to storm through the ending and finishing it at 3:15am was such a brilliant decision. There's just something about finishing a book you love in the early hours of the morning.
Verity says that 'it's like falling in love, discovering your best friend', and I think it's rather similar discovering one of your new all-time favourite books. I never wanted it to end.
This novel has prose you could drown in. I hardly remember a time when I was ever so deeply immersed, so surrounded by a story, that looking up from the pages almost made me disoriented. What a triumph of the stream of consciousness narrative style. Just, what a triumph of a novel.
And the characters. It is so full of brilliantly complex, incredibly brave, and just wonderful female characters. And Jamie, who gets a special mention for breaking my heart with his kindness.
But the true focal point, the crux of this story and the most beautiful part of a novel so riddled with beauty, is the friendship. 'Verity' and Maddie (I won't spoil her name) are just best buds. The bestest of friends. They truly adored each other and I truly adored them and they were wonderful. Are wonderful. I'll be rereading this for certain.
Ultimately, whilst I've given this five stars it deserves more. I was immersed from the very first line.
And a special word on Verity, who is one of my favourite characters ever. I love her unreliable narration the most for how she is so unaware of how utterly wonderful she is. She says she's a coward but she's so incredibly brave. She says she's weak but she is scarcely anything other than so, so strong. She says she has lost all hope but you can tell that it's there. After everything, and all that she has lost, she still has her hope. And she still has that William Wallace courage. How wonderful that she's descended from William Wallace, because I'm descended from Andrew Murray, who was right by his side as they rode into the Battle of Stirling Bridge together. How truly special that my ancestor and hers trusted each other so much. I like to think that's something really special, at least. Maybe it isn't, but I think it is.
To conclude, did I love it? Yes. Did it break my heart? Oh, into a million different pieces. Has it earned its space on my favourites shelf? A thousand times over. And to the author, for creating something so special: 'A thousand thanks is not really enough. But I haven't anything else to give her.'
I am genuinely wondering whether another book has ever made me cry so fiercely and so many times consecutively. But staying up to storm through the ending and finishing it at 3:15am was such a brilliant decision. There's just something about finishing a book you love in the early hours of the morning.
Verity says that 'it's like falling in love, discovering your best friend', and I think it's rather similar discovering one of your new all-time favourite books. I never wanted it to end.
This novel has prose you could drown in. I hardly remember a time when I was ever so deeply immersed, so surrounded by a story, that looking up from the pages almost made me disoriented. What a triumph of the stream of consciousness narrative style. Just, what a triumph of a novel.
And the characters. It is so full of brilliantly complex, incredibly brave, and just wonderful female characters. And Jamie, who gets a special mention for breaking my heart with his kindness.
But the true focal point, the crux of this story and the most beautiful part of a novel so riddled with beauty, is the friendship. 'Verity' and Maddie (I won't spoil her name) are just best buds. The bestest of friends. They truly adored each other and I truly adored them and they were wonderful. Are wonderful. I'll be rereading this for certain.
Ultimately, whilst I've given this five stars it deserves more. I was immersed from the very first line.
And a special word on Verity, who is one of my favourite characters ever. I love her unreliable narration the most for how she is so unaware of how utterly wonderful she is. She says she's a coward but she's so incredibly brave. She says she's weak but she is scarcely anything other than so, so strong. She says she has lost all hope but you can tell that it's there. After everything, and all that she has lost, she still has her hope. And she still has that William Wallace courage. How wonderful that she's descended from William Wallace, because I'm descended from Andrew Murray, who was right by his side as they rode into the Battle of Stirling Bridge together. How truly special that my ancestor and hers trusted each other so much. I like to think that's something really special, at least. Maybe it isn't, but I think it is.
To conclude, did I love it? Yes. Did it break my heart? Oh, into a million different pieces. Has it earned its space on my favourites shelf? A thousand times over. And to the author, for creating something so special: 'A thousand thanks is not really enough. But I haven't anything else to give her.'
Super good book. This is a historical fiction about women pilots and spies in WWII. Recommended by Lisa Porter-White and read for the Pioneer Book challenge.
I thought at first it would be a book for young teens, but the themes are heavy. The story is told by a girl who is a prisoner of war in France, under the Gestapo. You don't know who she is or what she's done, but she introduces herself as a traitor, who has told the Germans radio codes after being tortured. She breaks and ends up writing her story (which is what you read). Because she's in prison the story feels a little disjointed, but it's really very well written, and there are a lot of clues and hints within the story. Because it felt choppy, it took me a little bit to get into, but at the end I loved it!
The author shares some of her historical references and so now I want to go read more about the Air Transport Authority and women's involvement in WWII.
I thought at first it would be a book for young teens, but the themes are heavy. The story is told by a girl who is a prisoner of war in France, under the Gestapo. You don't know who she is or what she's done, but she introduces herself as a traitor, who has told the Germans radio codes after being tortured. She breaks and ends up writing her story (which is what you read). Because she's in prison the story feels a little disjointed, but it's really very well written, and there are a lot of clues and hints within the story. Because it felt choppy, it took me a little bit to get into, but at the end I loved it!
The author shares some of her historical references and so now I want to go read more about the Air Transport Authority and women's involvement in WWII.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The audio version was every bit as deliciously heart-wrenching as reading the physical book.