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daja57's review against another edition
3.0
A black American woman with young twin sons successfully defends her family against an attempt to kill them by a night intruder. Feeling to her mother's farm in Martinique, she starts to recall the events that led up to this point: her frustrating career as an FBI agent leading to her recruitment as an intelligence agent targeting Thomas Sankara (a real figure), president of Burkina Faso.
This is a classic espionage novel, set at the height of the Cold War, and structured like a normal thriller. But its emphasis on the everyday practices of the intelligence agents, on the humdrum details of the bureaucracies and the shabby morals of those who work in the service, reads much more like a John Le Carre spy novel (such as The Spy Who Came In From the Cold) and even more like a Graham Greene (I was repeatedly reminded of The Quiet American) than anything with James Bond or Jason Bourne.
But I felt it didn't quite succeed like those two classics did. The characters didn't convince me. I suppose the narrator-protagonist was supposed to be an American Mom whose over-riding concern was the defence of her children but the ease with which she killed in the first few pages, her lack of guilt, and the lack of reaction from the authorities rather undermined her later moral qualms.
I found this book was an uncomfortable chimaera: half classic all-action thriller, half world-weary novel.
This is a classic espionage novel, set at the height of the Cold War, and structured like a normal thriller. But its emphasis on the everyday practices of the intelligence agents, on the humdrum details of the bureaucracies and the shabby morals of those who work in the service, reads much more like a John Le Carre spy novel (such as The Spy Who Came In From the Cold) and even more like a Graham Greene (I was repeatedly reminded of The Quiet American) than anything with James Bond or Jason Bourne.
But I felt it didn't quite succeed like those two classics did. The characters didn't convince me. I suppose the narrator-protagonist was supposed to be an American Mom whose over-riding concern was the defence of her children but the ease with which she killed in the first few pages, her lack of guilt, and the lack of reaction from the authorities rather undermined her later moral qualms.
I found this book was an uncomfortable chimaera: half classic all-action thriller, half world-weary novel.
bhnmt61's review against another edition
4.0
Marie is an FBI agent whose career has stalled. Frustrated and ready for something new, she takes an assignment offered to her by an outside agency, to try to gather info on Thomas Sankara, the charismatic, popular president of Burkina Faso. Sankara was a real person, so the book is an intriguing mix of fact and fiction. There are some parts of it that don’t work so well, and for a spy novel, it has an oddly contemplative, reflective tone. But it’s still a compelling story.
bookschaosnart's review against another edition
4.0
An FBI agent who becomes a spy almost unwittingly and her unintentional contribution to the overthrow of an African country while falling in love or at least lust with the country's leader/dictator. Solidly written and a true spy thriller.
laura_rico's review against another edition
challenging
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
irissiri's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
I really liked the premise but there wasn’t really the spy aspect that the novel promised and it felt like it moved way too fast
kdela's review against another edition
informative
reflective
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
3.0
henrim's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
bookrecsplease's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-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? Yes
4.0
A lot of the marketing for this book calls it a thriller, but I honestly think that the only readers who could call it a thriller would be those that only read political/historical non-fiction.
This is really more of a literary exploration of American politics abroad during the Cold War, racial and sexual discrimination on a structural and personal level in the US government, American phobia of communism, motherhood and childhood, etc.
There are so many political details that I felt like I should have read a history book of the Cold War first to prepare myself for this and fully understand everything.
There are some hints that action is coming, but really don’t expect those to go anywhere - the structure of the book is the protagonist making journal entries for her sons, and it does read like a practical and unembellished storytelling from someone who feels more bitterness and pessimism than excitement or thrill about her past.
And ultimately, the ending everything builds up to is (realistically)a bit anticlimactic, so although it does feel incredibly real, for a thriller novel it’s not at all what you’d expect. If you’re expecting a mostly history book, it would be very exciting.
Literary devices and plot development aside, it is an extremely intellectually compelling and thought-provoking novel. It really changed my perspective on a lot of recent American history and made me question a lot of beliefs i held about governmental spy organizations.
jess_mango's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
A character-driven spy novel. It's the mid 80's and Marie is a young black women who works as an intelligence officer for the FBI. She is asked to join a task force meant to undermine Thomas Sankara, the president of Burkina Faso. She ends up seducing Thomas and spends a good portion of the book questioning her role in everything.
This just didn't grip me as much as I was hoping.
A character-driven spy novel. It's the mid 80's and Marie is a young black women who works as an intelligence officer for the FBI. She is asked to join a task force meant to undermine Thomas Sankara, the president of Burkina Faso. She ends up seducing Thomas and spends a good portion of the book questioning her role in everything.
This just didn't grip me as much as I was hoping.
dxxvi's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5