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lilifane's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book is told from two perspectives in alternating chapter.
In 1915, we follow Eve, who is trained as a spy and sent to Lille in German occupied France to gather and pass on information to the Alice Network, a network of British and French spies during WWI.
In 1947 Charlie, a pregnant college student from the US, is searching for her cousin Rose who disappeared in France during WWII. She hires Eve to help with her search, and their stories intertwine more than expected.
When I say, the book was too long, I mostly mean the first half. Charlie's story, especially compared to Eve's, feels really underdeveloped in the beginning. I like that we get to know the characters slowly and in a natural way during their travels together, and the payoff is really great in the end. But it was still hard to stay invested in Charlie's parts for at least the first 200-300 pages, because nothing actually happens.
The rest of the book is just fantastic. The character work is amazing, so many strong female characters. I literally felt the tension during all the spy business scenes. Reading the author's note at the end, which explains which characters, events and details were real, made me realize how great their portrayal was in the book as well. Facts and fiction fit perfectly together.
I liked how all kinds of aspects of women's lives during the wars/post-war are shown, the relationships between the characters, the focus on their mental state. I also think it was great to have a protagonist with a speech disorder who uses this weakness and turns it into a strength. But there are several scenes that were hard to read. Kate Quinn does not shy away from detailed descriptions of gruesome and bloody scenes. So yeah, definitely check out trigger/content warnings.
Lastly, one of the things that is really hard to pull off is a satisfying showdown/ending. And I think it was done masterfully here. A lot of times the showdowns in books are either too abrupt or too slow for me. This one is perfectly timed. I love the setting, the characters involved, the emotions, the dialogues, the action, the execution and resolution. All the little details come together nicely.
And after the showdown we get an ending that's neither too short, nor too long. I'm really impressed.
Graphic: Alcohol, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Medical content, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Abortion, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Child death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, and War
jacquettareads's review against another edition
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Rape, Suicide, and Abortion
compplus53's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Murder, and Torture
Moderate: Abortion and Sexual content
myahstover's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Moderate: Gore, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Abortion, and War
jdouthit's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Abortion
buecher_und_huehner's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Abortion, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: War, Suicide, Death, Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Addiction, and Suicide attempt
sarahndipity's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Physical abuse, Murder, Alcoholism, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Mass/school shootings, Hate crime, Alcohol, Sexism, War, Cursing, Violence, Genocide, Death, Blood, and Gun violence
Moderate: Abortion and Toxic relationship
lailams's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Gun violence and Grief
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, War, Alcoholism, Death, Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, and Self harm
Minor: Suicide and Abortion
itselizabethclaire's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Abortion
Moderate: Sexual assault
stephmorrisbyatt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: War, Abortion, Rape, Murder, and Torture
Moderate: Physical abuse, Mental illness, Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual content