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A review by maurakeaney
Lines of Courage by Jennifer A. Nielsen
3.0
This is a review of the audiobook edition. My 9 year old son and I read Lines of Courage together as an audiobook, and we agree on the 3 star rating...we liked it, but didn't love it. Following FIVE intersecting characters of different nationalities and backgrounds did seem to fit the goal that author Jennifer Nielsen had of giving readers an idea of the scope of how massive World War I was, but as a reader, it was difficult to follow all the changes in narrator, and the frequent switching made it difficult to develop much of an emotional investment in any of the 5. It also led to some pacing issues, where some character's stories seemed to fly by, and others went at a snail's pace.
Our audiobook was due to expire with 20% left and my son wasn't able to listen to the last chapters with me, and usually he would beg to borrow it again from the library so we could finish it together, but for this book, he just wasn't that interested and was fine with me summarizing the ending. The author's note was excellent and worth waiting for, but the conclusion of the book - while perhaps satisfying to readers who were emotionally invested - felt highly implausible at best.
Recommended for elementary library collections where Jennifer Nielsen is already popular or if there is a thirst for 20th century historical fiction; otherwise, I might skip this one. I did add it to my library collection because Nielsen's WWII books have had some interest and we don't have much set during WWI.
Our audiobook was due to expire with 20% left and my son wasn't able to listen to the last chapters with me, and usually he would beg to borrow it again from the library so we could finish it together, but for this book, he just wasn't that interested and was fine with me summarizing the ending. The author's note was excellent and worth waiting for, but the conclusion of the book - while perhaps satisfying to readers who were emotionally invested - felt highly implausible at best.
Recommended for elementary library collections where Jennifer Nielsen is already popular or if there is a thirst for 20th century historical fiction; otherwise, I might skip this one. I did add it to my library collection because Nielsen's WWII books have had some interest and we don't have much set during WWI.