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A review by jacki_f
V2: A Novel of World War II by Robert Harris
4.0
Once again Robert Harris has taken known historical events and turned them into a compelling story. In this instance he's writing about the German V2 programme in the final years of WW2 and the British efforts to destroy the launch sites. I knew nothing about the V2 programme, which involved long range missiles fired at London from the Dutch coast. I didn't even realise that the German had bombs that weren't dropped from planes. So I really enjoyed learning about this part of history as well as the story itself.
As in [b:Munich|33539583|Munich|Robert Harris|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1489391219l/33539583._SY75_.jpg|54306435], Harris alternates chapters between a German and a British character. Dr Rudi Graf is a (fictional) engineer on the V2 project, working alongside many real life individuals. On the other side is Kay Caton-Walsh, working in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force and part of the team who are using radar to try to locate the V2 firing sites. I particularly liked Kay's chapters which are tenser and more cinematic - the German chapters included a lot of background information about the V2 and Rudi was a less interesting character.
The book is both immaculately researched and extremely readable. While it's missing the x factor that puts a book into the "can't put it down" category, it's still a fascinating read.
As in [b:Munich|33539583|Munich|Robert Harris|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1489391219l/33539583._SY75_.jpg|54306435], Harris alternates chapters between a German and a British character. Dr Rudi Graf is a (fictional) engineer on the V2 project, working alongside many real life individuals. On the other side is Kay Caton-Walsh, working in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force and part of the team who are using radar to try to locate the V2 firing sites. I particularly liked Kay's chapters which are tenser and more cinematic - the German chapters included a lot of background information about the V2 and Rudi was a less interesting character.
The book is both immaculately researched and extremely readable. While it's missing the x factor that puts a book into the "can't put it down" category, it's still a fascinating read.