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A review by aliciafromtheashes
The Berlin Girl by Mandy Robotham
4.0
Full review to come. Easily one of my top books this year.
Updated: 7/22/22
I was drawn into this one based on the premise. A female reporter during the lead up to World War II. In Berlin. At the heart of Nazi Germany. Sign me up. And it was… well …
I wanted a bit more from the main plots, but the subplots were intriguing enough to keep me going. This was my first Mandy Robotham. I'll be giving at least one of her others a shot.
Prose: 3 / 5
I make it absolutely no secret that I'm choosy when it comes to prose, so take the three stars with a grain of salt because there really are some solid sentences in this one.
Characters: 2 / 5
I wanted so much from Georgie. There was so much room for growth with her, but unfortunately, she never quite made it to the finish line for me. Which is a shame, because I really enjoyed most of the side characters. Bill, Rod, the Amsels, Sam, and, of course, Max… I even liked Frida. Until I didn't. I should have expected one of them to turn and I did, but I thought it would be Margot. Anyway, all in all the characters get 2 out of 5 stars simply because the side characters outshined the main character and it's her story.
Style: 4 / 5
Of all the elements I look for in a book, this is the one that has me deciding to come back for one of Mandy Robotham's other novels. Her writing style is lovely. She somehow manages to keep things simple while also being so descriptive it's as though the scene jumps to life around you. And we all know how much I love a good metaphor, of which she uses many.
Plot: 3 / 5
Much like with the characters, I think the subplots outshined the main story. Whereas I really wanted this gripping tale of Georgie coming into her own as a writer, I found myself more interested in the fate of the Amsels. Or when Kasper was going to see through her very thin veil of lies. Or how long it would be before she realized that she was obviously in love with Max. Still worth reading. Just prepare to be more interested in those than in Georgie's journey in journalism.
Overall it wasn't terrible and I quite enjoyed it. I made nearly 100 pages of notes when I finally got around to transferring my notes from my Kindle to an actual notebook, so clearly I was engaged at the time of reading. I give 4 / 5 overall.
Updated: 7/22/22
I was drawn into this one based on the premise. A female reporter during the lead up to World War II. In Berlin. At the heart of Nazi Germany. Sign me up. And it was… well …
I wanted a bit more from the main plots, but the subplots were intriguing enough to keep me going. This was my first Mandy Robotham. I'll be giving at least one of her others a shot.
Prose: 3 / 5
I make it absolutely no secret that I'm choosy when it comes to prose, so take the three stars with a grain of salt because there really are some solid sentences in this one.
Characters: 2 / 5
I wanted so much from Georgie. There was so much room for growth with her, but unfortunately, she never quite made it to the finish line for me. Which is a shame, because I really enjoyed most of the side characters. Bill, Rod, the Amsels, Sam, and, of course, Max… I even liked Frida. Until I didn't. I should have expected one of them to turn and I did, but I thought it would be Margot. Anyway, all in all the characters get 2 out of 5 stars simply because the side characters outshined the main character and it's her story.
Style: 4 / 5
Of all the elements I look for in a book, this is the one that has me deciding to come back for one of Mandy Robotham's other novels. Her writing style is lovely. She somehow manages to keep things simple while also being so descriptive it's as though the scene jumps to life around you. And we all know how much I love a good metaphor, of which she uses many.
Plot: 3 / 5
Much like with the characters, I think the subplots outshined the main story. Whereas I really wanted this gripping tale of Georgie coming into her own as a writer, I found myself more interested in the fate of the Amsels. Or when Kasper was going to see through her very thin veil of lies. Or how long it would be before she realized that she was obviously in love with Max. Still worth reading. Just prepare to be more interested in those than in Georgie's journey in journalism.
Overall it wasn't terrible and I quite enjoyed it. I made nearly 100 pages of notes when I finally got around to transferring my notes from my Kindle to an actual notebook, so clearly I was engaged at the time of reading. I give 4 / 5 overall.