book review

Transcription by Kate Atkinson

~ scarlett1000 ~ Leave a comment

I have been contemplating what it is about Kate Atkinson’s novels that I enjoy so much and have concluded that it is not just her style of writing, which is so effortlessly brilliant, but the way she writes humour.  She writes these witty asides of what her characters are really thinking, and they are just so endearing and true to life.

I have been a huge fan of Kate Atkinson since I read ‘Life after Life’ and ‘A God in Ruins.’

This novel was much more of a slow burner for me.  It took me a while to get going.  It’s not what I would call a page turner, but it’s still fabulous, nonetheless.

The story centers around Juliet Armstrong who in 1950 is working for the BBC.  The story then takes us back to 1940 where we discover she worked as a secret agent. The novel runs along these two parallel strands of the 1940s and the 1950s.

During the Second World War Juliet is employed by M.I.5 and taken to a flat in London, where she is told she will be transcribing what goes on in the next-door flat which is bugged.   An agent called Godfrey Toby is sent undercover to listen to the secrets of a group of British Nazi sympathizers in the flat next door to Juliet, while she is taking down every word.    The conversations are mundane, but Juliet’s life takes an unexpected turn when both her and Godfrey’s boss, a man named Perry gives her a job in the inner circle, where she goes undercover as Iris-Carter Jenkins and befriends a British Nazi Sympathizer called Mrs Scaife.   This is where the book really came to life for me (about a quarter of the way in) and from then on, the intrigue develops, and the plot really does thicken (sorry!)

However, Juliet takes it all in her stride and seems totally underwhelmed by the drama unfolding around her.  She is even bored at times – “There was a better life somewhere, Juliet supposed, if only she could be bothered to find it.”

Although I found this novel a slow starter, the prose is beautiful, full of humour and wry observations, and if you can stick with it, it’s a rewarding read in my view.

I have included a link below to some quotes from the novel on Good Reads. For if you need convincing of what a glorious writer Kate Atkinson is, read them and weep!

https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/64175388-transcription

 

 

 

The Dressmaker of Dachau by Mary Chamberlain

~ scarlett1000 ~ 4 Comments

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Link to the book on Amazon

This book came highly recommended by a friend.  Thank you Michelle!

I love nothing more than when a book transports me to another world and I can’t wait to get back to it. It doesn’t happen to me that often, but this book had me absorbed from start to finish.

Ada Vaughan lives in Threed Street in 1930s London.  She gets a job working for Mrs B as a dressmaker, where she learns her trade.  But Ada is no ordinary worker.  She has a real talent for couture and a flair for fashion.  One evening she attracts the attention of a man named Stanislaus at a hotel, and the two begin courting.  When he asks Ada to go to Paris with him, she is thrilled.  Despite warning of the outbreak of War, Ada sneaks off to Paris with him.  What happens next is more than your worst nightmare.  Ada finds herself alone and abandoned in a city at war.

What I loved about this novel were the rich descriptions of both time and place.  I felt like I was there, and I got a real sense of Ada’s fear and panic.   The writing is lyrical and full of ambiance.    I defy you to not get caught up in this wonderful story of one woman’s perilous struggle to survive through World War II.

Also I will say that the ending surprised me, which always adds to a great read!

Read it, you won’t be disappointed.  4*.

My next book is The Camomile Lawn by Mary Wesley.  Review coming soon!