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ruthalice's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This is a two part story about a group of historians sent to various parts of World War 2 and find themselves in a tricky situation.
It’s incredibly well researched and the author is a great story teller (although has a slightly annoying habit of leaving every chapter on a cliffhanger). Despite both being pretty long books - I just didn’t want them to end. If you’re not interested in time travel or life in WW2 it won’t be for you as it doesn’t have any other features that are particularly outstanding (ie no great romance, no unusual writing style or huge plot twists).
grayjay's review against another edition
2.0
As happends in each of the Oxford Time Travelers novels, historians travel to a time in Britain's past that they want to observe, prepared for every eventuality, and certain that they will be able to stay out of the action, and just as each other novel, they turn out to be unprepared and find themselves in danger of not being able to return, afraid that they have altered events that will affect their future—which they never have.
In this iteration, three historians travel to the Battle of Britain, one to observe the child evacuees, on to observe shop girls, and the other to observe the evacuation of Dunkirk—the theory of this novel being that the war was won not by soldiers in battle, but by the common folk of Britain with their pluck and stolid resourcefulness.
In this iteration, three historians travel to the Battle of Britain, one to observe the child evacuees, on to observe shop girls, and the other to observe the evacuation of Dunkirk—the theory of this novel being that the war was won not by soldiers in battle, but by the common folk of Britain with their pluck and stolid resourcefulness.
kendallpenn's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
destobie's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
kitdunsmore's review against another edition
5.0
Marvelous immersion into life in England during World War II coupled with the intriguing idea of time travel and its hazards. Warning: this is the first of two books and you want the second book on hand before you finish this one. The reader is left hanging and there's a wealth of detail that will be forgotten if you wait too long between the two books.
embereye's review against another edition
5.0
Warning! This is a first part of a two part set of books... AND leaves you on a cliff hanger. Am hanging... on a cliff... right now. Also? This is really good, especially if you have any curiosity or fascination with World War II in England and how people lived during that time. Absolutely fascinating, although I expect to be heartbroken by the second half in some fashion similar to how I was heartbroken during Willis's The Doomsday Book.
emilyystroup's review against another edition
4.0
God, what I wouldn’t give to be a time-traveling historian. This book was a fun read, and I’m moving right along to All Clear to see how the story ends!
megadeathvsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this one, more than the previous in this series. It was a bit slow at times - I could have done with less minutiae. But the setting was fascinating and the characters were realistic and smart. Looking forward to the rest of the story.
hectaizani's review against another edition
4.0
Let me start off by saying, I adore Connie Willis. The Doomsday Book is one of my all-time favorites. With that being said, I wasn't as fond of Blackout. I found the constant switching between character perspectives to be a bit annoying, especially since all of the characters seemed a little bland and interchangeable. Polly could have been Eileen could have been Mike. None of them had any defining characteristics. The characters seemed to have left their "smarts" back home in 2060 since even minor problems became mountainous and unsolvable. It happens, even the greatest of authors is going to have a lesser book or two.
Willis' research was impeccable. Her descriptions of wartime England made it very easy to "see" the setting and have an inkling of how it would have felt to be living there during the Blitz. And as always her writing style is wonderfully readable.
I know this book was split into two parts because it became so big and unwieldly but I think it could easily have been one if some additional editing had been done. This first book was mostly world building and it didn't seem to advance the overarching plot. Because of the two parts, the ending wasn't an ending, which is unsatisfying since nothing got resolved since there's a whole other book that has to be read to get there. I've got All Clear on my TBR pile and will be reading it soon to get some resolution.
Willis' research was impeccable. Her descriptions of wartime England made it very easy to "see" the setting and have an inkling of how it would have felt to be living there during the Blitz. And as always her writing style is wonderfully readable.
I know this book was split into two parts because it became so big and unwieldly but I think it could easily have been one if some additional editing had been done. This first book was mostly world building and it didn't seem to advance the overarching plot. Because of the two parts, the ending wasn't an ending, which is unsatisfying since nothing got resolved since there's a whole other book that has to be read to get there. I've got All Clear on my TBR pile and will be reading it soon to get some resolution.