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lisam0183_bookworm's review
1.0
Not often that I don't finish a book, but I just couldn't get into this at all.
always_need_more_books's review against another edition
3.0
This book tells the story of the German occupation of Denmark during World War 2 and looks at the role of British Intelligence during that time, looking at the code breakers who were working in London and the resistance fighters on the ground in Denmark,.
The story centres around Kay, a middle aged British woman living in Denmark. When the Nazis invade Denmark she is shocked that her husband of 25 years, collaborates with the enemy to preserve the legacy of the family home.
Kay is soon lured into a covert world of resistance putting both her life and the lives of her husband and grown up children in danger. Soon she is working with an Special Operations Executive (SOE) operative known as Felix, helping him send and receive messages to the code breakers in London.
As well as Kay we get to know some of the code breakers in London including Mary whose job it is to record the Morse code messages that arrive and send out new ones and Ruby whose job as a cipher clerk means she has to encrypt and decode the messages.
I was intrigued by this book as I do enjoy books set in World War 2, especially those told from different perspectives. This one primarily is very female led and many of the women featured are brave and intelligent.
I did enjoy it for the most part but wasn't that keen on the writing style - it didn't flow for me and I didn't feel emotionally invested in the characters. I was trying to think why, and I think it's because the author was trying to focus on the lives of too many characters. I also think it maybe could have been a little shorter which would have kept the pacing better. However, I did enjoy learning more about the special operatives who operated as part of the resistance and the code breakers - it was made me want to read more around the subject.
Many thanks to the author for sending me a copy of this book.
The story centres around Kay, a middle aged British woman living in Denmark. When the Nazis invade Denmark she is shocked that her husband of 25 years, collaborates with the enemy to preserve the legacy of the family home.
Kay is soon lured into a covert world of resistance putting both her life and the lives of her husband and grown up children in danger. Soon she is working with an Special Operations Executive (SOE) operative known as Felix, helping him send and receive messages to the code breakers in London.
As well as Kay we get to know some of the code breakers in London including Mary whose job it is to record the Morse code messages that arrive and send out new ones and Ruby whose job as a cipher clerk means she has to encrypt and decode the messages.
I was intrigued by this book as I do enjoy books set in World War 2, especially those told from different perspectives. This one primarily is very female led and many of the women featured are brave and intelligent.
I did enjoy it for the most part but wasn't that keen on the writing style - it didn't flow for me and I didn't feel emotionally invested in the characters. I was trying to think why, and I think it's because the author was trying to focus on the lives of too many characters. I also think it maybe could have been a little shorter which would have kept the pacing better. However, I did enjoy learning more about the special operatives who operated as part of the resistance and the code breakers - it was made me want to read more around the subject.
Many thanks to the author for sending me a copy of this book.
snazzybooks's review against another edition
4.0
I Can’t Begin To Tell You by Elizabeth Buchan tells the story of various characters during the Second World War as they try to come to terms with wartime existence and, each in their own ways, fight for freedom and hope. It touches upon relationships between family members and how these are tested when allegiances between the Germans and the allies were brought into question, and also the contribution, no matter how small, that so many different people had towards the war effort. Without giving too much away, it is really refreshing to read a novel that centres on military intelligence and espionage and in which the majority of the protagonists are women – and strong women at that, who may in some ways be flawed but are all the more admirable for it! Let me hear a cheer for strong women!
The novel completely drew me in from the moment I picked it up, and Elizabeth Buchan’s fantastic writing immersed me completely in wartime life, with its ups and many downs. I felt that the novel flows really well and the language she uses fits the tone if the novel really well.
I always find books about life during the war really interesting, particularly when it focuses on narratives that are a little different. Life for Kay, Tanne, Mary and the many other characters fits into this category as a book that offers something different, particularly as it takes the reader outside of the usual London setting (although part of the novel is based there, and it’s still very interesting) to Denmark. It made me consider what life was like for those in a Nazi-occupied country, as well as for those in Britain.
Though at times the pace slowed a little, and some parts I had to re-read to make sure I understood what I’d read properly, the narrative continued to engage and interest me. Buchan includes interesting, believable characters and really opened my eyes to the undercover, understated fights
against dictatorship and repression by ordinary (and not so ordinary) people during the Second World War.
I hugely enjoyed reading the wonderfully written I Can’t Begin to Tell You, particularly as it addresses the choices women were forced to make during wartime, both in England and Denmark. It was really interesting to be read about the way war affects relationships, both romantic and familial.
I’d definitely recommend this novel, and am looking forward to reading more of Buchan’s novels as a result of this!
**For more book reviews follow my blog: http://snazzybooks.wordpress.com **
The novel completely drew me in from the moment I picked it up, and Elizabeth Buchan’s fantastic writing immersed me completely in wartime life, with its ups and many downs. I felt that the novel flows really well and the language she uses fits the tone if the novel really well.
I always find books about life during the war really interesting, particularly when it focuses on narratives that are a little different. Life for Kay, Tanne, Mary and the many other characters fits into this category as a book that offers something different, particularly as it takes the reader outside of the usual London setting (although part of the novel is based there, and it’s still very interesting) to Denmark. It made me consider what life was like for those in a Nazi-occupied country, as well as for those in Britain.
Though at times the pace slowed a little, and some parts I had to re-read to make sure I understood what I’d read properly, the narrative continued to engage and interest me. Buchan includes interesting, believable characters and really opened my eyes to the undercover, understated fights
against dictatorship and repression by ordinary (and not so ordinary) people during the Second World War.
I hugely enjoyed reading the wonderfully written I Can’t Begin to Tell You, particularly as it addresses the choices women were forced to make during wartime, both in England and Denmark. It was really interesting to be read about the way war affects relationships, both romantic and familial.
I’d definitely recommend this novel, and am looking forward to reading more of Buchan’s novels as a result of this!
**For more book reviews follow my blog: http://snazzybooks.wordpress.com **
a_lovesbooks's review
4.0
It took me a while to get into this book, but once I did, I didn't want to put it away. The story is gripping and the ending is one I did not necessarily anticipate. One thing that rather bothers me is how one-dimensional Bror stays. His role is such an important one, yet I never really felt anything for him. The relationship between him and Kay is so strong, but the reader doesn't get enough of it to really feel with them.
judenoseinabook's review
4.0
Thought it would be a chic lit sort of novel by the title, but it isn't. It is about life in occupied Denmark, becoming an agent and also the lives and frustrations of the girls working on the receiving end of coded messages from agents.
Loved it. Learned a bit about an aspect of WW2 I hadn't come across before - Denmark.
Dealt with the terror of getting into spying and the potentially disastrous effects on other family members.
Loved it. Learned a bit about an aspect of WW2 I hadn't come across before - Denmark.
Dealt with the terror of getting into spying and the potentially disastrous effects on other family members.
eileen9311's review
5.0
I Can’t Begin to Tell You was a marvelous page turner! The plot revolved around the action of the Resistance in Denmark during WWII. Heroine Kay Eberstern was a British woman happily married to a wealthy Dane, with two grown children. Witnessing with horror the cruelty of the occupying Germans, she was unable to turn her back and was drawn into the Resistance movement. It was all there, familiar, and yet fascinating – the parachute jumps into blackness, the isolation, the insecurity of never knowing who could be trusted, the sheer terror, the short life expectancy, heartbreak, and quiet heroism, the incredible selflessness. Part of the action takes place in the Special Operations Executive headquarters in London, and so the reader glimpses the pressures and challenges of those supporting the Resistance from afar. Engrossing, well written and carefully researched, this was a splendid novel! I remember liking Elizabeth Buchan’s earlier work, Revenge of the Middle-Aged woman, and was motivated to track this one down after seeing many glowing reviews by my Goodreads friends!
olivia_rose1999's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
keeperofpages's review
2.0
I’m drawn to historical fiction set during WWII, especially when it centres around the role women played during the war. And I haven’t read a novel focusing on the Danish resistance before, so that was the appeal.
However, I struggled with this one, really struggled to finish the book (but I did)! I couldn’t get on board with the writing style at all, it wasn’t engaging enough, to be brutally honest, it bored me at times, making this an incredibly slow read. There was just no momentum to propel me on.
And I struggled to believe in the characters. This lack of authenticity really made it hard to become invested in their plight. I found it hard to believe spies would love and trust so easily in time’s of war 🤷🏾♀️ And if you’ve read this one, everything about Tanne had me rolling my eyes.
I did find the information on Morse code interesting. And I liked the idea of there being a divide between husband (collaborating) and the wife (resisting), even though the tension I was hoping for didn’t manifest.
Overall, this novel just didn’t work for me but I am incredibly grateful to the author for sending me a copy to read.
However, I struggled with this one, really struggled to finish the book (but I did)! I couldn’t get on board with the writing style at all, it wasn’t engaging enough, to be brutally honest, it bored me at times, making this an incredibly slow read. There was just no momentum to propel me on.
And I struggled to believe in the characters. This lack of authenticity really made it hard to become invested in their plight. I found it hard to believe spies would love and trust so easily in time’s of war 🤷🏾♀️ And if you’ve read this one, everything about Tanne had me rolling my eyes.
I did find the information on Morse code interesting. And I liked the idea of there being a divide between husband (collaborating) and the wife (resisting), even though the tension I was hoping for didn’t manifest.
Overall, this novel just didn’t work for me but I am incredibly grateful to the author for sending me a copy to read.
girlwithherheadinabook's review
4.0
Elizabeth Buchan takes a step into historical fiction with this stunning and powerful novel set in 1940s Denmark. Buchan is an established name in romance and 'chick lit' but I Can't Begin To Tell You marks a major departure. Tales of derring-do from World War Two are hardly new, even while the conflict was still being fought films such as Went The Day Well were being released, allowing those on the sidelines to imagine themselves at the heart of the drama. I Can't Begin To Tell You takes a more subtle approach however; it is a very feminine approach to espionage and rather than gunfights and high-jinx, Buchan considers the personal cost of involvement with wartime surveillance. While contemporary stories such as Agatha Christie's nauseating Tommy and Tuppence in N or M might make light of intelligence work, I Can't Begin To Tell You has a more mournful tone and from the very beginning, the reader feels braced for devastating consequences.
It was an interesting choice to set the action in Denmark. While we are used to tales of the French resistance, Denmark has always been slightly forgotten. Even during the war itself, the Allies tended to ignore it except as a tool for diversion tactics. The Germans used Danish factories during World War II to make their uniforms, so the Danish and German soldiers even looked rather similar. Initially this led to a great deal of distrust for the inmates of Colditz who were not sure what to make of their Danish fellow-residents but later it became a real advantage when making costumes for escape. Its geographical closeness to Germany and cultural similarities meant that many Danes felt a sympathy for the German expansion mission. I Can't Begin To Tell You is a novel about strong women, the main character is Kay Eberstern, a British woman who married into the Danish gentry twenty-five years before. As the novel opens, she waits anxiously in the woods of her husband's estate, promising herself that it will be the only time, almost hoping that the agent she has been asked to wait for will never arrive.
Kay Eberstern is a woman who has enjoyed her life so far. She is happily married to Bror, she has her two grown-up children Tanne and Nils, she enjoys her flirtatious lunches out with her husband's cousin Anton and takes pleasure in dressing and looking her best. She is comfortable with her life, in her position, in her marriage. She has everything she wants, there is no itching foot to be satisfied, she has no sense of lacking fulfilment. Still, Buchan captures perfectly Kay's horror as her husband Bror begins to collaborate willingly with the Nazis. Kay is a British woman, her husband is a Danish man with a host German relatives. Despite over twenty years of marriage, the two are cast suddenly at odds. A key question in the novel becomes how can one maintain a relationship where one partner has to deceive the other. Fra Eberstern may be physically faithful to her husband but her politics are another matter and it heartbreaking as she is slowly ripped from him by the barrier of diverging ideologies.
Fiction set in World War Two often invites the reader to speculate how they themselves might behave were they to be transplanted into these situations. Although it has been seventy years, World War Two still seems like recent history. Buchan's novel takes this as a particularly strong theme as the main characters hope and pray that they will have the courage to remain steadfast during interrogation should they be caught. It is that sense that we cannot truly know ourselves and we are capable of that adds an extra layer of fear. One character goes through training to be an agent and is given a mock interrogation, although she knows that it is not real it is nonetheless a horrific scene. Kay may have only meant to dabble her toe in the waters of espionage but Buchan makes clear that there is no middle-ground; once you have said yes once, you are as culpable as the rest.
Mavis Lever
As Kay tries to protect the young agent Felix from prying eyes, back in Britain there are a host of secret listeners working to take down and analyse transmissions. Mary Voss and her colleagues come to know and recognise the 'fists' of the agents who are signalling to them and the young Ruby Ingram has a creative eye for increasing security. Ruby was a particularly well-drawn character with more than a passing resemblance to the celebrated Mavis Lever. Again, there is a nurturing feel to I Can't Begin To Tell You which is absent from the majority of spy fiction as Mary remarks on how she cares for and worries about her agents, longing to send them some kind of sign of encouragement. Ruby frets that the 'poem code' system which the agents have to follow is open to abuse but all struggle to have their voices heard in the male-dominated environment.
The novel is based on the unspoken, on that which cannot be said out loud. Ruby and her love interest Major Martin ponder whether or not one of their agents has been broken and how he might begin to let them know if this were the case. Mary feels adrift, alone and unmarried and unable to tell anybody about the work she is doing. Kay is forced to create distance between herself and her family both because she is unsure who can be trusted and also as she does not want to endanger them. Men and women fall in love but are unable to ask each other the most simple questions. Relationships wither as secrets bloom. The British secret service was legendary for its successes but its insistence on the separation of different departments here makes it almost impossible to find out the truth when nobody who knows anything will be allowed to speak.
For my full review - http://girlwithherheadinabook.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/review-i-cant-begin-to-tell-you.html
It was an interesting choice to set the action in Denmark. While we are used to tales of the French resistance, Denmark has always been slightly forgotten. Even during the war itself, the Allies tended to ignore it except as a tool for diversion tactics. The Germans used Danish factories during World War II to make their uniforms, so the Danish and German soldiers even looked rather similar. Initially this led to a great deal of distrust for the inmates of Colditz who were not sure what to make of their Danish fellow-residents but later it became a real advantage when making costumes for escape. Its geographical closeness to Germany and cultural similarities meant that many Danes felt a sympathy for the German expansion mission. I Can't Begin To Tell You is a novel about strong women, the main character is Kay Eberstern, a British woman who married into the Danish gentry twenty-five years before. As the novel opens, she waits anxiously in the woods of her husband's estate, promising herself that it will be the only time, almost hoping that the agent she has been asked to wait for will never arrive.
Kay Eberstern is a woman who has enjoyed her life so far. She is happily married to Bror, she has her two grown-up children Tanne and Nils, she enjoys her flirtatious lunches out with her husband's cousin Anton and takes pleasure in dressing and looking her best. She is comfortable with her life, in her position, in her marriage. She has everything she wants, there is no itching foot to be satisfied, she has no sense of lacking fulfilment. Still, Buchan captures perfectly Kay's horror as her husband Bror begins to collaborate willingly with the Nazis. Kay is a British woman, her husband is a Danish man with a host German relatives. Despite over twenty years of marriage, the two are cast suddenly at odds. A key question in the novel becomes how can one maintain a relationship where one partner has to deceive the other. Fra Eberstern may be physically faithful to her husband but her politics are another matter and it heartbreaking as she is slowly ripped from him by the barrier of diverging ideologies.
Fiction set in World War Two often invites the reader to speculate how they themselves might behave were they to be transplanted into these situations. Although it has been seventy years, World War Two still seems like recent history. Buchan's novel takes this as a particularly strong theme as the main characters hope and pray that they will have the courage to remain steadfast during interrogation should they be caught. It is that sense that we cannot truly know ourselves and we are capable of that adds an extra layer of fear. One character goes through training to be an agent and is given a mock interrogation, although she knows that it is not real it is nonetheless a horrific scene. Kay may have only meant to dabble her toe in the waters of espionage but Buchan makes clear that there is no middle-ground; once you have said yes once, you are as culpable as the rest.
Mavis Lever
As Kay tries to protect the young agent Felix from prying eyes, back in Britain there are a host of secret listeners working to take down and analyse transmissions. Mary Voss and her colleagues come to know and recognise the 'fists' of the agents who are signalling to them and the young Ruby Ingram has a creative eye for increasing security. Ruby was a particularly well-drawn character with more than a passing resemblance to the celebrated Mavis Lever. Again, there is a nurturing feel to I Can't Begin To Tell You which is absent from the majority of spy fiction as Mary remarks on how she cares for and worries about her agents, longing to send them some kind of sign of encouragement. Ruby frets that the 'poem code' system which the agents have to follow is open to abuse but all struggle to have their voices heard in the male-dominated environment.
The novel is based on the unspoken, on that which cannot be said out loud. Ruby and her love interest Major Martin ponder whether or not one of their agents has been broken and how he might begin to let them know if this were the case. Mary feels adrift, alone and unmarried and unable to tell anybody about the work she is doing. Kay is forced to create distance between herself and her family both because she is unsure who can be trusted and also as she does not want to endanger them. Men and women fall in love but are unable to ask each other the most simple questions. Relationships wither as secrets bloom. The British secret service was legendary for its successes but its insistence on the separation of different departments here makes it almost impossible to find out the truth when nobody who knows anything will be allowed to speak.
For my full review - http://girlwithherheadinabook.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/review-i-cant-begin-to-tell-you.html
alwaysneedmorebooks's review
3.0
This book tells the story of the German occupation of Denmark during World War 2 and looks at the role of British Intelligence during that time, looking at the code breakers who were working in London and the resistance fighters on the ground in Denmark,.
The story centres around Kay, a middle aged British woman living in Denmark. When the Nazis invade Denmark she is shocked that her husband of 25 years, collaborates with the enemy to preserve the legacy of the family home.
Kay is soon lured into a covert world of resistance putting both her life and the lives of her husband and grown up children in danger. Soon she is working with an Special Operations Executive (SOE) operative known as Felix, helping him send and receive messages to the code breakers in London.
As well as Kay we get to know some of the code breakers in London including Mary whose job it is to record the Morse code messages that arrive and send out new ones and Ruby whose job as a cipher clerk means she has to encrypt and decode the messages.
I was intrigued by this book as I do enjoy books set in World War 2, especially those told from different perspectives. This one primarily is very female led and many of the women featured are brave and intelligent.
I did enjoy it for the most part but wasn't that keen on the writing style - it didn't flow for me and I didn't feel emotionally invested in the characters. I was trying to think why, and I think it's because the author was trying to focus on the lives of too many characters. I also think it maybe could have been a little shorter which would have kept the pacing better. However, I did enjoy learning more about the special operatives who operated as part of the resistance and the code breakers - it was made me want to read more around the subject.
Many thanks to the author for sending me a copy of this book.
The story centres around Kay, a middle aged British woman living in Denmark. When the Nazis invade Denmark she is shocked that her husband of 25 years, collaborates with the enemy to preserve the legacy of the family home.
Kay is soon lured into a covert world of resistance putting both her life and the lives of her husband and grown up children in danger. Soon she is working with an Special Operations Executive (SOE) operative known as Felix, helping him send and receive messages to the code breakers in London.
As well as Kay we get to know some of the code breakers in London including Mary whose job it is to record the Morse code messages that arrive and send out new ones and Ruby whose job as a cipher clerk means she has to encrypt and decode the messages.
I was intrigued by this book as I do enjoy books set in World War 2, especially those told from different perspectives. This one primarily is very female led and many of the women featured are brave and intelligent.
I did enjoy it for the most part but wasn't that keen on the writing style - it didn't flow for me and I didn't feel emotionally invested in the characters. I was trying to think why, and I think it's because the author was trying to focus on the lives of too many characters. I also think it maybe could have been a little shorter which would have kept the pacing better. However, I did enjoy learning more about the special operatives who operated as part of the resistance and the code breakers - it was made me want to read more around the subject.
Many thanks to the author for sending me a copy of this book.
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